Does anyone question that the advertising industry’s biggest day happens to coincide with the grandest sporting event on the planet? The 2011 Super Bowl enjoyed the largest viewing audience in television history according to the Nielson ratings. Advertisers and their agencies couldn’t be giddier. It’s the Super Bowl adstravanza™ and it’s become as anticipated and celebrated as the sports spectacular it funds.
Social media was abuzz with chatter about ads as they were airing. Mainstream and internet media hyped the commercials and many wrote extensive critiques along with links to advertiser’s YouTube sites.
I listened to sports and talk radio on Monday and heard as much banter about the ads as I did about the game.
It’s truly awesome and I love it.
For the big game, I parked myself on the sofa, laptop on my lap (where else?), and wrote briefs on most every commercial as it aired. Here’s my take on a few advertisements:
Stella Artois “Crying Jean” is a lovely commercial. A French male singer in a dusty bar croons a jazz love song. Haunting trumpet. Beautiful women moved to tears as he lays out his passion for her. "When I open my eyes, you were gone” as we see a visual of an empty Stella Artois glass. Expressions of agony and regret. Head drops down, then slowly lifts as he next whispers…“When I open my eyes,” cut to a full glass of Stella Artois being placed on a table, “we’re together” he picks up the full glass of Stella Artois and looks at it longingly, “again.” Applause. “Merci.” Stella Artois logo and tagline: She is a thing of beauty. The commercial? Yes, she is a thing of beauty.
Eminem may have stolen the evening serving as the spokesperson for Lipton and Chrysler. Who ever expected the rap artist to be a puppet for anyone, but that he is in the Lipton Brisk Ice Tea commercial. We hear the puppet Eminem explain his demands for being a spokesperson (hot chicks, video shot at his house, he writes and performs the music, he must actually like the product and the product must be renamed to include his moniker) as he strolls through a rolling change of scenery that depicts each demand. The visuals effects are sweet and the crisp humor keeps you engaged.
The Chrysler 200 commercial is breathtaking. Masterfully written, beautifully envisioned and superbly edited, the two minute commercial hails Detroit as anything but what you’ve heard and read. Eminem evokes one simple sentence, “This is the Motor City, and this is what we do.” Chills flowed from the base of my spine to the crown of my head. It’s a wow moment. The tagline: The Chrysler 200 has arrived. Imported from Detroit.
The ad inspires the viewer to reconsider perceptions and understandings of the country’s most beleaguered city. Powerful.
CareerBuilder revived the “Working with Monkeys” campaign starring Griffin Creech with a new installment titled “Parking Lot”. You can’t lose when you put monkeys in suits in a commercial. Check out this short on how the commercial was pieced together. Mighty interesting.
The E*TRADE baby commercials were excellent, as usual.
The Bud Light spots didn’t do anything for me, but I found the Budweiser “Wild West” commercial entertaining.
Doritos. Are they so good a guy will lick another man’s fingers and rip a male co-worker’s pants off to inhale the crumbs off them? This commercial just did not work for me. The comedic intent fell flat, and as I heard someone else express, once you’ve seen the gag, it’s no longer funny. What a colossal waste of money IMHO.
Chevy Cruze. I loved the goodnight kiss commercial. As the guy drives home he fires up OnStar and requests a news feed to find out what his date, Jennifer French, just posted as her Facebook status. “Best first date ever” brings a smile to everyone’s face. Who amongst the social media generation doesn’t covet a Chevy Cruze with OnStar now?
The NFL Best Fans Ever commercial is a cruise down sitcom memory lane with a few currently airing shows sprinkled in. How much work went into inserting NFL team softwear, schwag and references throughout? Celebrating your audience. Simply brilliant.
Hey! We can’t miss the commercials!
I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a local advertiser props. “You Can’t Spell Texas Without H-E-B”. Jack Ingram extolling the virtues of the Lone Star State may rank as one of the best local commercials of the Super Bowl adtravaganza.
There are so many other commercials worthy of mention, but alas, this post is long enough. To view all of the Super Bowl commercials in one convenient location, go here. Then come back and tell me which which ad is your favorite and why.
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