Super Bowl XLV – The Ads – Part I

by AdFool | February 7, 2011 at 02:03 am

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So, 2011’s Super Sunday saw Wisconsin’s cheese-stuffed Packers emerge victorious over the most impressive steelworker’s union Pennsylvania’s ever seen. It was a game that, while not exactly thrilling in whole, at least managed to stay close enough to suggest the Packers might actually lose (uh no, not really….) Happily, we were also treated to an ageless Terry Bradshaw, an anthem mix-up (thx Xstina), a robo-tuned half-time show featuring AstroBoy and Barbarella along with the polar-white, Extenz-fuelled smile of luxuriously-maned coaching icon Jimmie Johnson. My God, but does that man have a head of hair……..

Now, while the event itself is all well and good, everyone knows what actually matters for most folks come the big day: the ads – what they were, who was in them and how good (or bad) they played out. After all, football is only a game but advertising is life and death. How can anything played on a field with rules ever hope to compete?

Right out of the gate, I have to give a metaphorical high five to Mini for Cram it in the Boot, a spot created to hype their new four-door Mini Cooper. The ad features a ridiculous parody game show called – you guessed it - “Cram it in the Boot,” where a prototypical TV host invites contestants on stage to cram whatever they can in the tiny Mini’s trunk. Literally, one could almost hear the snickering that must have engulfed the ad agency’s offices way back when they first wondered aloud if they could ever get away with shouting “Cram it in the boot” more than five times in thirty seconds while a world-wide audience gaped in double-entendred awe. Mission accomplished guys. I certainly hope someone buys a case of Vaseline to celebrate with on Monday. You all deserve it.

In recent years, the Super Bowl has seen itself become a sort of defacto launch pad for internet start ups looking to make a big splash fast. And it’s worked like a charm. Everybody notices the new guys. Thing is, there never seems to be a middle ground for these wannabes. They either go on to become Google or wind up as Pets.com. Still, one of this year’s crop - Groupon.com, a nation-wide, but still local, internet coupon service - produced a look-at-me ad that was actually quite something.

Oscar-winner Timothy Hutton’s voice is heard across lovely images of exotic Tibet. He speaks of Tibet’s beauty, its people, culture and then notes the serious troubles they face. Oh fishsticks, here comes another altruistic web co. out to teach the rest of us how great they are for using their time on the world stage educating us football boobs about whatever human rights crime they as a company have decided to notice. Literally, I groaned out loud when it started. Then, as Hutton himself appears on screen the spot does a complete 180 and he announces “But they still whip up an amazing fish curry and since 200 of us bought at Groupon.com we’re each getting $30 worth of Tibetan food for only $15 at Himalayan Restaurant in Chicago.” Awesome – a total fake-out on the social conscience trope. Sharp, and even a little subversive. I dug it a lot.

Audi did a number on Mercedes that was so brutal it almost didn’t seem fair. In the piece, we see the most opulently ridiculous cell block as gilded cages to the most tweedy-nosed bunch of toffs ever assembled. A pan down the cells reveals some quite happy in their decadent, old-school luxury until we catch one leading a break out. Others begin to cheer as the most hilariously over-privileged jail break in history gets underway. Champagne flutes are tapped with caviar forks amidst shouts of “scandalous” while two members of the smoking jacketed upper crust make a break for it. The guards react and the hounds are released – long-haired, refined Afghan ones, of course – to chase the miscreants down. Determined to restore order, the warden decides something more serious is in order. On goes the Kenny G. album. Perfect. Still, the toffs keep going and actually make it into the prison yard where two cars wait, one a chauffeured Mercedes and the other a fancy Audi. Immediately, the Mercedes is perceived a trap – “Nonsense, my father owned one.” says the older of the two. Ouch. Talk about painting old luxury (and old men) as being Mercedes with a capital “M.” The anti-hero escapes in the Audi as we close on a live Kenny G - dressed as a guard – calmly serenading the clueless inmates. What a punch in the ‘nads to Mercedes. Good one Audi.

Little kids are always a fan favourite, and while the E-Trade baby returned he was not the star the last one was (who by now is probably old enough to be in celebrity rehab). Thankfully, Volkswagen stepped up with “Imperial March” an ad featuring a little kid totally kitted out in a rocking Darth Vader costume. The kid roams his house, desperately trying (and failing) to move things with the power of the dark side. Finally, dad comes home and parks the new Volkswagen in the driveway. The kid brushes pat him and stares the car down, giving it the most concentration he can muster. Well faith and begorrah, it starts (thanks to dad, watching from the kitchen)and our little Sith lord nearly craps his pants at the revelation of his powers. It was a pretty cool spot - especially considering that even Volkswagen stands in line to fill George Lucas’ pockets with money. Is there anyone that man doesn’t profit from?

Once again, Doritos stuck with their status quo and provided another series of average Joe produced ads-cum-contest winners. They were all pretty good but for me the best one featured a weird, Doritos dust fetish that showcased an odd office-dude first sucking his buddy’s fingers in search of that spicy Doritos taste before yanking the pants from another only to mash his pasty face in a patch of Dorito remnant wiped near the pocket. Gross? Absolutely, but pretty darn funny all the same.

Now, Snickers has built up a pretty fair rep for itself over the last couple Super Bowls. First they that big “accidental” kiss a few years back, then it was last year’s Abe Vigoda-Betty White spot that turned her career white (get it?) hot and his, well, not so much. This year they had a lot to prove and while they didn’t exactly hit it out of the park it should be considered a stand up double.

The theme is the same - you’re not you when you’re hungry - but this time they set the action in a logging camp and made the “hungry not you” Mr. quintessential whiner himself, Richard Lewis. Griping and kvetching, Lewis proves conclusively why comedy was his only choice because I seriously doubt he could have held any other kind of job ever. Anyway, once “Richard” is rehabbed - thanks to Snickers – we get Roseanne (!) who starts her own moaning about work only to get absolutely clobbered by a massive swinging tree. It was so violent that it was shocking to see but hilarious to witness. Is there really anyone who deserves flattening by log more? Besides, just for asking the question “is there a worldwide shortage of gazebos?” Snickers deserves a solid B+.

Without a doubt, I was not looking forward to any entry Godaddy.com had on tap. They’ve been a pretty big disappointment for a while now. Their mindless T&A was so unsubtle it even insulted the un-insultable – red-blooded males. C’mon guys we’re not that stupid. It seems they heard because this year GoDaddy offered up a twist almost worthy of The Crying Game (and if you have to ask what that is just give up now). For the last little while they’ve been doing a slow reveal on their sexy, shapely and toned all-new GoDaddy.co girl, promising full-disclosure come game day. Well, they did and – wait for it - Joan Rivers was the gal. At least her head was. Digitally (and quite flawlessly) they stitched Joan’s head onto a volcano hot body. Talk about unexpected, and impressively ironic. It made me laugh, at least until I started having impure thoughts about a 77-year-old insult comic. Can we talk? I think not…..

Finally, I have to admit that one of my favorite spots came from Chevy. Called “Miss Evelyn” the ad was pumping the new Chevy Camaro and it was fun. The spot is all voice over, as two ad guys go back and forth dreaming up a Chevy ad from scratch. We the audience watch everything these chuckleheads say come instantly to life. We get the cool, the crazy, the insane, the sexy and even the twist. Bottom-line it was pretty brilliant and well worth a watch. Whoda thunk GM could do anything right these days? Plus, it has forever seared in my mind the notion that a truly hot teacher needs a hot car. Anything else is just wrong.

Check back later for Part II where I’ll dissect more ads from Super Bowl XLV.