I need to do this before Super Bowl LIV.
And it may be because it's been almost (literally) a year, but the reason I haven't done this until now is because I don't remember seeing any good ads during Super Bowl LIII. I need a refresher, so I went to USA Today's Ad Meter, and even though I don't remember a lot of them, most of the ones I do remember I remember as being very meh.
In the past I have ranked the best five. I struggled with it, but after taking a second look through a few of them, I think I can come up with five:
5) T-Mobile, "What's For Dinner?"
T-Mobile (my carrier, BTW) advertised four different commercials in last year's Super Bowl, each one touting a perk, each one using texting as their bit. I think this is the funniest of the four just because I sometimes have deleted what I was about to text someone. This goes a bit further, elaborating on an internal monologue a boyfriend has over his girlfriend's obsession with sushi. The way she gets into his head, and how it manifests in re-write after re-write, is clever and relatable.
4) The Washington Post, "Democracy Dies In Darkness"
One of many "message" spots you'll see, but in an age where journalism and the very concept of "facts" are questioned and even mocked at (and, by the way, it's starting to come heavy on the left as well as the right), this is an important one, and, with the help of narrator Tom Hanks, a well-crafted one. Quaint may be the notion that you can appeal to a viewer just by reminding that person of what reporting is, but this ad puts it in stark, but real, terms, including the faces of journalists who lost their lives while reporting, because they were reporters. One of the first things I thought when I saw the ad was, "Golly, I didn't know the Washington Post had enough money to spend for a spot in the Super Bowl." But then I remembered that Jeff Bezos owns the Post. And then I thought, "Cool."
3) Amazon Alexa, "Not Everything Makes The Cut"
Another star-studded ad with a bunch of celebrity cameos. But after the previous year, where Alexa lost her voice, they followed up with another funny spot full of sight gags. This time, it was "revealed" that Alexa had been planned to be put in other devices, but they didn't work. Cue Forrest Whitaker (you don't see him in commercials!) trying to listen to a novel through a toothbrush. Or Harrison Ford (neither him!) telling his dog not to order dog food through his collar. Many other people might be wowed by the production values. Regardless, this was a great spot.
2) Bud Light, "Game Of Thrones"
Of all the Super Bowl ads, I don't think I've seen one with such an out-of-nowhere twist. It's the Bud Light Kingdom (a conceit I'm still going with) and the king and queen are sitting down with Bud Light to enjoy a joust. But the Bud Knight gets knocked off his horse ... and then his opponent appears to gouge his eyes out. Wait, I don't remember Super Bowl ads being this gory. And then this huge dragon descends from the sky and sets the whole place on fire and ... is that the theme song to Game of Thrones? And then they advertise the final season of the legendary HBO series. In retrospect, this was part of the show's massive and hoary cash grab; I mean, if this is the end, might as well as much money off of it as you can. (I think that's why I saw Emilia Clarke at so many sports games near the end of GOT's season.) I'm not sure if something as "high brow" as Game Of Thrones" should deign to mingle with something as "low brow" as a domestic many beer snobs liken to urine. (I'm not one of those snobs.) But at the party I was at, we all went, "What the ... ?" as soon as the Knight lost the joust, and then the spot descended into WTF-ville. So both entities should get credit for The Greatest Blindside In Super Bowl Ad History.
1) NFL, "The 100-Year Game"
Make no mistake: The National Football League has become an entertainment enterprise, not just a football business. Its presence outside of the game is quite impressive, as evidenced by this crazy self-promotion touting the 100th season of the league, one that ends tonight. If you're not a football fan, you won't care about all the legends and the NFL's current greats fighting for a golden football during this banquet-turned-football game. But I am, and it was great to see cameo and after cameo, many of them doing the hits, throws, catches and celebration dances they were known for on the gridiron. The ad is crazy nuts, and it's fantastic. Oh, and after just re-watching it, the re-mix in the background is awesome, too.
And it may be because it's been almost (literally) a year, but the reason I haven't done this until now is because I don't remember seeing any good ads during Super Bowl LIII. I need a refresher, so I went to USA Today's Ad Meter, and even though I don't remember a lot of them, most of the ones I do remember I remember as being very meh.
In the past I have ranked the best five. I struggled with it, but after taking a second look through a few of them, I think I can come up with five:
5) T-Mobile, "What's For Dinner?"
T-Mobile (my carrier, BTW) advertised four different commercials in last year's Super Bowl, each one touting a perk, each one using texting as their bit. I think this is the funniest of the four just because I sometimes have deleted what I was about to text someone. This goes a bit further, elaborating on an internal monologue a boyfriend has over his girlfriend's obsession with sushi. The way she gets into his head, and how it manifests in re-write after re-write, is clever and relatable.
4) The Washington Post, "Democracy Dies In Darkness"
One of many "message" spots you'll see, but in an age where journalism and the very concept of "facts" are questioned and even mocked at (and, by the way, it's starting to come heavy on the left as well as the right), this is an important one, and, with the help of narrator Tom Hanks, a well-crafted one. Quaint may be the notion that you can appeal to a viewer just by reminding that person of what reporting is, but this ad puts it in stark, but real, terms, including the faces of journalists who lost their lives while reporting, because they were reporters. One of the first things I thought when I saw the ad was, "Golly, I didn't know the Washington Post had enough money to spend for a spot in the Super Bowl." But then I remembered that Jeff Bezos owns the Post. And then I thought, "Cool."
3) Amazon Alexa, "Not Everything Makes The Cut"
Another star-studded ad with a bunch of celebrity cameos. But after the previous year, where Alexa lost her voice, they followed up with another funny spot full of sight gags. This time, it was "revealed" that Alexa had been planned to be put in other devices, but they didn't work. Cue Forrest Whitaker (you don't see him in commercials!) trying to listen to a novel through a toothbrush. Or Harrison Ford (neither him!) telling his dog not to order dog food through his collar. Many other people might be wowed by the production values. Regardless, this was a great spot.
2) Bud Light, "Game Of Thrones"
Of all the Super Bowl ads, I don't think I've seen one with such an out-of-nowhere twist. It's the Bud Light Kingdom (a conceit I'm still going with) and the king and queen are sitting down with Bud Light to enjoy a joust. But the Bud Knight gets knocked off his horse ... and then his opponent appears to gouge his eyes out. Wait, I don't remember Super Bowl ads being this gory. And then this huge dragon descends from the sky and sets the whole place on fire and ... is that the theme song to Game of Thrones? And then they advertise the final season of the legendary HBO series. In retrospect, this was part of the show's massive and hoary cash grab; I mean, if this is the end, might as well as much money off of it as you can. (I think that's why I saw Emilia Clarke at so many sports games near the end of GOT's season.) I'm not sure if something as "high brow" as Game Of Thrones" should deign to mingle with something as "low brow" as a domestic many beer snobs liken to urine. (I'm not one of those snobs.) But at the party I was at, we all went, "What the ... ?" as soon as the Knight lost the joust, and then the spot descended into WTF-ville. So both entities should get credit for The Greatest Blindside In Super Bowl Ad History.
1) NFL, "The 100-Year Game"
Make no mistake: The National Football League has become an entertainment enterprise, not just a football business. Its presence outside of the game is quite impressive, as evidenced by this crazy self-promotion touting the 100th season of the league, one that ends tonight. If you're not a football fan, you won't care about all the legends and the NFL's current greats fighting for a golden football during this banquet-turned-football game. But I am, and it was great to see cameo and after cameo, many of them doing the hits, throws, catches and celebration dances they were known for on the gridiron. The ad is crazy nuts, and it's fantastic. Oh, and after just re-watching it, the re-mix in the background is awesome, too.
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