Looks like everyone has an opinion.
I'll share with you a few from people I like and/or respect.
This is Laura Ries take:
Super Bowl Ads 2010
Best ads of the game
Google: Google transformed how we think about search and now Google has transformed how we think about Super Bowl ads. Without any celebrities, special effects or juvenile jokes, Google did what Google does best. It showed us in a simple clear how Google had changed the world. The ad is unlikely to win any creativity awards but unlike most ads I think it made a powerful, lasting impact in the mind on consumers.
Doritos: Who needs a fancy award-winning agency when you can hold a contest and get your ads for free? Doritos showed us again that there are a lot of aspiring creatives out there with a lot of time on their hands and a lot of ideas in their heads. For a cool, fun, spicy, youth-oriented brand the strategy paid off big time. The dog with the bark collar was hilarious and had a great brand payoff at the end.
Snickers: When you brand owns a strong, narrow idea in the mind, it is a whole lot easier to make a great commercial. Snickers, the number-one candy bar, is focused on adults. Having a cranky Betty White turn into a young guy playing football was not only visually funny, but also packed a mean branding punch too.
Budweiser: Overall, I was underwhelmed with Anheuser-Busch’s ads this year. Usually Budweiser dominates the game and easily delivers among the best in the bowl. While Budweiser didn’t have its best year, average for Budweiser is still pretty good. They own the Super Bowl and they are still the King of Beers. As usual, the best ad used the Clydesdales, the iconic symbol of the brand. But the ad itself wasn’t as great as the Clydesdale ads of past years. If they would stop line-extended Bud Light (now in Lime and Wheat), then maybe they would have more time to work on the ads.
Denny’s: The free-breakfast idea got people really excited last year. So Denny’s repeated the giveaway. And people probably got even more excited about the free breakfast this year. But on top of breakfast Denny’s delivered some of the top ads of the game. Again when you have a narrow idea, it is a lot easier to get good creative work. “It’s a good time to be an American, but a bad time to be a chicken.” Who can forget that line?
Coca-Cola: When your award-winning competitor suddenly drops the ball, it is wise to pick it up. Coca-Cola took full advantage of Pepsi dropping out of the game and delivered with ads that showed us why it is the world’s number one brand. I’m not crazy about the tagline, Open Happiness, but the message was clear, Coke is the Real Thing. My favorite was the terrific Simpson’s Hard Times ad which spoke to the mood of a nation and the thirst of the world.
Great ads, but no connection to the brands.
Boost Mobile: The Super Bowl Shuffle parody was wonderful! Nothing works like using nostalgia to create a great ad. But there was no connection to Boost Mobile. Part of the problem of course is that nobody knows what a Boost Mobile is.
Dodge: Man’s last stand. The set-up was fabulous: still images of men’s faces, the voiceover about all the miserable things they were willing to do to be our man. The payoff was the problem. Man’s last stand is driving a Dodge? Come on! You have got to be kidding. You can’t take Man’s last stand with a Dodge. A Porsche would be much better. Or at the very least a Ford F-series truck.
Audi: Love the Green Police ad I was singing right along thinking how timely and appropriate to promote a green car. But wondering in light of the recent news why Toyota would run an ad for Prius? I know Audi owners love their cars. But Audi has a branding problem, it doesn’t own anything in the mind of the consumer. And the last thing it will own is green.
Nice ads, but the brands are in trouble.
Volkswagen: Working with an idea already in the mind is always good. Volkswagen brilliantly brought back the “Punch Buggy” kids game where you get to punch someone every time you see a Volkswagen Beetle on the road. The problem is that today Volkswagen has 13 different models on the road. Kind of defeats the purpose of the game and the ad.
FLO TV: And people thought the iPad had a naming problem. With a name like this, the first thing I think of is here comes the flow, get me a pad! Live mobile television is an easy thing to sell. Missing the big game or American Idol can be funny. The real question is other than these examples, who really cares about live television anymore?
They tried
E*Trade: Consistency counts. E*Trade has been in the Super Bowl for years with the same talking babies. The gag might not be as funny. But right away you know the brand and you remember the message.
HomeAway: Unlike Ed Begley Jr. there are some celebrities that it is fabulous to see again in a Super Bowl ad like Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo. I loved the idea of a National Lampoon’s Vacation spoof. But the jokes weren’t funny enough and the key idea not sold enough. Rent a house for half the price of a hotel, that is a powerful idea. Too bad they didn’t hammer it harder.
Shouldn’t be in the game
CareerBuilder: The company has made a career out of Super Bowl ads showing people working with horrible co-workers. Either they are a bunch of chimps or they are naked. Not sure which is worse. The idea comes across, your job sucks so it’s time to get a new one. There are two problems. First of all in this economy many people would happily take a job even if it meant having to wear underwear on Fridays. The second problem is the fact that CareerBuilder is not the leader. When all your ad does is sell the category you are essentially benefiting the leader. Even worse the category leader (Monster.com) was also advertising on the Super Bowl and delivered with a hilarious Beaver ad.
U.S. Census Bureau: Ed Begley Jr. is in charge taking a snapshot of 300 million people for the U.S. Census. This is a clear sign that government has drifted to the far left and has no idea whom to call to get something done.
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