Tim Tebow may have washed out of the NFL, but he was one of the Super Bowl’s biggest stars.
The failed Jets quarterback scored big Sunday, as he appeared in one of the most highly praised ads of the game.
Tebow shilled for T-Mobile’s “no contract” campaign by mocking his failure to make an NFL squad in 2013.
“Everybody thinks I want a contract,” he says in the ad, before showing all the activities he’s done without an NFL gig — including tackling Bigfoot and rescuing puppies.
Ad experts approved.
“It was one of those few spots that had a point, entertained and was self-deprecating. I give him high grades,” said Jon Bond, CEO of marketing company Tomorro cqLLC. “It’s good for his career.”
Tebow wasn’t the only big name in the ad game.
Ellen DeGeneres pitched for Beats by Dre’s music app, marking the brand’s transformation from hip to mainstream.
“The spot is an admission that Beats now wants to appeal to the masses and the cool-factor jersey is retired,” said Jarrod Moses, CEO of United Entertainment Group.
John Stamos starred in an unexpectedly racy ad for Dannon Oikos yogurt.
In the spot, the actor is seductively eating yogurt with a woman when he spills some on his lap.
The woman appears to consider licking it up, but the moment is interrupted by Stamos’ “Full House” castmates Bob Saget and Dave Coulier.
“They played it really well, because you’re thinking, ‘Oh, wow, Dannon is a family brand,’ and then they changed it up really quickly,” said Robert Tuchman, president of sports marketing company Goviva.
Not everyone was as titillated.
“They might have left with that moment a little too long,” said Adam Tucker, president of Ogilvy & Mather Advertising.
Additional reporting by Claire Atkinson