2008 Woodie Awards
Bowled over: Ads in recap
Thomas W. Delaney
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The game gets some publicity, but let's be honest. Most people tune in to the Super Bowl for one reason: commercials.
Corporations have staffs dedicated solely to coming up with the next brilliant idea-or even the next Budweiser frogs. This year, many commercials left a lot to be desired, but there were several that stood out. We will explore the top 10 commercials of the 2005 Super Bowl.
10. Emerald Nuts
A father, agitated by his daughter's requests for his Emerald nuts, tells her that all the unicorns will disappear if he succumbs to her requests. Then, a unicorn appears and berates the father for lying to his own daughter. Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny show up to reprimand him for lying to her. Cute, but it was not too exciting.
9. Look-a-like fry
McDonald's disappoints with this attempt to poke fun at eBay. One would expect that a company with that kind of financial resources would be able to put together something more imaginative. The message was OK, but you were lost if you missed the first part, which was before kickoff. It was really a satire on people and their ridiculous eBay offerings. At least McDonald's finally shied away from their "You gotta eat" ad campaign-thankfully.
8. Ford Mustang
OK, it was a good commercial; I enjoyed it the first time around. But you would think that if you are spending $2.85 million for 30 seconds of commercials, you would have more than one idea. The frozen driver in a convertible was humorous, but not three times in one sitting. I will tell you, however, that I am excited to see these things when they hit the streets in the spring. So, I guess in the end, the commercial worked.
7. NFL Network
I will always respect celebrities who are willing to put themselves on the lines to look like fools. I realize that players and coaches singing Annie's "Tomorrow" was a bit overdone, but still funny-especially when we watch Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden verbally accost his children, only to stop and break into song. Surely, that is a rarity we will see only once a year.
6. CareerBuilder.com
You know how people always tell you, "It's so easy a monkey could do it"? This commercial does its best to dispel that rumor, and show the horrors of actually having to work with monkeys. A man seeks to a new job, simply put, because the people he works with are as talented as monkeys. It got the message across, and did it with a humorous twist.
5. Ameriquest
A man walks into a convenience store using his high-tech cell phone with an earpiece. He proceeds to tell the caller on the other end that "he is getting robbed." Predictably, the storeowner takes the conversation personally and attacks the man with pepper spray and a bat. The point-that they won't judge you too quickly about your credit-gets across well to the consumer, and in a humorous fashion.
4. Lay's
OK, I know a lot of people did not like this one that much, but let's be honest; It was MC Hammer! Kids lose a ball over a fence into an abyss. To get the ball back, they send over some Lay's chips, and their ball, a dog and a car come back over the fence. Hammer follows these three items, singing, "U can't touch this." The kids then throw Hammer back because they don't want him either. Priceless.
3. Bud Light
Three men are skydiving. The first goes off without a hitch, but the second gets a case of cold feet. The third tries to entice him with a six pack of Bud Light. He does not bite right away, but the pilot, sans parachute, does. The third man, not knowing what else to do, jumps out of the plane, leaving the last alone. Not a commercial with a cultural icon, but Bud Light gets the job done again.
2. FedEx/Kinko's
I think what really made this commercial was a few key ingredients. It parodied Super Bowl commercials listing 10 key ingredients to a successful commercial. Later commercials, which eerily seemed to follow the pattern, made it funnier. That fact, coupled with Burt Reynolds being kicked in the groin by a bear, and Journey belting out "Don't Stop Believing," are a recipe for success.
1. Anheuser-Busch
Classy. Simply put, well done, blunt and honest. This commercial shows about a dozen troops returning from war in an airport. The people waiting impatiently notice the troops coming in, jump to their feet and give the troops a standing ovation. Political affiliation aside, this was bar none the best commercial during the Super Bowl. Congratulations to AB for breaking their comedic role, and getting the job done.