The following is a brief collection of post/comments/opinion from specific authors about the Super Bowl XLII TV commercials.  They are intended only as review material and therefore the members of the Graphics Seminar at UIUC are not withheld responsible for their contents :o)

The Commercial of Super Bowl XLII: A Summary by Richard Keller

http://www.myspace.com/superbowlads

+Sony Pictures: "You Don't Mess With The Zohan"

Posted Feb 4th 2008 12:17AM by Richard Keller

It's not baby-talking Adam Sandler, it's not sensitive yet funny Adam Sandler, it isn't even serious and angry Adam Sandler. It's Adam Sandler as Borat. Well, from the preview that was shown it seems like he's channeling Borat.

I guess Adam is taking a break from some of his more serious roles to go back to his wacky comedy roots. However, since this isn't Cinematical I'm not going to debate whether or not this is a good idea for Sandler. All I'm going to do is rate the preview. Eh, not that funny. Seen it all in plenty of other previews before. Maybe the movie will be better.

You Don't Mess with Zohan

*Toyota: "Big Wheels"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 11:57PM by JJ Hawkins

Did you know you could fit 20 big wheels on the top of the all new Toyota Sequoia? Me neither, but apparently it's a major selling point.

All kidding aside, I like how this commercial appeals to the immature masochistic side of me. I'm talking about the side that would like to get on a big wheel on a steep hill with little to no padding and roll with only a few bails of hay resting between me and imminent death.

That's seems to be the demographic Toyota is shooting for here, and I'll be damned if they didn't nail it.I loved everything about this commercial and I even went so far as to place bid on a brand new Big Wheel on eBay.

And was it my imagine or did I see Ted Danson near the beginning of this thing?

Big Wheels

*Bud Light: "Semi-Pro"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 11:43PM by Richard Keller

The best line out of this entire Wil Farrell commercial for Bud Light: "Bud Light. Suck one"

Wil Ferrell loves the 70's, as can be seen from some of his recent movies. And, when he plays characters like Jackie Moon he really goes all out for the stereotypical characteristics that we think all big stars of the 1970's had. He also fits perfectly into the types of ads Bud Light pushes out each Super Bowl. By the way, if you enjoyed this little 30-seconds worth of Wil there is a 60-second version of this ad floating around the Internet that features a whole other bunch of "outtakes".Semi-pro

+Coca-Cola: "Carville & Frist"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 11:33PM by JJ Hawkins

It's nice to see that two political pundits can set aside their differences and show some bipartisanship on an issue that is critical to the well being of this country.

That said, I think I could have picked some opponents that would have made for a much better commercial. Don't get me wrong, I know politics is in the air and it was very timely to have Carville & Frist together in a commercial, I have two quick ideas that could have worked just as well.Coca Cola: Lohan & Hilton

Are they friends? Are they not friends? Who cares, let's just make sure the commercial has a few shots of them getting out of vehicles.

Coca Cola: Britney Spears & Sanity

Seriously, Britney Spears strolling around LA holding hands with sanity would have been the best way to convey two things that have no business being together - being together.

Again, why don't they consult me first before they make these commercials? Oh that's right - because my ideas are terrible.

Carville & First 

+E-trade: "Baby Trader II"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 11:31PM by Richard Keller

Remember that E-trade baby ad you saw in the third quarter? Well, the fourth quarter version of the commercial was about the same, except there was someone making balloon animals in the background.

I'm not a big fan of the talking baby commercial, even if it is popular. As many parents will agree, we aren't in any hurry for our children to talk Because, once they do start speaking they don't stop. Then, they start talking back to us telling us that we need to get them this toy, or need to get them that item of clothing. Before you know it they're screaming at you because you won't spend one thousand freakin dollars for a Hannah Montana ticket because, you know, you like to pay the mortgage, and ...

Um, was that out loud? Anyway, cute baby and okay commercial.

 e-trade II

-NFL.com: "Super Ad"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 11:15PM by JJ Hawkins

For the last three weeks I've been wondering what was going to win the title of "Super Ad" for this year's Super Bowl.

Personally, I thought Matt Hasselbeck's commercial was a little bit more entertaining, but Chester Pitts commercial wins in the inspiration department hands down.

How often do you hear a tale of a normal person getting plucked from a dead-end, everyday type of occupation and becoming an elite athlete in what is arguably the most prestigious professional sports association in this hemisphere?Hardly ever and that's why I found this commercial to be a fun one to watch. Honestly, I couldn't tell you Chester Pitts was before this commercial, but I guarantee I'll remember him here on out.
 Super-ad

-Amp: "Jumpstart"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 11:12PM by Richard Keller

Here's what I didn't notice about this commercial until I saw it again on my DVR -- there's a little notice at the bottom of the screen that says 'Warning: Do Not Attempt". What are we talking about here? Are they telling us not to place jumper cables on our nipples (because, if that's the case, then they're too late) or are they telling us not to dance to Salt n' Pepa's Push It? I think we need some confirmation here.

Either way, this was one of the funnier commercials during this year's Super Bowl. I mean, how can you go wrong with a overweight guy who gets down to a popular 80's dance tune. It just proves that sometimes you need to go for the crass rather than for the smart to get your message across.

 Jumpstart

+Bud Light: "Ability to Fly"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 11:04PM by JJ Hawkins

Okay, so earlier when I said Bud Light commercials are comedy gold, I should have stuck the word "usually" somewhere in that sentence.

While this commercial was funny, I don't think it's up to par with the typical commercials they put out there. There was just something off about the pacing and really just the overall concept that left me wanting a little more.Was it amusing? Yeah, it was pretty funny - particularly when he got sucked into the jet engine. Could they have done a little more with it? I think so. Then again, 30 seconds isn't exactly a lot of time is it?

Anyhow, long story short, the commercial was just kind of "meh" for me. Did you guys have a different opinion of it?
 Ability to Fly

+Victoria's Secret: "Model"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 10:58PM by Richard Keller

Do I really have to say anything about this ad? It features a Victoria's Secret model dressed in a lingerie, holding a football, and looking sensually into the camera. I guess if there words to say about this ad they would be: perfect, wonderful, best ad ever, amazing, and...Duh!

Hey, it's the Super Bowl -- holiday for the male chauvinist pig! You expect me to be sensitive and caring? If you want that then call Alan Alda or Hugh Grant. Me, I'm just going to stare at her a little bit more.

 Model

+E-trade: "Baby Trader"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 10:53PM by JJ Hawkins

Stick a baby in a Super Bowl commercial and make it talk and you're guaranteed to have the nation talking about it the next morning.

Stick a baby in a Super Bowl commercial and make it talk and puke? You've probably still got a winning combination on your hand even though it's absolutely disgusting watching anything puke.I was actually pretty impressed with how realistic the lip movement looked on this baby. Gone are the days when mouth-overs on babies and animals looks like one of the Canadian characters talking on an episode of South Park.

It wasn't the funniest commercial on tonight, but it was completely serviceable and I guarantee it will be one of the favorites when it's all said and done.
 e-trade I

-Gatorade: "Thirsty Dog"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 10:48PM by Richard Keller

I have never owned a pet in my life here on planet Earth. So, watching a 30 second commercial of a dog lapping up the water in his bowl wasn't that intriguing to me. Maybe it was interesting for pet owners as they were able to compare the way this dog drank as opposed to their dogs.

Having said that, I think that this was a clever ad pointing out that we humans should be replenishing our bodies with fluids just like our pets do. Granted, we need to do this with Gatorade, as the ad states, not with good old fashioned water. That, of course, would be sacrilege. Frankly, I think the Derek Jeter ad was more entertaining than this one.

 Thirsty Dog

+Hyundai: "The Genesis"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 10:41PM by JJ Hawkins

Guess what I'm not going to be doing Summer of 2008?

Buying a Hyundai Genesis, that's what.

It's not that I think Hyundai makes a bad car. On the contrary, I think that Hyundai makes atrocious cars. Everyone that I know that has ever owned one wishes they would have gotten a Honda or a bicycle. I'm not even kidding.It doesn't help that this commercial was about as entertaining as driving a Hyundai Sonata. [Read: Not remotely entertaining.]

I think Hyundai's money would have been better spent taking their current inventory of cars and replacing the "yu" in the logo with an "o" and popping off the "i" with a flat head screwdriver. They could have paid some high school student to do it on the cheap, then they could have used the remaining balance to fight the legal battle with Honda for infringing on their trademark.

Did I mention that my first vehicle in high school was a Hyundai of the lemon variety.

For what it's worth, this car was actually kind of pretty, but bias goes a long way in making it pretty ugly. I hate Hyundai...
 The Genesis

++Doritos: "Mouse Trap"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 10:32PM by Jen Creer

This was a decent commercial too. We hear opera music from Carmen, and a man in a suit with slicked back hair is using Doritos to set a mouse trap. He sets his trap, and then sits back in a comfy armchair. He is sitting in the chair, listening to the music and he starts stuffing his face with Doritos. Suddenly, the wall contorts as a huge figure starts bursting through the wall and comes at the man. A huge, human-sized mouse (obviously a guy in a mouse suit) tips the chair back to the floor and starts beating Opera Guy for his Doritos.

I admit it. I laughed out loud.

Mouse Trap 

-Taco Bell: "Fiesta Platters"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 10:31PM by Richard Keller

Here's the thing...I thought this was an okay commercial, with the smoky-eyed mariachi player enticing these two office workers to enjoy their Taco Bell Fiesta Platter at a table rather than during a meeting. I even liked the whip crack sound effect when the female office worker was put under the mariachi player's spell. Then they showed a picture of the Fiesta Platter...Urk.

One of the most unappetizing platters I have ever scene on a commercial. Nothing better than seeing all that food crowded on a tiny plastic tray. If they had presented it better maybe it would have worked for me. Instead, the whole commercial was ruined. Perhaps they need to rehire the Taco Bell dog again to bring the customer's back.

Fiesta Platters 

++Pepsi: "Justin Timberlake"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 10:25PM by Jen Creer

Okay, FINALLY! This is really the first, genuine Super Bowl ad of the night. And yes, I laughed out loud when Justin Timberlake got his privates rammed three times into a mail box pole. What a good sport he is to do this commercial. And of course, we get it from Pepsi. If you missed it, Justin has just chastised a friend of his for being immature for sticking chopsticks up his nose, when Justin gets sucked out of a restaurant... literally. The more the gorgeous, Marianne-from-Gilligan's-Island-type bikini-clad woman sucks on her Pepsi, the more Justin gets sucked through traffic, through playing fields, into mailbox poles...

It's an ad for winning MP3s and Pepsi and something else. I don't know-- go watch it. But it was funny, and a decently done Super Bowl ad for really the first time this evening.

Justin Timberlake 

+++CareerBuilder: "Spider"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 10:24PM by JJ Hawkins

Do you have a special person in your life that is eternally optimistic?

When you've got a bad case of the Mondays, is there some annoyingly perky person at your workplace who is always chipper and talking about what a great day it is?

Then perhaps you can relate to this commercial as much as I did.Oh how I'd love to have my own personal human sized spider that could swoop down at a moments notice and wrap some unsuspecting happy-go-lucky SOB in a web, and suck the happy right out of their body.

What a wonderfully morbid commercial!

 Spider

*T-Mobile: "Chuck and Dwayne"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 10:17PM by Jen Creer

This was a really funny commercial, especially because it was so well-performed by basketball players Dwayne Wade and Charles Barkley. Charles Barkley (Chuck) puts Dwayne into his "Top Five" on T-Mobile, so he can call him anytime. At first, Dwayne is delighted and tells Barkley to go ahead and call him. Flatter soon turns to frustration as Barkley calls to talk game tips, the definition of HD (High Definition), and because he is bored. Wade resorts to ducking "Chuck's" calls and hiding to get away from him.

Maybe you have to see it. It's right under the jump.

 Chuck and Dwayne

+++Coca-Cola: "Dueling Parade Balloons"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 10:09PM by Richard Keller

On a cool Thanksgiving morning old (Underdog) and new (Stewie from Family Guy) parade balloons battle it out for a inflatable bottle of Coca-Cola. As they cross the skyline of New York City fists fly and heads are butted. But, in the end, neither is the one who claims the prize. That honor goes to the honorable Charlie Brown, who seems to have finally won something in his life.

This was a cute and gentle commercial by Cola-Cola, which rarely disappoints when it comes to Super Bowl ads. I never realized that the Underdog and Stewie Thanksgiving Day balloons had such angry looks on their faces. That was an advantage in this commercial as we saw the two balloons battling it out. I enjoyed when Underdog slammed Stewie against the building. Nice job overall.

 Dueling Parade Balloons

++Planters: "Unibrow"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 10:08PM by Jen Creer

::Snort:: I kind of loved this commercial. I hope to see this one again. It's very cleverly done: The way to a man's heart really is through is stomach, which is sort of through his sense of smell. How brilliant: Use cashews as a perfume and have men stumbling all over you, even though you have a unibrow that makes you more suitable as a mate, probably, for a caveman.

The song-- what is that song? "I love you baaaaby," was a perfect touch. That woman they found had some real sass too, flipping her hair and sashaying her hips. Even if she was hard to look at. It was a fun commercial-- even though watching it didn't really make me feel like eating cashews, or even really eating at all.

 Unibrow

+Sunsilk: "Hair Icons"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 10:05PM by Richard Keller

So, this is what half a million dollars pays for during the Super Bowl, huh? A 30-second commercial about three hair icons (not to be confused with America's Next Hair Icon): Madonna, Shakira and Marilyn Monroe. Nothing really spectacular, just some pop art images of those three with background music sung by each of them.

I'm trying to figure out who this commercial was targeted for. Obviously, they were aiming for all of the women who are watching the Super Bowl. But, with all of the testosterone flowing in these other commercials it seems like this ad got lost in the crowd. Plus, how many guys really know who Shakira is (other when there friends show them howhot she is). Frankly, Sunsilk's commercial money could have been used better elsewhere.

 Hair Icons

+++Bridgestone: "Headlights"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 10:00PM by JJ Hawkins

This was the funniest commercial I've sen all night. There wasn't quite as long of a buildup as the squirrel commercial earlier in the night, but it was equal to if not funnier.

It started out innocently enough. The driver did a great job avoiding the innocent little deer chilling haphazardly in the street.

Then it got interesting. I couldn't quite tell what I was looking at, then imagine my surprise when Alice Cooper was in crouching in the middle of the road holding a snake. Okay, that was a little random, but I guess that's pretty funny...what could possibly be next?Of course the climax came when we saw Richard Simmons doing exercise in the middle of the street. My first instinct was to scream the exact action the driver took. "Punch It!

This commercial would have been glorious if Richard Simmon's little scream had occurred while his body tumbled through the air like a video game character in a game that employed rag doll physics.

No such luck. We still got a scream, but Richard Simmons survived the experience. I think it was a great commercial nonetheless.

 Headlights

+Walt Disney Presents: The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 9:57PM by Jen Creer

I am exactly the demographic for this commercial. I feel like Disney threw me a bone or something. The commercial was too short, darn it! I now have to go and hunt down the full-length trailer. But I saw enough to see the actor who played Tristan Thorn's young father Dunstan: Ben Barnes. He plays Prince Caspian. Hubba hubba. How nice to see the children from the first movie, albeit grown a little older now.

The commercial was far too short to really be satisfying though: Either advertising really is that expensive for the Super Bowl, or people are just really falling short of the mark this year. I haven't really seen any commercials that would have made the Super Bowl worth watching this year on their own.

 The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian

+Bud Light: "Carlos Mencia"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 9:51PM by Jen Creer

Carlos Mencia (is he a comedian?) tells a group of male immigrants in a bar that American chicks "dig a guy with an accent." So, they attempt to hit on women not through having accents, but through saying things like, "You have the thighs of a sherpa."

One woman is with a guy who truly does have an accent, pronouncing Bud Light as "Bood Light." I am not sure what the message is here: American women like accents, and that overcomes everything else? American women like accents, but don't mention our thighs? Or this commercial was stupid, offensive, and now it's over?

 Carlos Mencia

+Yukon: "Hybrid"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 9:48PM by Jen Creer

Go, Sisyphus! Any ad that makes use of a guy shoving a boulder up a rock gets my vote. Especially if it's for a hybrid car. Two points! It scores! I just love the connotations of Sisyphus: It's a hard journey, nobody thinks it can be done except the people who are doing it, who just keep at it.

There really isn't much more than that to the ad. You have to know that a hybrid car that will still behave and look like a car and perform well is a really desirable thing-- and a really hard thing to come up with (let alone one that people like you and I can afford) in order to really appreciate the commercial, so I'm willing to bet a lot of people saw the cartoon and went for beer refills. But I enjoyed it.

Hybrid
 

*Ice Breakers: "Carmen Electra"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 9:41PM by JJ Hawkins

Yup, Carmen Electra is still hot like a solar flare. In fact, she's so smoking, I really have no idea what this commercial was even about for a little while.

There was a line, and some people, and gum, and security guards, and this little red dress, and a perfect smile, and some eyes, oh those eyes.

Wait, I remember now. The guy at the Carmen Electra meet and greet gave her a block of gum. For one thing, when did gum start coming in blocks? Secondly, is offering an uber hot celebrity a block of gum really a wise thing to do?
Aren't you essentially telling the celebrity that they have stank breath? Wouldn't the celebrity find this horribly offensive?

I'm thinking the guy in line should have handed her an engagement ring and that this should have been a commercial for Zales. I also think Dave Navarro should have been the person who came from outside of the scene and tackled the guy. That would have been a brilliant commercial. I'm in the wrong business for sure.
 
 Carmen Electra

+++Bud Light: "Caveman Invents the Wheel"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 9:28PM by JJ Hawkins

Before we go any further, can someone please assure me that they're not going to try and make a television series out of this? Probably not.

I can hear the network executives now..."Think how funny it will be! We can have cavemen creating different tools for use in civilized life, but they continually use them incorrectly over and over again!"

Mark my words, "Cavemen: The Inventors" - coming to CBS this Fall!

Where was I, oh yeah. This commercial was funny but at this point I expect no less from Bud Light.Anheuser-Busch consistently puts out good commercials throughout the year, but their Super Bowl spots are always comedy gold.

Not much else to say about this really except the bottle opener bit at the end was just about as good as the wheel bit. The only thing that would have made this commercial better is If we could have got a caveman trying to pour his cold beer into a koozie. Well no, actually that would have made the commercial much worse... 

Caveman Invents the Wheel
 

?White House Office of National Drug Control Policy: "Neighborhood Dealer"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 9:25PM by Jen Creer

This is a simple ad of a neighborhood junkie (doesn't every neighborhood have one? You are probably kidding yourself if you don't think your neighborhood has one) complaining about business. Business is down, you see, because the teenagers he depends on don't have to come to him for their drugs anymore.

Oh no. They are doing just fine raiding Mommy and Daddy's drug cabinets. The pharmacist has become the new dealer. Instead of this being a Public Service Announcement warning parents to lock up their drugs, I found this to be a really sad commentary on what a medicated society we are. Even ritalin, which is over-prescribed to kids to control "hyperactivity" in schools is abused because people take it recreationally. Mommy and Daddy's sleeping pills, valium, anti-depressants, and erectile dysfunction drugs aren't the only things teenagers are getting into: They are passing around their own drugs like candy.

Maybe the real message here needs to be that we need to start fixing some of the things that cause us as a society to want to drug ourselves. But now I am starting to sound like Tom Cruise, so I'll shut up now.Video coming soon! 
 

+SoBe Life Water: "Thriller"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 9:17PM by Jen Creer

Poor Naomi Campbell. If it isn't bad enough that she has to dance with a bunch of lizards, she has to dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller. Very 1980. Is that song really so great that we have to recycle it and have peoplelizards dance like zombies all the time? And what is the supposed connection between zombies and water? Is it that zombies are brought back to life with this Life Water?

Or that lizards (because, Come on! They aren't zombies in *this* video right?) need water to live? Or that Naomi Campbell can't get people to dance with her? Or zombies to dance with her?

Sad to say, despite the huge lameness of the concept and execution, this is sort of the type of commercial (song! star! dance number!) that I have come to look forward to and expect from Super Bowl commercials. Only... not this.
 

 Thriller

+Vitamin Water: "Horse Race"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 9:15PM by JJ Hawkins

There's something ridiculously funny about seeing a 7'1" athlete attempting to perform an act typically performed my much shorter members of society and that's exactly what Shaquille O'Neal did in this amusing commercial.

Watching Shaq on the back of a thoroughbred was particularly hilarious because in reality you'd probably have to have a Clydesdale or maybe a Centaur to be able to hold up his 325 pound body (in mid-gallop no less).

It was also pretty entertaining watching Shaq place his gargantuan hand across the chest of the smaller jockey mimicking his moves in the low post when he's on the verge of throwing down a nasty dunk. Riveting stuff.As for the Vitamin water part...since this is "Vitamin Water", would it have made more sense to have somebody that's known for being weaker - and having them perform extraordinary feats thanks to the beverage? I know Powerade covered that type of commercial a few years back, but it's such a good concept I wouldn't have minded seeing it again here.

Anyhow, it was a good commercial and it was even nicer seeing the Diesel still raking in the endorsements several years out of his prime. Shaq-fu forever!
 

Horse Race 

++CareerBuilder.com: "Follow Your Heart"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 9:07PM by Jen Creer

Even though this was a really low-key commercial, I still loved it. Who hasn't had the horrid job they wanted to quit, but by that time they felt so bad about themselves they couldn't bring themselves to do it? I loved the fat, Henry VIII-ish-type boss too, and how surprised he looked to find the flag-waving heart on his desk.

The Career Builder logo crushing the building was a nice touch. I don't know how effective this ad will be at getting customers, but I liked watching it.

Follow Your Heart
 

++Garmin GPS: "Napoleon"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 8:55PM by Jen Creer

This was a funny little commercial, except that I hate Napoleon so much that I couldn't help but grimace a little bit, the little prick. But it was funny to see the little general in his little car, with the French music accompanying, using his Garmin GPS unit to lead him to the battleground.

Also, I am a francophile, so I loved seeing a brief glimpse of the streets of Paris as he whizzed by. My favorite part, though, was probably his little horse. And the fact that he had to hide his GPS so nobody knew he asked for directions.

Napoleon
 

-Salesgenie.com: "Ching Ching and Ling Ling"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 8:55PM by JJ Hawkins

Ching Ching and Ling Ling panda bears are having trouble getting customers into Ling Ling's Furniture Shack. What's the logical thing to do? That's right, call the Panda Psychic who suggests that the Pandas contact Salesgenie.com for 100 free sales leads.

Six months later, the bamboo furniture store is back in business thanks to the Panda Psychic's suggestion.

I guess this is supposed to be clever because these are Panda Bears and they are selling bamboo furniture, (which Ching Ching rather amusingly chomps on during the spot).

All in all, this was a pretty terrible commercial. I'm shocked that this company dropped a ton of cash on a Super Bowl commercial and this is what was produced. It was mildly amusing and I'm pretty sure the kids enjoyed it (particularly the Grizzly Bear line at the end), but I don't know that this was money well spent. Next please.

Ching Ching and Ling Ling
 

*Cars.com: "Witch Doctor"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 8:45PM by JJ Hawkins

It's nice to know there is a site out there that has a dealer locator and consumer reviews for the next time I decide to pick up a new vehicle. Unfortunately, I don't know that I'll be using cars.com whenever that time arrives. It's not that this commercial was terrible, I just don't know that I really got it.

The bearded gentleman did research on cars.com so he knew he wasn't getting ripped off during his transaction. But wait, the bearded gentleman had the witch doctor shrink another employees head (Jorge). Why? Does that mean the bearded gentleman just bought a car from Jorge and he didn't get what he wanted? Perhaps the witch doctor is just arbitrarily shrinking heads. Why is there even a witch doctor involved in any of this? Am I putting too much thought things?

Nevertheless, not the best commercial tonight by any stretch, but I guess it captured my attention enough to remember the site URL.

 Witch Doctor

?Universal Pictures presents: Leatherheads

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 8:44PM by Jen Creer

You know, I like George Clooney a lot. Renee Zellweger, well, she is fine too. But I'd have to find out a lot more about this movie to convince me to go see it. It looks like a farce, but I can't get a real take on it, which is a damn shame considering how much they had to pay to get this played during the freaking Super Bowl! Right now, the only thing it has to recommend it is its star power, and it could, frankly, due with more stars or turn out to be a Coen Brothers movie before I'll pay money to watch it. Ugh.
 

 MISSING VIDEO

++Toyota: "Corolla"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 8:39PM by Jen Creer

This would be an excellent ad for turning your cell phone off when the situation calls for it. But the inside of the Toyota Corolla is so quiet, even cannons being fired don't wake up a ferocious, face-eating badger. But a cell phone that is inside the car will...

The good news is that the car is so good at insulating noise, that you won't be able to alert anyone if you need help while you are inside your car either. Wait...

Is a quiet interior really a dealbreaker for you? And if you can afford for that to be a dealbreaker, are you really going to buy a Corolla?

Corolla
 

*Tide: "Stain"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 8:26PM by Jen Creer

As commercials go, this one wasn't too bad. I mean, it was an effective ad for the product. This guy is on a job interview saying all the boring things you usually say about yourself in a job interview, how you play well with others, how you pay attention to details... um, except for that huge stain there on your shirt... which is the only thing the guy who is NOT going to hire you notices. But if you had that handy Tide pen, that wouldn't be a problem! And these things actually do work-- I spilled on my new white shirt (one blueberry!) and my mother-in-law had one, and by golly, it takes the stain right out. No, Tide isn't giving me anything for telling you that.

Effectiveness of the ad aside, it cost them NOTHING to make that ad. Can I get a commercial that somebody spent some money on that doesn't have giant pigeons in it?

 Stain

*Cars.com: "Death Match"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 8:17PM by Jen Creer

This was a lame commercial. This guy brings Glondor, a big, bald tattooed guy (USA Today calls him a Medicine Man, which I find insulting to shamans everywhere) to a car lot, potentially to fight the used car salesman. But he won't have to! Because thanks to his cell phone and Cars.com, he got all the information he needs about the car he wants to buy.

In the meantime, Glondor is busy making the stone circle of death around the clueless used car salesman. They were going for over the top or cute or out there or something. It was just... lame.

Death Match
 

+FedEx: "Carrier Pigeons"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 8:09PM by Jen Creer

Am I the only one watching this commercial who wasn't worried about the huge carrier pigeon dropping pianos, or whatever that huge box was, but rather dropping... something else? I don't know that I like this commercial for FedEx as much as some of the quieter, in-office commercials. This one was too busy, too super-heroey, too chaotic. But it was vaguely amusing. No comment, no editorializing, no yelling about the pigeons and the chaos and the huge mess they have made, and the expense, possible lawsuits, etc. Just a quiet, "Let's switch to FedEx." I still haven't really seen any commercials to write home about yet.
 

 Carrier Pigeons

+Dell: "Red"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 8:03PM by Jen Creer

Go pink! Go red! Help fight breast cancer! End world hunger! I don't really know what program this "Go Red" thing that Dell is promoting supports [edited: It's AIDS fundraising]. I suppose if I were curious enough, I could go to Dell's website and find out, because that is what this commercial hopes I will do. And maybe while I'm there, I will buy a red laptop! From Dell! Because this guy got a really hot blonde to kiss him and everybody was dancing in the streets because he dressed up like the Mac Guy and walked around with his laptop [PUT IT IN A CASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!] on the street.

But I am not going to go to Dell and find out what the Go Red means, because if I do, my new Mac will be offended.
 
 Red

*Go Daddy.com: "Wardrobe Malfunction"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 7:58PM by Jen Creer

I don't know who Donica Patrick is, but apparently she is going to have some kind of a wardrobe malfunction available only at GoDaddy.com. I just love how this commercial plays on nerds who are always on their computers, even during the Super Bowl (ahem); how they only watch the game for the commercials (ahem); and how it assumes that nerds would be into internet porn-- which is sort of what they are offering at Go Daddy.com in this commercial. There are better reasons to go to Go Daddy.com-- like buying a domain name, which is why I go there. But I still chuckled at this commercial and I thought it was pretty smart considering the small time package they had to work with.

 Wardrobe Malfunction

*Gatorade G-2: "Derek Jeter"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 7:53PM by Jen Creer

Derek Jeter [Okay, I admit it: I looked on the USA Todayline up of commercials to find out who that was] is walking around talking about baseball and people on the street are stopping him and telling him that he had a great game. So, is this a commercial for a sports drink or for the upcoming baseball season? The field is following him as he walks and there is a lame joke about that at the end.Not a very effective commercial to have an athlete in a long, dark coat skulking around. But I have been interested in trying G-2 just because it's low calorie Gatorade. Gotta love that. But how does it taste?
 

 Derek Jeter

+++Universal Pictures presents: Wanted

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 7:45PM by Jen Creer

Wow, a bullet curving right past someone's [Angelina Jolie's] head and rustling her hair. I saw that when it was in The Matrix. Wow, Angelina Jolie is a bad ass. I saw that in Tomb Raider and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Ooh, James McAvoy looks unsure of himself. I saw that in The Last King of Scotland. A movie about assassins? I saw that in Grosse Pointe Blank and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Morgan Freeman is wise and sage. I saw that in, uh, everything Morgan Freeman has ever been in.

But I'll give you one good reason I'll see this movie anyway: James McAvoy. That man is on fire.Video coming soon!

 Wanted

*Doritos: "Crash the Super Bowl Winner"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 7:21PM by Jason Hughes

Doritos this year turned their 60-second spot into a competition. The winner, voted on by fans before the game, gets their video aired in the Doritos commercial slot and a record deal with Interscope Records. And the winner is: Kina Grannis (Mission Viego, CA), who performs her song "Messager From Your Heart." She has a Michelle Branch sound to her, but I like her. A very clever idea by Doritos and a huge opportunity for Grannis, but I only worry that people will forget Doritos' connection to the spot.Video coming soon!
 
 Crash the Super Bowl Winner

++Bridgestone: "Squirrel in the Road"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 7:17PM by Jason Hughes

Took awhile to get there, but nevertheless a squirrel in the middle of the road, having just chased a nut there, screaming as a car is barreling down on it, followed by various other animals screaming in the forest until we ultimately get to the female passenger of the car screaming. The driver, however, simply maneuvers around the small animal and carries on his way. Good tires give you that kind of control. Great commercial, gets your attention, screaming animals are always funny and you'll remember it's all about the tires.

Video coming soon after the jump... 

 Squirrel in the Road

+Under Armour Shoes: "The Future is Ours"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 7:12PM by Jason Hughes

"We started this thing. It's us vs. them." This commercial was a bit of a mess for me. A bunch of shots of people training as if for various summer olympic events. Setting it up like there's some epic battle looming; a competition. But who are they competing with? Nike, I guess. Honestly, I think it was a bit of a mess. Way too long on a bunch of people grunting and posturing and way too little time showing me the product they're supposed to be promoting. You know ... the shoes.

 The Future is Ours

++Bud Light: "Wine and Cheese Party"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 7:05PM by Jason Hughes

A guy shows up at a wine and cheese party with a massive wheel of cheese. "I'm gonna go put my cheese in the kitchen." The start of a joke? No, it's another clever bit from Bud Light, this time with a guy smuggling Bud Light into the party under the cheese wheel. Let's face it, most guys think wine and cheese is lame. Another guy has bottles in a hollowed out baguette, while still another brought a television in a box of wine. The "Going on a cheese run," bit at the end was the icing on the cake of another Bud Light winner.

Wine and Cheese Party
 

-SalesGenie.com: "ACME Widgets"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 7:00PM by Jason Hughes

The first animated cartoon wasn't very good. As far as I know, SalesGenie.com is a newcomer to the Super Bowl. Acme Widget boss, Hank Bulleymonger (funny, right?) comes down on his worst salesmen that he needs to double his output or he's fired. SalesGenie.com to the rescue! He gets 100 free sales leads and becomes the Salesman of the year. Never mind that the worst salesman of the year is middle eastern man with seven kids, and any controversy that may or may not bring, the bottom line is it was a lame commercial.
 

 ACME Widgets

+++Diet Pepsi Max: "Roxbury/What Is Love?"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 6:47PM by Jason Hughes

The best of the night so far. It starts off innocently enough with Troy Aikmen commenting on the action in the first quarter when Joe nods off and bangs his head on his mic. Queue music ("What is Love?") and we then get a montage of people across all industries nodding off at their jobs, at dinner, at awards shows, on game shows. I'm pretty sure that's Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J and Macy Gray nodding off while they were up for "Song of the Year." This keeps up until Diet Pepsi Max comes along on a mail cart and everyone starts doing "The Roxbury," or the head bopping made famous by Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell in the recurring SNL skits. The bit ends with Troy staring at Joe as Joe bops along. But the best part is after the blurbs about Diet Pepsi Max and the slogans, we get a quick shot of Chris Kattan shopping, yelling "Stop it!" to two girls doing the head bop.
 

 Roxbury/What Is Love?

+++Audi R8: "The Godfather"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 6:43PM by Jason Hughes

We open on a beautiful mansion, panning into an elderly man sleeping. He sees something on his hands, rips the sheets back! The horror! It's the "head" of his luxury car! This homage to one of the most gruesome and classic scenes ever (horse head in bed scene in The Godfather...you've seen this right?) is pretty clever. The cut to the Audi R8 sitting in his driveway looking sinister, works well. Who knew a luxury car could have such a dark side?

 The Godfather

+++Bud Light: "Breathe Fire"

Posted Feb 3rd 2008 6:40PM by Jason Hughes

As we all know, when it comes to the Super Bowlit's all about ... the ads! Big audiences and big money is on the line so advertisers always go crazy to grab the attention of the largest worldwide television audience each year. This year's cavalcade of commercials began with Bud Light, with "everything you want in a beer." Now with the ability to breathe fire! Sure it's romantic when you can light the candles at the dinner table by blowing on them, not so much when your date has a cat and you're allergic. As in sneezing allergic. A short and funny commercial, Best bit is the disclaimer at the end done in typical fast-talk, "Ability to breathe fire no longer available in Bud Light."
 
 Breathe Fire

+Budweiser: "Rocky"

Posted Feb 4th 2008 1:56AM by Jason Hughes

Every year Budweiser puts together an uplifting commercial about some animal who strives to achieve his dreams and with hard work and perseverance, achieves it. This year's installation involved a Clydesdale who didn't make the cut to pull the Budweiser wagon. "Maybe next year, Hank." This leads to a very fun montage of training clips set to the Rockytheme as a dalmation takes it upon himself to get the Clydesdale into tip-top shape. Shots of the horse starting off pulling a little wagon mixed with jogging in place in the rain, running around trees in a snow-covered obstacle, lifting bales of hay until finally he has grit to pull an entire train! Not funny like the Bud Light commercials, but these Bud spots are always feel-good fan favorites. And this one was just as good as any of them.

Oh, and of course Hank makes the hitch team the following year. The high five at the end between the dog and the horse was just perfect. I don't know what it is, but Anheuser-Busch simply has one of the best advertising and marketing teams as they virtually never miss when it comes to their Super Bowl ads. Another banner year for them it looks like.
 

Rocky