Bowl Commercials Can Be Super Bad or Super Good
The Birmingham News
Shawn Castle, senior art director, Big Communications:
It’s a difficult task asking someone in advertising to narrow down their favorite and least favorite ads. We tend to be probably too opinionated for our own good.
For my favorite, I have to narrow it down to two. The first is from 2004. It’s the Budweiser commercial that (I believe) introduced us to the donkey who wants to be a Clydesdale horse. It’s a commercial that takes the well-established symbol of Bud and injects some clever humor without being too irreverent. It is beautifully shot and just looks and feels good.
Another one is from 2003. The commercial was for Sierra Mist. It featured symphonic music from “2001: A Space Odyssey” while a monkey launches another monkey with a makeshift seesaw out of his zoo environment into a cool, refreshing wintry scene with polar bears and what appears to be very cold water. The monkey comes up for air and after shaking the refreshing water off his head, it screams in a high falsetto right in time with the music. As strange as it sounds, that is exactly why it was effective to me. It was so bizarre and off-the-wall that it really caught my attention and really retained my interest. Sometimes, the completely off-the-wall, strange and unfamiliar really work in getting someone’s attention.
As for my least favorite, there are numerous ones to list. But one in particular was in 2004 for MasterCard and it featured Homer Simpson. Although I thoroughly enjoy “The Simpsons” TV show, the commercial was really more about Homer than the product. The sole reason to advertise is to get the consumer to become aware of, or use, your product. That is hard to do when the consumer enjoys a commercial but can’t remember who or what it’s advertising. This particular commercial just reminded me that I needed to watch more of “The Simpsons,” as opposed to applying for a credit line with MasterCard, thereby confusing the message it was intended to convey.
Tim Denny, creative director, DavisDenny:
In looking back, there seems to be a disproportionate number of automobile spots, many for brands and models that no longer burn a drop of fossil fuel (like Oldsmobile, and strange, futuristic foreign brands). There are also quite a few beer spots. Duh. Then later came a spate of investment company commercials which I swear I cannot remember their names. But it takes a great deal of money and courage to play during this game, and you’ve really got to hand it to advertisers seeking sales and redemption by rolling these very, very big dice.
My choices for worst spots are any of the Denorex commercials where the guy’s standing there with a head full of suds, cleaved right down the middle, Denorex on one side and either the leading competitor or some other failing flake-fighting shampoo on the other, looking straight in the mirror and saying, “I can feel it tingle.” The viewers may be dandruff infested, but dog-gone it, this is the Super Bowl.
There’s a tie for my favorite. First is the Master Lock commercial where they fire a bullet right into the center of the lock and it swings back and forth in slow motion, but stays locked. I’ve never bought another brand since then.
The other tie goes to the Budweiser Clydesdales playing football in the snow. I like football, I like snow, I like horses, and I like beer. So there you go.
Norton Dill, president, Dill Productions:
I’d have to say that over the years the Budweiser commercials have consistently been good. I think it’s hard to do good comedy in 30 seconds, but they have been masters at it for a long time.
One of my favorites is probably a lesser-known Bud ad. It shows a chicken at the side of a road. Through a series of different camera angles, we see the chicken look both ways and then set out on his walk across the road. He crosses the center line and after reaching the opposite side of the road, we see a shot from behind the chicken and discover that he is headed toward a bar that has a big, neon Bud sign out front. The voice-over says, “I guess that question is finally answered.” I like the fact that the classic question – “Why did the chicken cross the road?” – didn’t have to be mentioned. That’s what makes the spot funny.
As for the worst commercial, I’d have to say the Just For Feet commercial a few years back has to be near the top for a number of reasons. The commercial shows a black long-distance runner running through an arid landscape that appears to be Africa. He is being chased by a Hummer full of white guys. He finally collapses and later wakens to find shoes on his previously bare feet. He screams at the sight of the shoes. The final shot shows him running away, trying to shake the shoes off. The production value of the commercial was great. Nicely filmed, good talent, beautiful setting. But the overall impact was horrible. I can’t imagine a company using a commercial that is so politically incorrect. And if that isn’t bad enough, the feeling at the end of the message is that the shoes are torturing the runner. Not a good way to sell your product.
Stan Pippin, creative director, Advantage Marketing:
The Super Bowl commercial that remains the most memorable to me is the Coca-Cola spot featuring “Mean” Joe Greene of the Pittsburgh Steelers and a wide-eyed young boy underneath a stadium in the tunnel leading to the locker room. Joe had obviously had a rough day on the gridiron and the boy offered him a Coke. As the kid turned away from his hero he hears, “Hey kid … catch,” and Greene subsequently tosses him his game jersey. It was a great feel-good piece, and the positive emotion was perfectly wed to the brand. The use of Greene, one of the era’s high-profile professional athletes, celebrated the game and demonstrated Coke’s connection with the NFL and its fan base.
I also liked the Budweiser ad in which a real zebra was substituted for a football “zebra.” The zebra played the role of an official during a football game played by the Clydesdales. The zebra reviews a play on an instant replay monitor while the horses stand around waiting for a ruling. The spot celebrated the game of football and highlighted Budweiser’s connection with the NFL and its fan base. Skillful branding.
Any of a number of the dot-com spots aired several years ago are among the worst. I couldn’t tell you the advertisers because the ads were so poorly branded. What we got was a heavy dose of “clever” with no delivery. Poor execution equals major flop on a grand stage.
Mike Raita, sports anchor, ABC 33/40:
Let’s start with the commercials I didn’t like. After 9/11 several companies, I thought, tried to capitalize on that tragedy. Among them: Budweiser. Budweiser expressing their condolences is fine. Doing it with Clydesdales didn’t work for me.
I’m sure many will point to the Just for Feet commercial. I didn’t like it, but not because I thought it was racist. It simply fell flat – sort of like the company. That was the beginning of the end.
Finally, there is – or I guess was is now the more appropriate word – Britney Spears. Anything with her did not work for me or for Pepsi. Ripping off Marilyn Monroe? How trite is that?
Now the ones that I liked. Generally, Budweiser has the best year in and year out. From the frogs to the “Whasssup” campaign to Cedric the Entertainer to the Texan who just flew into New Jersey walking into the bar and the “wise guys” greeting him with “How ya’ doin’?” They appeal to the common man.
The dot-coms have been good: E-trade in 2000 with the guy on the operating table, face down, who has the money coming out of his wazoo. C’mon. If something’s coming out of your wazoo, wouldn’t you love for it to be money?
Cassandra Sims, communication planner, Luckie & Company:
My favorite is the McDonald’s commercial featuring Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. I liked this commercial because I am a Chicago native and am forever a Michael Jordan fan. And while this commercial was one that was based on a multicultural advertiser, it featured an African-American and a Caucasian who were unable to outdo one another. On this commercial they were equals. Not to mention, it was placed in Chicago, and I miss the days of Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. I miss the days of the Chicago Bulls winning the championships.
E-mail: bcarlton@bhamnews.com
For more information, please contact Robin Oliver, Director of Public Relations, at 205-322-5646, ext.103 or email her at robin@bigcom.com
