smells like ok soda (super bowl ads)

image via bestweekever.tv

If you don't get the blog title, listen to more Dillinger Four.

Here's some quick thoughts on all the Super Bowl ads, which can be found here. Not going to do the movie ads, because all of the movies look dumb, and one looks like it could be one the dumbest movies ever made (Cowboys And Aliens). Plus they were mostly just a series of explosions. Funny how you never see any 17th century period pieces advertised during the Super Bowl.

THE GOOD:

• Bud Light - Home Makeover: Liked it. Simple, kinda funny. I was also always partial to the Cedric The Entertainer ads, so go figure.
• Audi - Rich Prison: High concept, cheesy Kenny G cameo, I liked it. Yeah, kind of in poor taste to be fetishizing the rich in these times. Oh well. 
• Chevy Silverado - Lassie: Clever.
• VW - Darth Vader: Very cute. However I don't understand why everyone is going absolutely apeshit over it.
• Chrysler - Eminem: Even though it takes a backhanded swipe to NYC, Chicago, and Seattle, this was was pulling at my patriotic heartstrings. Great ad, even if a little deceiving. 
• NFL -Retro: Marsha, Marsha, Marsha in a Chargers jersey. One of my favorites. 
• Doritos - Finger Licking: Disturbing. But funny.
• Kia Optima - Epic Rider: I liked it as an homage to all the bad movies being advertised during the Super Bowl.
• Bridgestone - Reply All: We've all been there.
• Teleflora - Faith Hill: Juvinile. Sexist. I laughed.
• Carmax - I Feel Like: Funny. Especially the "wrestler in a folding chair factory" line.  
• Coca-Cola - Guards: Simple concept, been done to death, but I liked it.  
• Carmax - Service Station: Younger people won't even get the reference to full-service and milkmen. I guess that's the point. 
• Hyundai - Retro: Still not sure how the Sonata Hybrid  is some staggering leap forward when the Prius has been around for awhile now, but I liked the concept. I would like to remind Hyundai that a cell phone, no matter how clunky, was still an improvement over the land-line phone.
• Bridgestone - Beaver: What can I say, I'm an animal lover.  
• VW - Beetle:  Very cool. 
• Chevy - Camaro: Very meta, which can be annoying, but this worked, especially since it centers around a hot teacher, which is near and dear to my heart.

THE MEH:

• Doritos - Pug: Stupid. Phoned-in. Do not understand how it wone any 'best ad' awards. Wait, what country do I live in? Oh yeah, I get it now. 
• Motorola - Xoom tablet: While I appreciate anything mocking Apple, this felt like it had been done a million times. Still, I was intrigued by the product, until I found out it's gonna be $800.
• Hyundai - Hypnosis: Kinda cool visually. No big payoff though. 
• Sealy - Fucking: A sign I am getting old. Commercials explicitly about fucking during what I guess is family programming make me a little uncomfortable. Yikes.
• Sketchers - Kardashian: WIN. But for all the wrong reasons. If anyone thinks Sketchers has anything to do with that badonkdonk, I have a bridge to sell. 
• Bud Lite - Product placement: It seems like Bud Lite doesn't even try anymore. 
• Doritos - House sitting: What is this trying to say about the Doritos?  I can't tell.
• Hyundai - Elantra:  Another hypnosis spot. This one is more of a yawner. 
• Chevy - Volt: Yeah, we'll see. Comparing yourself to Franklin, Edison, etc? Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back.
• BMW - X3: Designed in America. Built in America. Corporate profits sent to Germany. 
• BMW - Changes: Good luck on diesel becoming mainstream. 
• Snickers - Roseanne: Liked last years Betty White version better.
• Career Builder - Chimps: Eh, alright.
• The Daily - The fact that it's a Murdoch joint makes me skeptical of the actual paper, but I am intrigued by the concept, and hope it's for all tablets, not just the iPad. The inclusion of Joey Ramone certainly does not hurt.
• Cars.com - Car buying: Not bad. Not great. Meh. 
• Best Buy - Ozzy: What's a Bieber? I could go on for days...
• Mini-Cooper - Cram It In The Boot: I think we just found a new term for knockin' boots.
• Cars.com - Talking Cars: I think Chevron already milked this concept to death years ago. More sexist jokes, though. Be proud, America.
• Wendy's - Hits the Spot: Really? Super Bowl budget for this?
• Stella Artois - Adrian Brody. Cheesy, but okay. 

THE BAD:

• Pepsi Max - Jogger: What were they thinking? Offensive on a couple of levels. Plus, have you tried Pepsi Max? It's terrible.
• Chevy Cruze - Senior Citizens: Hey, let's make fun of old people. Terrible. I don't even get the point of it.
• Budweiser - Tiny Dancer: Ugh. So bad. 
• Pepsi Max - Shooting Cooler: Crotch shot! Never seen that before. 
• Lipton - Eminem: Seriously, two commercials with Eminem? This one was as bad as the Chrysler one was good. Plus, it features Eminem saying this is why he doesn't do commercials. You're in two commericials!
• Go Daddy - Joan Rivers: Not cool. Not cool at all. 
• Coca-Cola - Dragon: I just didn't get it. Maybe I'm dumb. But I know a lot of older people didn't get the Grand Theft Auto parody, which might be my all time favorite Super Bowl commercial.
• Chevy Cruze - Facebook: I thought this was produced by the Onion at first. Does anyone actually want their car to read their Facebook feed? That sounds like hell.
• Chatter - Will.I.Am.: Wait, what is Chatter?
• Chatter - Black Eyes Peas: Wait, What is Chatter?
• E-Trade - Enzo: So sick of this of this fucking baby.
• Home-Away - Detourism: Baby slammed into a window! HAHAHAHAHA!
• Groupon - Tibet: This seems like the most callous commercial I have ever seen. When you go to the website, you'll find that they are actually donating money to Tibet, but the commercial could have bothered to actually mention that.
• Bud Lite - Dog party:  Phoned in. Lame. Budweiser is officially the most overrated purveyor of Super Bowl ads
• Pepsi Max - First date: Another lame sex joke. The Pepsi Max ads were almost as bad as Pepsi Max itself. 
• Go Daddy - Jillian Michaels: Make it stop. We all know by now there is no hardcore porn when you go to the website. Plus I don't think I want to see Jillian Michaels naked anyways.
• Mercedes - Diddy: Good lord, I've never seen so many commercials with people I detest trying to sell me something. How come Paul Rudd or Ian McShane aren't in commercials? I'd buy whatever they were selling on principle. 
• Verizon - iPhone. Because Fuck Apple. 
• E-Trade - Cat:  Why, God, Why? The if the Home-Away ad had the E-Trade baby slamming into a window, it might be in the 'best' category. 

So bottom line, winners were VW, Bridgestone, Carmax, and the NFL. Losers were Bud Lite, E-Trade, and especially Pepsi Max.