In case you missed it, we hosted our own Puppy Bowl at the office this year. Two of our office dogs came in their Super Bowl LII gear and generally got us all excited for Game Day. We do have both Eagles and Patriots fans in our team, but as the resident Sports Fan, our Events Director Steve was given the task to pick the best of the Super Bowl ads this year:
(Check out last year's Insights from the Super Bowl LI Big Game Ads)
Steve: The common thread for my top picks is FUNNY and RELEVANT. As advertising becomes more personalized, the best commercials will be personally relevant to each person in the audience and provide value to the viewer, in this case amusement and entertainment.
Sprint: "Evelyn"
Continuing the prevalent theme of A.I. learning and robots a la CES and Westworld, Sprint's "Evelyn" ad was one of the earlier commercials to air during the Super Bowl and kicked off the airtime on a high note.
NFL: “Touchdown Celebrations to Come”
Known to be a bit more corporate and always about the "shield," I'm glad the NFL was able to poke fun at itself through this amazing Dirty Dancing duet between Eli and Odell Beckham Jr. At the beginning of the 2017 season, the NFL lifted its penalty against players for end-zone celebrations after touchdowns. Players are known to practice their touchdown celebrations; can't wait to see if Eli & Odell pull out this routine next year!
Views on Youtube: 2.2 mil.
Runtime: 60 s
Agency: Grey
Director: Aaron Stoller
Dodge Ram: “Icelandic Vikings, We Will Rock You”
This commercial was absolutely hilarious if you are a football fan and understood the backstory leading up to this commercial. The Minnesota Vikings were favored to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship before the Super Bowl, and the Vikings were expected to play for the title in their home stadium. Unfortunately, the Vikings lost and subsequently, the Dodge Ram Commercial showed the troupe of Viking invaders enthusiastically heading back to the sea to continue their pillaging ways. (Also, I'm a HUGE fan of Queen, making this spot even more enjoyable)
Company: Ram Truck Brand
Runtime: 70 s (cut ver.)
Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners
Director: Joe Pytka
“Doritos Blaze vs. Mountain Dew Ice”
Across the board, the Doritos Blaze vs Mountain Dew Ice commercial struck everyone's funny bones with an unexpected new twist at every interval, from the reveal of Peter Dinklage to the massive flames to Busta's spontaneous expressions (my personal favorite) to Morgan Freeman as the ice man and Missy Elliott's cameo. Not to mention the Game of Thrones undertones...
"Doritos Blaze vs. Mtn Dew Ice"
Company: Mountain Dew, Doritos
Runtime: 60 s
Agency Network: Goodby Silverstein & Partners
Amazon: “Alexa Loses Her Voice”
Last but not least, the spot most critics and publications have deemed the best of Super Bowl XLII is the Amazon commercial with cameos by Jeff Bezos, Cardi B, Gorden Ramsay, and Anthony Hopkins. (Jeff, if you're reading this, please seriously consider Sir Hopkins for the new voice of Alexa!)