With Super Bowl LIII wrapped up, the discussion begins… Who had the best commercial?
I have gone through all of the ads and here are my top pics and why.
#1 Bud Light x Game Of Thrones – Joust
Well that was unexpected is all I can say. I love a story with a good twist and this is one I can honestly say I’ve never seen before. One brand teaming up with another for a commercial you think you’re watching but turns out that commercial is for something else.
#2 Pepsi – More than OK
This one has everything you want in a super bowl commercial, celebrities, comedy, and their message is simple. In true Pepsi fashion, they know they are number #2 in the cola game but that never stops them from using that to their advantage.
I also love this teaser ad that they put out. I mean Steve Carell… you just can’t go wrong.
#3 Google – 100 billion words
Great storytelling, that’s what is beautiful about this ad. It’s such a simple feel good message that gives me goosebumps every time I watch it.
#4 Verizon – All our Thanks
Get your tissues ready… Verizon honors first responders in their campaign “All our Thanks”. This one is emotionally powerful and they shot 12 of them which you can watch at AllOurThanks.com.
#5 Colgate Close Talker
It’s simple, kinda funny, and memorable… that’s all you need. Kudos Colgate!
#6 Amazon Alexa – Not Everything Makes The Cut
This one is good but if you happen to miss the opening line the first time (which I did) you need to watch it again for it to make sense. Wait, I wonder if they did that on purpose? Probably not because that would be a terrible strategy.
#7 Washington Post – Democracy Dies in Darkness
The Washington post makes a clear statement, fighting back against rhetoric and honoring journalists killed in action. It’s a dark spot that feels necessary and the point is strong and hurts to think about. It certainly helps that it’s narrated by Tom Hanks.
#8 Mint Mobile – Chunky Style Milk
Someone on this list had to go for shock value and Mint Mobile takes the cake for that one. I have to say that it’s not a great ad, the premise is a real stretch but I can’t fault them for making it memorable and buzz worthy. Also it’s really gross so heads up on that.
#9 Google – Jobs for Veterans
Good storytelling. Google gets it.
#10 NFL – 100 year game
I don’t know who any of these players are but for their target audience I’m sure it’s a who’s who of NFL All-stars… I think. It also did win first place in USA Today’s AD Meter which is a consumer rating of all Super Bowl Ads. So that does say a lot about not only who’s watching but also who cares about Super Bowl Ads. Still a lot of fans I guess.
Here is my pick for Worst Ads
These just missed the mark on creativity and impact and make me wonder who thought this was a good idea.
#1 Burgerking – #eatlikeandy
This spot just makes me want to ask a lot of questions… starting with WTF? Why Andy Warhol? How long have they been sitting on this footage? And why did they think now is the time? Is the artist even that relevant today that he deserves a hashtag about eating a hamburger? Seriously, what were you thinking??
#2 Wix – Big Game Ad with Karlie Kloss
If you’ve ever used YouTube you’ve already seen this or something exactly like it. There is no creativity and no originality. Just the same boring spot from wix that we’ve all seen 10,000 times before.
#3 Bud Light – Beer ingredients
So the joust was good but that seems to have been the extent of their creativity. The beer brand also put out a series of medieval ads that list off their ingredients and dwell on the fact that their competitors use corn syrup. Does anyone care? Probably not.
