Ten Deep 02.09.12: Top 10 Super Bowl Commercials

Posted by Mike Gorman on 02.09.2012

The commercials are as much apart of the Super Bowl spectacular as the game itself now and in this week’s Ten Deep, Mike Gorman counts down the ten best spots including evolution of the NFL, Betty White’s body, and a dog with a bit of a “weight problem.”

"Top Ten Super Bowl Commercials"


They are the sixty second burst of energy that try to keep the hype going as the big game plays on. And if you're a Pats' fan, like myself, you definitely needed these little tension breakers to help you try and keep your cool as the night progressed. I have been doing a post-game Ten Deep round up of the commercials for a few years now and I have to be honest, they were pretty weak overall in my opinion. Not as many gems you want to see again and again as in past years. Could it be that some of their concepts are getting overused? Check out this week's "Even Deeper" for more on that thought. For now, sit back, mute your TV and enjoy these mini-movies.


10. Audi "Vampire Party"





I will admit, when this commercial started the entire group of friends I was with, myself included, groaned at what we thought would be a lame Twilight homage. Did you see the vamps scaling the trees? I loosened up when I saw the case of blood in the vamps car. I figured that this could possibly be a pretty good spoof and as soon as the LED headlights of the new Audi hit the first blood sucker, I knew I was correct. I even yelled at the screen at the end as the lead vampire walked in front of his own deadly lamps. A hearty chuckle was had by all and a great riff on the recent vampire trend was unleashed.



9. Chevy "2012"





It's only February and already the 2012 Mayan Apocalypse references are getting too frequent and pretty boring. So what sets this take on the topic apart? Well for one, it depicts not just one end of days scenario but pretty much all of them. Giant robots? Check! UFO invasion? Check! Massive volcanoes? Check! Rain of frogs? Check! Check! Check! This commercial has something for every doomsday prophet to enjoy. Toss in the appropriate use of Barry Manilow and a nod to the staying power of the everlasting Twinkie (well, except for bankruptcy I suppose) and the commercial gives a nicely comic edge to world's end.



8. The Voice "Betty White's Body"




By the time this commercial aired we had pretty much had it beaten into us that a special premiere of The Voice would be following the Super Bowl. An ad promoting this would need to find a unique voice, pardon the pun, amongst its fellow commercial and this one did. The judges crash through walls to get to the voice that is captivating them all. Who does that voice turn out to belong to? Betty White. She may be showing up everywhere but this 90 year old comedian is still a fresh face enjoying her resurgence in popularity. The commercial plays to White's strengths, that is it allows her to make a few "blue" references you would not expect from a woman her age. When you put it all together this one really sings.



7. NFL.Com "Timeline"





NFL.com's "Timeline" succeeds because it brings you back to the reason you were in front of the television that Sunday evening, your love of the game of football. This commercial seemless integrates constructed images and archival footage to bring football's evolution to life on the screen. It hits all the right beats and has something for every fan of the game. When you look at it again you realize how ultimately simple and completely engaging this ad really is.



6. Geico "Popular Middle School Girls"




"Eew." "Seriously." "So Gross." This commercial aired right around the time of the coin toss so you have missed it. I hope you didn't because this tale of a chubby guy going to extremes to lose weight was one of the funniest moments of the night. As usual, it was near impossible to know this was a Geico commercial until the very end, but that is a part of the charm of these ads. The repetitive nature of the popular girls scolding of the poor fat guy is hilarious in my opinion. "Eew." "Seriously." "So Gross." I feel like I need to try this method out for myself!



5. The Avengers "Teaser"





The commercial above is not the one the aired during the Super Bowl but the extended cut you could see once the original aired. Honestly, I struggled not to completely geek out about this one as really it pushes all my buttons as both a comic and movie geek. A few weeks back I expressed my concerns about the success of this film and really this trailer dissolved most of my fears. It is just awesome to see all of these characters gathered together on screen in a trailer that just drips with hardcore action. When the camera pans around them standing as one, I got chills. The additions made in the extended cut are even better. Tony Stark's response to Loki's threat was just spot on perfect. "We have a Hulk." Yes, yes they do.



4. Bud Light "WeeGo"





I was not at all impressed with the Bud Light Platinum ads (see below) so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this ad for the traditional product. It contains all of the usual whimsy you expect from a Bud Light commercial but doesn't come off as feeling tired. Here we meet rescue dog Weego who has a special talent for retrieving beer. He is put to the test as more and more people show up at the pool party and exclaim, "Here we go!" This commercial brought laughs and a nice reminder that all who adopt rescue dogs should be sure to make them earn their keep.



3. VW Beetle "Dog Strikes Back"





I was right there with this poor chubby dog when he had trouble getting out that door. As a fat guy, how could I not commiserate with him at first and then cheer him on when he starts to pump himself up and slim down. The dog commercial is good enough on its own but in its remaining seconds the script is flipped and we learn that it is a commercial within a commercial as the screen opens up and we learn that the doggy diet is being perused by the denizens of the Mos Eisley Cantina from Star Wars. The ad nicely references last year's killer Darth Vader ad in a way that makes the whole thing fresh and witty.



2. Doritos "Man's Best Friend'"





It was hard to not put this commercial into first place. This was the tightest top two I have come across in weeks. This ad takes the cake when it comes to laugh out loud guffaws from the crowd and displaying a crafty wit. When you realize what the dog has done you can't help but laugh at his ominous presence. He truly shows the man who is the master in this situation. When he passes the note on the Doritos bag, "You saw nuthin'" he immediately became a straight up gangster in my mind.



And lastly…



1. Dodge "Clint Eastwood's Halftime Speech"





As this ad began one of my friends exclaimed, "Clint Eastwood? Hell ya!" and I echo that sentiment. While he is a part of the Hollywood cultural elite, Eastwood strikes so many chords with the average, salt of the earth American he was the perfect choice to bring forth the commercials message of motivation. How can you not jump to your feet ready for action when Eastwood tells you that half time is ending and it is time to take action. Once again Dodge lands a winner, even without an Eminem beat backing up the voice over.






In this week's edition of "Even Deeper" I want to flip up the top ten topic and leave you with my picks for the worst commercials of the day. First though let me bestow some honorable mentions to two commercials that sit dead center between the worst and best for me.

Honda "CRV's Day Out" featuring Matthew Broderick evoking Ferris Beuller is a pretty creative attempt to bring us back to a place of nostalgia but as that fact brings the ad its success, it is also the downfall. Regurgitating Ferris this way just left me with a cheap taste in my mouth. Was it too soon? Or was I just upset that it was being used to sell a Honda versus a higher line of auto? Perhaps. Here's the ad, I will let you decide.





And there is Acura NSX "Super Bowl" featuring Jerry Seinfeld. This ad begins with such promise. It is always nice to see Jerry out there and I was full of hope when I saw the Soup Nazi himself on screen. It was however in the second half of the ad that it switched from a unique gift to Seinfeld fans to some kind of comic pandering that came off as desperate. Leno's appearance make sense if you think about him as a car lover bit how much more fun would it have been to see Newman show up in that jet pack? Think about is as we now get to the top five worst ads of the day…

5. Pepsi Max "Check Out"/Go Daddy "The Cloud"
This two-fer is what I was referring to above when I mentioned that perhaps some ads have run their course and now just seem played out. I think that the Coke driver gets caught drinking Pepsi genre and the Go Daddy hints at nudity are tired and should be retired. We've seen it, let's move on.

4. Century 21 "Smarter, Bolder"
The Century 21 ad itself was simply ok. The hype machine behind this ad that was running all day during the pre-show however set up tremendously high hopes as we were promised to see a faceoff between Apollo Ono and a Century 21 agent. What did that mean exactly? I don't know but I do know that expected more than just two seconds of an agent skating past him while she talks real estate.

3. Bud Light Platinum "Factory"
Bud Light Platinum wins a dual award for its boring factory ad and also for introducing the lamest new product of the year. Is there anyone out there who has ever, ever sat down and said "Gee, I really would like to see them make a more upscale Bud Light." No one ever has and I have a feeling no one ever will even now that the product exists. So Bud Light Platinum, get ready to join Crystal Pepsi on the shelf of bad beverage ideas.

2. Battleship "Trailer"
It is the trailer for a movie based on a board game that has no real story line. I suppose I can accept that. It did not once feature someone heroically screaming, "You sunk my battleship!" For this reason alone, I dub this ad an epic fail.

1. Pepsi "King Elton"
Don't get me wrong. I am an Elton John fan, even at his most unusual and campy but here it just falls flat as people sing for their Pepsi. John is stiff and almost unlikeable then he gets a visit from the winner of the Fox TV show The X-Factor and things get worse. I refuse to look up her name in hopes of encouraging what's her name to fade away fast. The one saving grace for this terrible commercial, if there is one, comes in the last seconds of the ad when the true special guest pops up. Check it out for yourself, but don't blame me when you want that 60 seconds of your life back.





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