The BrandForward Blog

What were the best and worst ads of Superbowl 2010? We’re not talking about the most outrageous or the most buzzed about or the most expensive. That’s easy. The hard stuff is coming up with a creative strategy that gets attention, starts conversation, and continues the work of building a consistent brand.

The best advertising creates a connection between the brand and the consumer, like a neural pathway that opens communication. The best advertising leverages the soul of the brand and doesn’t abandon it for a temporary attention spike.

Which advertisers had the touchdowns? Which ones earned a smackdown? Here’s the BrandForward list of Superbowl 2010’s best and worst ads.

Touchdown! Best Ads of Superbowl 2010

#1: Google: Parisian Love

In-house

I have to admit when I saw this spot during the game I was not impressed. Despite the occasional ribbing I give the company, I’m a fan of Google and was hoping it would school Yahoo! and Bing in what it means to be a search engine.

So you can imagine my dismay when I looked up from my Superbowl beer to see search terms and nondescript music. Yawwwwwn. Okay so I was at a Superbowl party. Not exactly the most ideal place for concentrating on ads. I didn’t even see the first two or three seconds of the ad, and by then they’d lost me. It didn’t help that the room got loud and people started heading to the snacks and beer (and walking in front of the TV) whenever subtle spots like Google came on. Of course the room got still and quiet and everyone was at full attention whenever spots from GoDaddy or Doritos were rolling.

Well, I’m glad I took the time to go through the spots again. Because the Google ad was incredible. Simple, honest, unpretentious. Brand-building at its best.

#2: Chrysler: Dodge Charger (Man’s Last Stand)

Wieden & Kennedy – Portland, OR

This spot connects so deeply with its target consumer. Not only is it saying “Yeah, we feel your pain,” but it’s also subtly telling men that they better have a mean-looking muscle car or the world will think they’re completely whipped, probably doing a lot more than just carrying lip balm. We’re talking buying tampons. I love the subversive urgency this spot creates. I bet there were a lot of men waking up the next morning not so happy to be driving that minivan to work.

#3: Hyundai: Paint

Innocean Worldwide Americas – Irvine, CA

Wow. Works of art are meant to last. The message is clear. I understand who Hyundai is and what the brand embodies. And cool, it has a soul. By now, the company’s 10-year warranty is pretty much common knowledge, and this gorgeous spot evolves that practical message into something more powerful and meaningful. Hyundai tells us it values its vehicles, takes pride in its craftsmanship, and does not build throwaway junk.

#4: Snickers: You’re Not You When You’re Hungry

BBDO – New York

In some circles, this spot isn’t getting much love. But it felt right to me. Granted, I haven’t seen another Snickers spot in quite awhile so maybe this is a departure from whatever else it is they’re doing. Well, I think this is what they should be doing. Maybe it’s because I’m not me when I’m hungry, or maybe it’s that I actually enjoy Betty White (Anyone see her in Lake Placid?). But I think this was a spot that capitalized on pretty much the only honestly good reason to grab a Snickers: When you’re hungry, you’re not yourself.

This spot connected the brand to human truth, found a way to make us laugh about it, and presented Snickers as a solution to a universal problem. You better believe the next time I get hungry and cranky I’m going to hear Betty White in my ear telling me to grab a Snickers.

#5: Homeaway: Hotel Hell Vacation

Publicis in the West – Seattle

I’m a big fan of the Vacation movies. What can I say? I was a child of the 80s. I saw Vacation no fewer than 5 or 10 times. Christmas Vacation at least double that. So when I saw an aged Clark Griswold pop up on the screen, I knew exactly what they were selling: A vacation where everything doesn’t go wrong. What better way to demonstrate the perils of ill-prepared vacations than with the most iconic vacationer known to man? If the short version didn’t sell you, there’s a 13-minute mini-movie, aptly titled: “Hotel Hell Vacation.” Truckster on.

#6: Denny’s: Chicken Warning

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners – San Francisco

While Carmax went dramatically wrong with animal gags, Denny’s screaming chickens stole the show as they braced for Denny’s Free GrandSlam promotion. As the announcer says, “Great day to be an American. Bad day to be a chicken.”

#7: Cars.com

DDB – Chicago

Maybe it’s just that I’m a Wes Anderson fan and the “Timothy Richman” spot made me think of Rushmore, but I like the concept of connecting a story of confidence to the brand, and the clever backstory of Timothy, even though it did have a disappointing pay-off. All said and done, this is a concept that stays true to the brand’s core value. And has legs. Lots of them. Pretty close to brilliant. Just wish it had spent more time in the oven.

#8: Teleflora: Talking Flowers/Mr. Warmth

In-house

Someone will probably hit me for this, but I actually liked the Teleflora spot where it was assumed that getting cheap, boxed flowers means you’re probably dating a guy serving time in prison. I don’t honestly know how effective TV advertising is for the floral industry. Do guys buy flowers anymore? Do guys watch commercials about flower delivery services? Or maybe women order their own flowers and have them sent to the office? Regardless, it’s clear if you’re going to get someone flowers you better not buy on the cheap.

#9: Flo.tv: Moments

Magner Sanborn – Spokane, WA & Agency 3.0 – Los Angeles

Can’t say I’m a big fan of the “montage-as-ad,” but this one works. It takes us down memory lane and reminds us that TV allows us to experience great moments in history. And that we should keep watching because there will be more. And we should have a TV wherever we go so we don’t miss anything. Pretty effective.

#10: NFL: Best Fans on the Planet

Grey – New York

Another montage ad. But the slow-mos, along with the emotive “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire, put you into the moment and almost make you forget the NFL is an evil empire. And has a lot of fans that don’t seem to mind.

Smackdown! Worst Ads of Superbowl 2010

#1: Boost Mobile: Shuffle

180 – Los Angeles

New lows in advertising. And it’s not even GoDaddy. I swear the talk in the creative lounge had to be “Okay, so we don’t have a decent concept yet and the client wants a presentation, like yesterday. So hurry, let’s just pick the one that makes the least sense and has as little to do with the product as possible.” Or maybe they just drew from a hat. I don’t know. But I’ll tell you what’s wrong. This spot.

#2: Carmax: Dramatically Smart

Boone Oakley – Charlotte, NC

There were a handful of these spots but I’m going to group them all together. If you saw one ad you saw them all. And you’ll probably wish you hadn’t. An animal sees a Carmax commercial and responds with a look of amazement. At first, I was confused and thought I’d missed something. Apparently not, because I watched the rest of the campaign. And they’re all the same gag. No pun intended.

#3: Bud Light

Cannonball – St. Louis

Here’s another brandbackward campaign. What is Anheuser-Busch trying to communicate about Bud Light? The whole thing was a real train wreck. What does “Here We Go” mean? And why does “Drinkability” matter? And where did “Sure Sign of a Good Time” come from? It felt like there were three different creative teams working from three different continents with three different taglines suffering from three different mental disorders. It was like a creative free-for-all with no brand manager to keep everything on-message and on-brand.

Buckets of wacky, man-esque humor, including voice boxes, a house made of beer cans, and witty send-ups to Lost couldn’t save Bud Light from a lack of cohesiveness and no clear sense of brand. Focus, people, FOCUS.

#4: GoDaddy

In-house

This is what happens when 15 year-old boys are taught Final Cut Pro. And given a few million dollars.

#5: Budweiser

DDB – Chicago

Not impressed with this year’s showing for Budweiser. The “Clydesdale/Fence” spot had an extremely weak pay-off, and after a lengthy build-up I was expecting genius. Denied. I did have some respect for “Bridge” but only because I personally recognize the human tragedy that would befall a town deprived of its daily beer shipment. I hope they’re starting today coming up with concepts for the next Superbowl. Because this year was pretty much a fumble whale.

#6: Emerald Nuts and Pop Secret: Awesomer

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners – San Francisco

This 2-for-1 spot featured a Seaworld-style setting with an annoying show announcer training humans to act like Dolphins. To catch snacks. Yeah, I’d leave this one off the reel. But that tagline: Awesome + Awesome = Awesomer was pretty clever, and an effective way to combine two products in one ad. This is one of those ads that could have been “awesomer” if it just had an awesome concept to add to the awesome tagline.

#7: Doritos (campaign)

Crowdsourced

The Doritos “Crash the Superbowl” contest resulted in a handful of spots that did pretty much nothing for Doritos from a branding standpoint, but propelled the world forward in connecting consumers to their favorite brands. Which despite the questionable ads, is a good thing. If more companies encouraged customers to take these kind of creative liberties and get more involved, we could see some really interesting developments.

On the other hand, I’d be cautious about letting the crowd hold the reigns of the brand. After watching the Doritos spots it’s clear that the creative that comes out of crowdsourcing can be a lot less sophisticated and strategic than what a brand steward would probably want to see on national television or another venue that gives consumers the impression that the brand is speaking in first person. Yes, the consumer owns the brand. And America is also a free country. But frankly, I don’t want to see my neighbors driving 150 mph down I-84. And I don’t necessarily want to see someone eating Doritos in a coffin.

#8:Taco Bell: It Rocks

DraftFCB – Irvine, CA

Um, no it doesn’t.

#9: Dockers: Men Without Pants

DraftFCB – San Francisco

A bunch of men in tighty whities. A spot rife with manulite and crotch shots. My eyes are still hurting. And to add insult to injury, the network saw fit to run two ads with partially unclothed men next to each other. I still can’t remember what the other spot was for. (Oh yeah. Careerbuilder.com, a spot I actually kind of liked.)

#10: Bridgestone: Whale of a Tale

Richards Group – Dallas

Brand-building spots these are not. If they would just replace the tires with beer, they’d be in business.

So where is that witty Audi “Green Police” spot, the Kia Sorrento ad with the partying stuffed animals, and the Volkswagen PunchDub spot? These were highly creative spots that either failed at building their brand or compromised the brand in some way. Or grasped defeat from the hands of victory. They weren’t the best or the worst (although I loved the “Green Police” spot, and the Kia Sorrento spot uses some of the sneakiest symbolism seen in a long time). But because of the level of creativity they deserve at least some mention.

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