Continuing a theme of posting other people's stuff, this was my pick for most underrated Super Bowl commercial. The attention to detail (which shows took place where, and which characters would root for them) is phenomenal, and whoever worked on the CGI deserves a raise. For most of the clips, you can't even tell that the apparel was added in (except I believe the Seinfeld and Newman scene actually happened).
Very well done. However, the NFL will still be the No Fun League until creative touchdown celebrations like Maurice Jones-Drew's "ATM Withdrawal" and Wes Welker's "Snow Angel" aren't fined anymore. The decision to fine a player should be determined by a one man panel of Shannon Sharpe, and should be strictly based on whether or not the celebration was funny. I feel strongly about this.
Well Super Bowl XLIII is in the books, and really it doesn't matter that the crappy Pittsburgh Steelers are now, officially, the owners of more Super Bowl championships than any other team. Whoop de doo. Did their kicker make the Pro Bowl? No. Go Pats.
But enough about that. The game was surprisingly exciting for a game I didn't really care about. I've heard Bruce Springsteen sound better musically, but I'd rather see an energetic performance like that one over a rock-by-numbers set like the Rolling Stones three years ago (memo to the Stones: you've done better). I enjoyed the set, rocky moments and all. In fact, it was awesome. I'll fight you if you disagree with me.
Okay, other than the game we did have a few good commercials. As usual, the laughs were too few and far between. The laugh-a-half-minute Super Bowl commercial sessions seem to have gone the way of "Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl Contender". Still, perhaps it's time to lower our expectations and instead enjoy these chestnuts. My top 5 commercials, in descending order.
#5.) Bridgestone Tires, Mr. Potato Head
Rhode Island's most famous tubers out for a drive. Although I predicted the outcome of this commercial, the payoff was no less amusing. Simple, but great.
#4.) Doritos, Crystal Ball
Stupid humor, but great stupid humor. I really didn't expect this one, but it made me laugh out loud.
#3.) Hulu, spokesperson Alec Baldwin
Honesty is always the best policy. In a way, it's refreshing and arguably more effective to market your product by putting down the product, the consumers, and the advertising process--instead of overstating the product's usefulness or desirability.
#2.) eTrade, talking baby with friends
After discussing this commercial series at length with the old man, I have to conclude that this commercial series cannot fail. Yes, in lesser hands this series could quickly get old, but it stands up so well because it goes beyond the "Oh, a talking baby, that's always funny" schtick. The writing is brilliant. Look at his face when he says, "It's not the venue." How disappointed in his friend is he? It's amazing. The one with his golf friend is not on Hulu cause it ran after the Steelers had already won (boo!) but was just as funny, maybe moreso. Outakes can be found here.
#1.) Teleflora, Flower Delivery
Wow. Just wow. It starts off being funny, and just gets funnier. I'm still in awe. I would not be surprised to find out that Mitch Hurwitz was behind this one. It's rare to find humor that uncomfortable in a national commercial.
Honorable mentions: Taco Bell's commercial where the man gets the girl's number was good for a laugh, as was the Troy Palomalu Mean Joe Green update. Pepsi Max's commercial was decent physical comedy. Finally, even though I don't like the SoBe Life Water commercials, many many many props to one of my favorite Patriots ever, Matt Light, for a fantastic national performance of his dancing chops. I should dedicate a whole post to him and how much he deserves a talk show when he retires.
There's a part of me that it hurts to say this, but I would have liked a Peyton Manning commercial this year. Great article in Sports Illustrated last week about why he's such a popular spokesman.
Okay, shakapotomuses, lest you need reminding, it is a Sunday night. Get to bed already. Pitchers and catchers report next Thursday.
All right folks, stock up the fridge and put the Foreman Grill on! It's time to gather around the tube with friends, neighbors, and that awkward guy who invited himself and watch the football event of the year. It all comes down to this.
Now, I know what you're thinking. After the past five months, expectations for Super Bowl Sunday should be low. A lot of key people went down this year, and the future is a bit uncertain for many former contenders. Still, we can expect (or at least hope) that the big names will overcome the downers of late and deliver the goods.
Of course, I'm talking about the commercials.
The Super Bowl is like the Super Bowl of the advertising world. Much hoopla has been made about the $3 million price tag for a thirty second spot. For those MENSA candidates trying to do out the math at home, $3 mil for thirty seconds works out to a lot of money per second. Who's got that kind of money, especially in today's economy? But I covered the economy in the second paragraph.
No, I'm here to salute the companies that are coming through to deliver high comedy to us while shilling for their crappy products. First up, Miller High Life knows that the market on alcohol never fluctuates. If anything, demand for alcohol should go up in a recession, though this tends to heavily favor the hard liquor department. Nevertheless, the (presumably buzzed) brain trust over at MillerCoors realized that the message of their product and hilarious spokesman (a fake-life delivery guy named Windell Middlebrooks) would be compromised by shelling out three cool millions for a 30-second spot. Thus, they have taken one of the boldest approaches to Super Bowl advertising in recent memory. They saved $2,900,000 and bought a one second ad.
Nice work. I was not even aware that you could negotiate on commercial length. I would have loved to have been there when Miller called NBC if they could run a commercial lasting 1/60th of a minute. I would love it even more if it was a drunk dial. Surf on over to the Miller High Life website and check out the commercials that didn't make the cut (my favorite: "One Mississippi!"), but only if you're 21. They have a very high tech age verification system that requires you to at least be old enough to subtract 21 from 2009.
This one second ad should drive home a point that many Super Bowl parties I have attended were not clear on. Namely, shut the hell up. You don't talk over the game, and you'd absolutely better not talk over the commercials. Halftime show talking rules vary by household and artist. Britney? Talk away. U2? I'll kill you.
While Miller High Life is making the big splash in the blogosphere (what a pretentious word), I personally cannot wait to see if E-trade continues the spots with the talking baby. That kid is gold. I want to see his girlfriend. And his portfolio.
I am off to get a haircut to look my best for the big game. Who knows how many ladies will click "Maybe Attending" on Facebook for my Super Bowl party? These good looks don't come without $12 haircuts, you know.
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