Good morning Ad Society!
The Super Bowl is finally over! I’m gonna be honest, I am not a football fan so the Super Bowl wasn’t my most anticipated event for the week. But this year I was one of the lucky few participants that got to attend Brand Bowl! I usually glance at the Super Bowl just to see which ads are on for the night, but this year I tried to be a little social butterfly and I watched the ads with my fellow Ad Society members. It was great!!!
I also loved that our club partnered with the Agency and BPRSS. I talked with different members from each organization and I had a good time. The Agency’s social media did a great job of posting social content and keeping us all engaged. And a highlight of the night was the Google Pixel Twitter account replying to a tweet that The Agency posted about the Google Pixel ad. It was so cool!
So speaking of the ads…I don’t know about y’all but did it feel like they were trying to squeeze in multiple ad spots between viewings??? I don’t know what it was but each ad either felt like it was 5 or 30 seconds. But regardless of the seemingly fast-paced ad spots, there were a few ad spots that I thought were gems, and for the others…..I’d rather disclose my thoughts in person. But anyways, here are 5 ads from the Super bowl that I thought were winners!
Disclaimer: Yes, I am putting this here to state that the ads listed below reflect my personal opinion of what ads I thought were good. This list does not reflect Ad Society’s official ranking or opinion of all the Super Bowl ads. Also, for the ads that I don’t list here, it doesn’t mean they were terrible or bad. I just don’t think they stuck out to me as much as the ones I listed. Also, the order in which I’m listing the ads are in the order that I can recall them. It’s not an official ranking system. Again, if you want my raw opinion of all the ads, message me in slack. Again, it’s just my opinion!
Saving Sawyer- Amazon
This one was sooooooo good! I don’t wanna give too much away but I had no idea where the story was going. And when the family started looking for a dog carrier I was horrified because I thought they were getting rid of the dog. But I was so relieved about the twist. This was, I think, the most wholesome ad spot of the night and one of the most memorable.
Busch Guide- Busch Beer
I’m definitely not a Busch beer drinker and I haven’t really paid attention to the brand before the commercial. But I found the ad spot with Sarah McLachlan hilarious! It seemed kind of random and a bit silly but that’s why it was so funny to me.
#FixedOnPixel- Google Pixel
I’m gonna be honest, the moment I saw the eraser tool I knew it was a Google Pixel ad! I’ve paid attention to previous Google pixel ads and I always found that feature appealing. But the way the spot executed the use of the eraser tool was clever. And I loved that they mislead the viewers with this wholesome, sentimental vibe at the beginning of the spot. Having celebrities use the tool was cool, but it almost felt like they weren’t needed.
A Mountain of Entertainment – Paramount+
I’ve seen many ads pull different characters for tv shows to talk about a streaming service/product so I didn’t think this one was as creative as some of the others ads. But what made this ad funny and memorable was Dora’s cameo and her little, “Hold it” line. Maybe my sense of humor is broken but that line alone made me remember the ad.
Great Acting or Great Taste? – Pepsi
I liked the “Great Acting or Great Taste” theme for both Pepsi spots. And while I absolutely love Ben Stiller and thought his spot was hilarious, Steve Martin’s spot was funnier and more appealing to me. I love both of these celebrities and I got most of the movie references. I just think Martin one-upped Stiller here. But overall it’s still a big win for Pepsi.
And that’s the top 5 ads that I think really stood out. If you want a more qualified and detailed review of each ad spot played during the Super bowl, AdAge has a great article interviewing all of them and you can check it out here (You need an AdAge account but it’s free!) I don’t agree with all of their rankings but who am I to question AdAge?!?!
If you absolutely hate all the spots I highlighted or think I’m completely insane, tag me in the slack channel and call me out. Or the next time you see me walking to class just yell, “YOUR CRAZY!”. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this year’s Super Bowl and (hopefully) most of the ads.
Btw, Happy Valentine’s Day! I know it seems weird to post about Super Bowl ads on Valentine’s Day. But if you and the besties are still looking for a cool spot to celebrate the occasion, check out my post from last week! And as always, for any upcoming news on club events and socials, join our slack channel!