Best & Worst of the Superbowl

1. Dodge “God Made A Farmer” – This was absolutely my favorite commercial of the night. Like most viewers, it caught me off guard and I sat there with my mouth slightly agape as I listened to this masterpiece. I actually got chills during this one. I realize that some people just didn’t “get” it because not everyone understands the farming lifestyle; however, I come from a farming family and I even held the title of President of my high school FFA chapter in the past…so this was a clear winner for me. When I saw that FFA was a sponsor of the ad, I knew that no other ad could top this one! Mad props to Dodge for mentioning God on national TV, too. 

2. Taco Bell “Viva Young” – I watched this entire commercial and thought it was clever, before realizing it was Taco Bell behind the ad! I’m so anti-Taco Bell…but the ad won my respect (at least for their creative team). I especially loved that Fun.’s ‘We Are Young’ was in Spanish. 

3. Budweiser Clydesdales – I’m so glad that Budweiser brought back a classic. I mean, it really isn’t a Budweiser commercial (or heck, not even a Superbowl) without the traditional Clydesdales. I actually teared up…and I heard that sentiment echoed across social media. It was a sentimental, but happy, moment. 

4. Doritos Goat 4 Sale & Fashionista Daddy – I love that Doritos once again let its consumers be the face of the brand’s ads. I thought that both the Goat & the Dress Up commercials were funny. Neither were too thought-provoking, but it sticks with the viewer because of the abstract humor. +2 for including the #Doritos on the screen and engaging fans!

5. Pistachios & PSY – I just happened to see this one by chance and of course, the song [Gangnam Style] is what caught my attention. I totally think this song has been overplayed (like many other songs…), but I still can’t get over PSY’s hilarious dance moves. I thought this one was cute. Purely for entertainment purposes!

6. Coca Cola “Look at the World Differently” – I’m admittedly a huge fan of Diet Coke and all of the brand’s social media efforts, so I was a bit biased toward Coke’s commercial. However, I really liked the message behind it. It was actually quite thought-provoking, and I realized that sometimes even I see the world from a pessimistic viewpoint…and it made me want to have a more positive attitude.

Now for my “Worst” list. There were a lot of commercials that were just so-so, but these are a few that just disappointed me:

1. GoDaddy.com “Perfect Match” – First of all, this was disgusting. I really don’t want to watch (or hear) anyone making out that closely, ever. Second of all, that was the dumbest analogy I’ve ever seen. Bar Rafaeli – you’re better than that! 

2. Volkswagen – No, I don’t think this commercial is “racist” like some so-called experts believe. It just didn’t “do” it for me. After last year’s successful campaign with the Star Wars dog teaser and then the commercial with the dog chasing the Volkswagen – I think this year was a let down. Did they get a new creative team for this one? I don’t know what the story is behind it, but regardless, I just wasn’t feeling it. And this is coming from a proud VW owner.

3. Oreo – I may be in the minority with this one. It seems as though the campaign went over really well (although when the lights went out in NOLA…Oreo’s quick-thinking social media campaign did even better!). It just didn’t draw me in…but then again, I hate Oreos, so I don’t really care about whether or not the cream or cookie is better. For true Oreo fans, I could see where this type of commercial could increase engagement across social media platforms!

So, what do you think? What were your favorites or least favorites? Similar to Doritos, who added the #Doritos hashtag to its commercials, I noticed quite a few brands doing this. It’s a great concept – I’m actually interested in looking further into this to see which brands were successful with the use of these hashtags!