What was your favorite Super Bowl ad?
Sunday’s spots included a Clint Eastwood pitch for Detroit, Volkswagen revisiting its successful ‘Star Wars’ theme, a car duel between Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno, and a look at Ferris Bueller, a quarter-century after Matthew Broderick popularized the character on the silver screen.
Companies paid an average of $3.5 million for a 30-second spot for this year’s Super Bowl.
Some of those commercials were worth the cost.
Others … not so much.
We had four experts grade some of this year’s most notable commercials on a scale from 4 stars — Touchdown! — to 1 star, Fumble.
The experts are:
• Phyllis Dealy, Director of account services, Woods Witt Dealy & Sons
• Matt MacDonald, Executive creative director, JWT New York
• Jarrod Moses, CEO and founder, United Entertainment Group
• Sara Arnell, CEO, Arnell Group
Take a look at this year’s key Super Bowl ads here, and see what the experts had to say.
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Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep
Clint Eastwood gives a stirring pitch for Detroit.
Experts: 4 stars
‘Chrysler just won the Super Bowl . . . If there was anyone worthy of giving America a halftime speech, it would be Clint — right from the heart and from the gut.’ — Matt MacDonald
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Pepsi
Elton John, “X Factor” winner Melanie Amaro and Flava Flav are the old and new generations.
Experts: 3 stars
‘X Factor wasn’t a hit, it wasn’t a factor in pop culture. I had to Google who she [Amaro] was … Elton John saved that ad.’ — Sara Arnell
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Teleflora
Sexy Victoria’s Secret model Adriana Lima says, “Give, and you shall receive.”
Experts: 2 1/2 stars
‘It seemed tacky to me. They didn’t play with the formula. All they said was, ‘Buy her flowers, and she’ll have sex with you.’ — Phyllis Dealy
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Volkswagen
Dog gets in shape to chase a VW, then “Star Wars” characters argue between last year’s and this year’s ad.
Experts: 4 stars
‘Kudos to VW for knowing that they struck gold with their spot last year and doubling down this year by relying on recall and potentially building an ongoing commercial saga.’ — Jarrod Moses
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Kia Motors
Man picks his wife over bikini-clad babes, rock stardom and race cars.
Experts: 4 stars
‘This was a sleeper hit, pun intended. It was a fresh take on a typical guy’s fantasy, done in a way that women appreciated as well.’ — Matt MacDonald
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Audi
German car makers hope “Twilight” and vampire fans will like their fancy headlights.
Experts: 1 star
‘It’s a very expensive car that features LED lights. I don’t think that necessarily appeals to young people.’ — Sara Arnell
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Career Builder
Sick of your job working with monkeys? Career Builder apes a familiar pitch.
Experts: 1 star
‘I’m usually a believer in whatever works or gets you on the map, use it. But this just wasn’t exciting to me.’ — Phyllis Dealy
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Acura
No car for you! Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno both want to drive away in an Acura.
Experts: 3 stars
‘Using a couple of well-known car nuts to build excitement for your launch is a really smart idea.’ — Matt MacDonald
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Honda CR-V
Matthew Broderick resurrects his old “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” act, racing around town in a Honda.
Experts: 2 stars
‘Such a great idea. I just can’t shake the feeling that it could have been a lot funnier.’ — Matt MacDonald
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RATING SCALE
4 stars
Touchdown!
Hilarious or innovative ads worth every penny of their $3.5 million, 30-second air time
3 stars
Field goal
Admirable efforts with a little more panache than your average ad
2 stars
Punt
Humdrum pitches likely to be recycled for daytime TV
1 star
Fumble
Perfect opportunity for a bathroom break