Super Bowl Ad Reviews: Best of the Best

There is no greater exchange of eye balls for cold, hard, cash than the purchase of ad spots during the Super Bowl. With millions invested in every 30 seconds, the pressure to produce something at least vaguely memorable is immense.

Usually, companies fail in this task. Of the dozens of commercials only a couple are recalled the next day and few achieve true notoriety. Even this year’s most talked about ad is getting buzz based on subject matter rather than quality.

That said, every year there are standout efforts worthy of a little recognition.

Here are some of the better efforts from Super Bowl LI:

Company: Mr. Clean
Title: Cleaner of Your Dreams
Commercial:

Analysis: No brand is more all-in with creepy advertising than Mr. Clean. You have to admire the company’s persistence in pushing everyone’s favourite home invader, and this spot is memorable if nothing else.

Theoretically there’s nothing wrong with a sexy cartoon, but a bald man with white eyebrows wearing all white is unnerving, and always will be. It makes sense that this woman is fantasizing about someone other than her rather unimpressive-looking husband. It’s a little confusing that she chooses to go with a comically-jacked chemical-packing geezer instead of Ryan Gosling, but there’s no accounting for taste.

They are going for a “haunting your dreams” effect here and absolutely nailing it – whether you like it or not.

Company: Bud Light
Title: Between Friends
Commercial:

Analysis: When it comes to the immensely serious business of reviewing commercials, sometimes it can be difficult to separate the way one feels about a product from the advertisements themselves.

It hurts to give credit to a spot that is actively encouraging consumers to purchase a product that tastes like bear sweat aged in an abandoned swimming pool during an acid rain monsoon. However, in this case a little credit is deserved.

This commercial cleverly plays on the way men rarely tell their friends how much they care by splicing a heartfelt speech out of a series of typical male-bonding activities like paintball, moving days, and the consumption of unnecessarily spicy wings. The whole affair pokes a little fun at unspoken understandings of bromance, while making it clear that Bud Light gets it.

Company: Wix.com
Title: Big Game Ad with Jason Statham & Gal Gadot
Commercial:

Analysis: Too often Super Bowl commercials strive for comedy and fall painfully short, but this one decides to go all in on action and it definitely plays. The casting is spot on as Statham is as reliable as they come and Gadot is a rising star with Wonder Woman sizzle.

The idea of someone not paying attention to destruction around them because they’re plugged in is a tried-and-true trope, and Gadot’s final line is a little flat. Also, it’s a bit unclear how Statham sets off a massive explosion that leaves him and his partner in crime unscathed with only a creme brûlée torch, but that’s nitpicking.

Well-executed spot that’s memorable for its star power and flash.

Company: Skittles
Title: Romance
Commercial:

Analysis: What makes this work is that they manage to cram four mini-twists in a short spot. First we’ve got a spin off the “guy throwing rocks at the girl’s window” cliche where she’s left the window open and is just using the romantic sap for his Skittles.

Twist No. 2 is that the whole family is getting in on action, including grandma. Twist No. 3 is that there’s a robber in the house and a cop, which means one is meant to imagine a rather dramatic scene ground to halt in order for all parties to engage in the acquisition of Skittles. Lastly, we have a muskrat-esque beast with seemingly-human intelligence sliding in for the final treat.

Not only does a lot happen here, this ad ends with the well-known “XXX the Rainbow” tag line which provides valuable continuity and jolts the memory about previous Skittles commercials. Not a piece of work that will dazzle you, but it gets the job done.

Company: Avocados from Mexico
Title: Secret Society
Commercial:

Analysis: If you’re going to use your commercial to lampoon a specific type of group, secret societies are an ingenious choice because you can guarantee there will be no backlash whatsoever.

There is a “death by a thousand references” feel to this ad which limits its ceiling, but there are also a couple of clever touches that keep it afloat. The difficulty speaking through the mask on the first line sets the tone and the fact the ominous background music is just coming from a speaker is inspired.

Scott’s continued insistence on Big Foot’s existence and the leader’s exasperation with his followers also helps bring the ad to life. Overall it’s well-acted and amusing, which are rare qualities for flagship Super Bowl spots.

Company: Heinz
Title: Make #SMUNDAY a National Holiday 2017
Commercial:

Analysis: There is one major issue with this commercial: it’s simply too long. A civilization could advance from the Bronze Age to at least the Renaissance in the time it takes Heinz to deliver their message to you… the people.

That said, there are a few things to like here. Having the speech delivered by a guy in a Heinz ketchup suit is a sneaky good creative decision. During an ad of this length it would be easy to forget what you’re supposed to be buying and instead you’re starring at a Heinz logo the whole time. Also, the decision to give their employees “SMunday” off shows admirable commitment to the bit.

Company: Wendy’s
Title: Cold Storage
Commercial:

Analysis: Short. Simple. Effective. Delivers a message with a strong visual and hammers home the “fresh, never-frozen” tagline Wendy’s has been using for a while. It’s not a fancy spot and it doesn’t need to be.

Great use of Foreigner’s “Cold as Ice” as well. People just don’t realize how many great songs Foreigner has. Their Complete Greatest Hits will get you from Toronto to Montreal – and back.