Media

The best and worst of the Super Bowl ads

Here’s a roundup of the best, worst and most memorable commercials that were on display during this year’s Super Bowl.

Jerry Seinfeld for Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

The long rumored “Seinfeld” finally happened — during halftime of Super Bowl XLVIII.

In a straight homage to the legendary show, the ad had Jerry and George taking a trip to get coffee at  Tom’s Restaurant in Manhattan only for Newman to butt in.

The one minute and thirty second bit about nothing was a condensed version of a longer skit for Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Drinking Coffee.”

Stephen Colbert for Wonderful Pitachios

The pistachio business cracked their 30-second buy into hilarious halves.

Political satirist Stephen Colbert’s half-hearted opening pitch set up a hilarious comic punch in the back 15 seconds. The two mini-spots were sandwiched around an H&M ad.

“It was making fun of advertising and people will appreciate that,” said Georgetown University marketing professor Neeru Paharia.

Bruce Willis for Honda

Action hero Bruce Willis was in no mood to blow up any cars, as he hyped Honda’s safety record.

Instead, he urged viewers to hug loved as a reminder of auto safety – and all as the camera panned back to see he was in the loving, comical embrace of “Portlandia” funnyman Fred Armisen.

“It was so simple, no special effects, with a clear idea and a point,” said Jon Bond, CEO of Tomorro LLC. “It was old-school interactive. He didn’t ask you to tweet, he asked you to hug someone in the room. Fantastic.”

The Muppets and Terry Crews for Toyota

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star Terry Crews went riding in his Toyota with Muppets.

It all turned out to be a hallucination that Crews shared with his bemused neighbor, Kermit the Frog.

“Terry Crews has become a commercial phenom. Any spot with him in it is like having Tom Cruise in a film. It’ll get attention no matter the quality,” said Jarrod Moses, CEO of United Entertainment Group.

Chevrolet’s “Live” for Purple Roads

A 60-second spot by Chevy highlighted the company’s Purple Roads effort to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

The simple spot showed a couple driving down an empty highway and holding hands, symbolizing the woman’s long road to recovery from cancer.

While the spot was emotional and moving, it didn’t make a crystal clear link between Chevy and its charitable effort, according to one marketing expert.

“I applaud Chevy doing their part, but these brands have to make better connections between the charity and the product,” said Bond.

Tim Tebow for T-Mobile

Tim Tebow may have washed out of the NFL, but he was one of the Super Bowl’s biggest ad stars.

Tebow went to bat for T-Mobile’s “no contract” campaign, mocking his failure to make an NFL squad in 2013.

He opened the spot by saying: “Everybody thinks I want a contract.” He proceed to show off all the things he’s been able to do over the past year without an NFL gig, like tackling Bigfoot and rescuing puppies.

“It was one of those few spots that had a point, entertained and was self-deprecating. I give him high grades,” said Bond. “Maybe this third position he’s tried — runner, quarterback and now pitchman — is finally working.”

Sean Astin as “Rudy” for CarMax.com

The automobile research-and-purchase site CarMax.com got into a Super Bowl theme, showing a buyer driving off the lot to applause — really slow applause.

The streets were lined with admirers doing that same deliberate, rhythmic clap, including actor Sean Astin, renewing his role as ultimate football underdog “Rudy.” The spot didn’t exactly spell out why this driver deserved all the applause.

“I loved the `Rudy’ reference but that was about it. It crashed and burned,” said Moses.

Cherrios’ “Gracie”

It couldn’t have been a more simple script: Mom and dad tell their little girl, over breakfast, that she’s getting a little brother. Then little Gracie bargains her way into a new puppy.

It’s the same interracial cast – black dad, white mom and their child – which touched off a social media sensation last year for Cheerios, but the cereal giant didn’t mind going back to that well.

“It’s scary to think there are people out there, that this [interracial family] would push them over the edge,” said Robert Tuchman, president of sports marketing firm Goviva, “Look, Cheerios didn’t try to do too much with this. They’re trying to include everybody. It was a nice, simple concept and it was well done.”

Budweiser’s “Puppy Love”

Puppies and Clydesdales, how could Budweiser go wrong?

America loved the latest warm-and-fuzzy Bud spot, even if industry insiders scoffed at the syrupy feel-good message.

“Everyone is going to like that spot,” said Bond. “I’m kind of sick of it. I’ve seen in in about 87 different iterations over the past 10 years but everyone else is going to say, `Awww.’ ”