Super Bowl Ads 2012

Believe it or not, I watched the Super Bowl by myself this year. Yes, my husband was home. Yes, he likes to watch football. No, he did not watch the Super Bowl. Well, he didn’t watch the whole thing, anyway. He claims it makes him too tense, especially if it’s a close game. And considering that I, who am not much of a football fan, was pretty much having a heart attack the last five minutes of the game, I’d say he made the right choice. So I watched it by myself.

And although I do enjoy football to some degree, and I do enjoy the Super Bowl more than many other games, one of my favorite parts of the Super Bowl, I will admit, is the ads. There have been some spectacular Super Bowl ads over the years (the Coke ad with Mean Joe Green has to top that list), as well as some that were memorable despite being less than spectacular (Budweiser frogs, anyone?).

So naturally, what better blog for the day than a review of the commercials of Super Bowl 2012? And here it is – with apologies in advance if any of your particular favorites didn’t make the list.

Hyundai – lots of ads

Ugh, Hyundai spent a lot of cash on some pretty boring ads. Compare yourself to a Porsche all you want, you’re still a Hyundai. The only ad of any note (in my opinion) was the one with all the employees singing the Rocky theme. I’m still not 100% sure how that tied in to Hyundai, but hey, Rocky theme. Like.

VW - Chunky Dog and Star Wars Spoof

I’m not always a big fan of animal ads, but I find this one to be incredibly endearing. A beautiful dog working out to shed a few pounds just so he can burst through the doggie door to chase the cool red VW Bug driving past? Awesome. Extra points because I even remember what product it’s for.

But the all-around best ad of this year has to be the spoof of the Star Wars cantina scene. It recalls both a previous stellar VW ad (the little kid dressed up as Darth Vader using mind control to lock the car) and one of the most memorable scenes of a classic and nostalgic movie. The character who gets choked by Vader is a dead ringer for the character in the original film. By next month I may have forgotten that it’s for VW, but you can bet I’ll remember the ad itself for years to come.

Go Daddy – Body Painting

Ew. As always, Go Daddy brings the gross. Really, Jillian Michaels and Danica Patrick, do you need endorsement money that badly? Obviously, I am not their target demographic.

Tax Act – Need to Pee

The ad with the little boy desperately needing to pee and not finding a place to go was kind of funny. But I still can’t figure out what on earth that has to do with Tax Act. By tomorrow, I will have no idea what product this ad was for.

Doritos – Baby Bouncy

Maybe it’s because I have both a baby who loves the bouncy chair and a feisty grandmother, but I found this ad hilarious. Do NOT taunt the feisty grandma and the bouncy baby. You WILL lose.

Pepsi – Elton John

I like Elton John as much as the next guy, and trapdoors are always funny, but no-one should ever sing the song “Respect” unless her name is Aretha Franklin. Seriously.

M&Ms – Naked M&M

I was a bit surprised that I found this one to be very funny. I suspect that most people found it funny, especially because most of us have been to a party with “that guy”. Plus, it’s an ad for M&Ms, and I love M&Ms.

Ferris Buehler Revisited – Honda CR-V

I graduated from high school in 1986, so naturally I love Matthew Broderick – and Ferris Buehler. And it doesn’t hurt this particular ad that I’m also a big Honda fan. Although the edited ad that played during the actual Super Bowl was not nearly as funny as the extended version that was available on line prior to the game. “What are you still doing here? Go home!” Just as brilliant today as it was 26 years ago.

So the bottom line for me is that there were a few cute ads but really only one or two that I’ll still remember a few weeks or a few months from now. VW’s win over Hyundai was nowhere near as close as the Giants’ win over the Patriots. It was a lackluster year for me both for the commercials and for the game itself. But that’s okay. There’s always next year.