Chuck Samples: The best and worst Super Bowl commercials
By CHUCK SAMPLES
ISL Correspondent
Go figure. I decide to write a column on the Super Bowl commercials because I wasn’t all that fizzed about the game itself, and the game turns into one of the best (and possibly wildest) in the 47-year history of the event.
My original plan was to log all the commercials that aired, but even at nearly $4M per….there are a LOT of commercials in an NFL game. If you don’t think so, try it yourself next year. So I joined the ranks of logging the best (read: my personal favorite) Super Bowl ads.
Super Bowl ads that stood out for the right reasons (in no particular order):
Tide, Joe Montana stain. Loved the pilgrimage aspect, including the creation of Montanaland, and the wife revealing her love of the Ravens at the end.
Dodge Ram, “God Created a Farmer.” I believe this was the longest ad at two minutes, but the combination of Paul Harvey and the still photography grabbed me and didn’t let go — even though I never knew who the advertiser was until the end.
Budweiser, Clydesdale. The rest of the Budweiser ad stable, pardon the pun, was nowhere close to the mark set during other Super Bowls, but this one highlighting the relationship between trainer and young Clydesdale more than made up for the other Bud ads combined.
E-Trade baby. Not quite my favorite from E-Trade (the company still hasn’t topped the “milkaholic Lindsay” spot and possibly never will), but the baby showing off what you can do with the “fat stacks of cash” was pretty effective.
Audi, Going Stag to Prom. The backstory is fairly long in the front, but the shot of the guy driving home shouting at the top of his lungs with a huge shiner after kissing the prom queen? Absolutely classic.
Star Trek, Into Darkness preview; Iron Man 3 preview. I’m giving these equal time because I thought these were the most effective movie trailers (just ahead of Fast and Furious 6, which I didn’t realize my wife wanted to see, and Oz Great and Powerful — only because I’ve seen that one a ton).
M&M. I’m not a Meat Loaf fan unless it’s food, but going from “I would do anything for love…” to “I won’t do that” followed by an M&M with a whipped cream haircut was pretty funny.
Oreo, Library Whisper Fight. Loved this spot. Even the cop at the end was whispering – after crashing through the library wall to restore order.
Toyota, RAV 4 genie. Unlimited wishes? Great. Reiterating your wish to get what you want? May not be so great — but hey, you have the RAV 4 to tote you around.
Doritos, Football Princesses. If you’re a man with a young daughter, you know exactly why this is funny. “Is that my wedding dress?” Priceless.
Ads that left me staring blankly:
VW Bug. I didn’t see the racism complaint (believe it or not, there are a number of white people in Jamaica), but tying in Jamaica with a sunny, optimistic look on life and a VW product just didn’t click with me.
Coke quest. Again, I didn’t see the racism complaint, but bringing in a camel troupe, cowboys, a Mad Max dude and a burlesque group just didn’t make the grade.
Go Daddy, Bar Rafaeli frenches a nerd. You saw the finished product. It took over 60 takes to get that kiss to TV. Just how drooly were those first few takes?
“just ahead of Fast and Furious 6, which I didn\’t realize my wife wanted to see”
I’d start looking for a divorce lawyer.