The Super Bowl Commercials: The Best
by Kona Gallagher, posted Feb 7th 2010 11:22PM
Look, I knew as soon as I saw the promo for 'The Late Show with David Letterman' that featured Letterman, Oprah and Jay Leno, that nothing was going to top that. There was just no way anything could be better than that 15-second ad. While I was correct, there were some commercials for non-CBS products that put a smile on my face. Of course there were many others that made me groan, wince or sigh, but Bob's handling those.The videos below are from Hulu, because they were the first ones available. If you can't view them due to location restrictions, they will all be up at Fanhouse.
Snickers: "Betty White" - Honestly, no matter what she's selling or what she's doing in the ad, anything that involves Betty White is automatically going on my list. As far as I'm concerned, she can do no wrong, and this Snickers commercial featuring Abe Vigoda is no exception.
Doritos: "Play Nice" - Overall, I thought the Doritos commercials sucked this year. The casket one was particularly annoying. However, this one, where the little kid just up and slaps her mom's suitor sounds obnoxious as I'm writing about it, but it made me laugh. This is one that can really go either way, but the kid is painfully cute, and he really sells it.
Coke: "Hard Times" - It's a 'Simpsons' Coke commercial! While we don't have any of the regular voices (save for a Millhouse line at the end), we do have just about every Springfield resident on hand to first revel in Mr. Burns' collapse and misery, and then to lend him a hand, or a Coke, as it were. While I would have liked it better if it were a funny spot, seeing 'The Simpsons' characters is always a good thing.
Bud Light: "Voice Box" - Bob did not like this spot. I'll fully admit that it's dumb, but there's something about T-Pain that just never fails to crack me up. Come on, "pass the guacamole" is hilarious.
Flo TV: "Moments" - Flo TV is actually responsible for my absolute least favorite ad of the night; the one with the guy shopping in the mall with his girlfriend. However, this ad, set to The Who's 'My Generation' and filled with clips of major events from the beginning of television all the way up to today is so well done that it almost makes up for the unfunny, sexist crap of the other spot. Almost.
Home Away: "Hotel Hell Vacation" - It's the Griswolds! Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo star in this ad for a website I've never heard of, Homeaway.com. I don't know if it's a good website or not, but resurrecting the couple from 'National Lampoon's Vacation' is a brilliant idea. Chase has made a fantastic resurgence in 'Community' this year, so seeing him anywhere just makes me happy.
Google: "Search On" - They don't say a word in this ad, yet they manage to tell the entire story of a guy falling in love with a woman during a trip to Paris. As far as branding goes, this is the most successful ad of the night. Not only does it reinforce the fact that you can use Google for everything, but it positions itself as something that you can always turn to throughout your life. It's simple, elegant, and amazingly well-done.
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