Super Bowl ads: the good, the 'meh' and the ugly

SALT LAKE CITY — A 30-second spot during the Super Bowl this year cost about $3.8 million, but the attention the ads receive is well worth it to marketers: last year, 111 million people watched the game, and the ads themselves were posted and replayed countless times.

Superbowl XLVII saw its share of boring, forgettable ads, but a few stood out for their creativity. Some companies got lambasted on social media for their lackluster campaigns; others are already seeing the payoff.

The good:

• Oreo's saw instant success with its Super Bowl spot, a whispered fight in a library about whether the cookie or the creme is the best part of an Orea. A 3-second call to "choose your side" on Oreo's Instagram account had instant results: the account grew from 2,200 followers to nearly 34,000 by the end of the game. Oreo had another win during the half-hour-long blackout, when the company tweeted this instant-reaction ad. The tweet has been retweeted more than 12,800 times.
• An overall favorite was the Taco Bell commercial, during which elderly people partied to the tune of a Spanish-language version of fun.'s "We Are Young."
• Doritos had a solid showing this year, airing consumer-created ads for the seventh-straight year and giving two amateur filmmakers the chance to win $1 million, depending on how the ads rank in the USA Today Ad Meter.

"Goat 4 Sale" takes advantage of a popular meme: the screaming goat. Social media liked the ad for the scream, but "Fashionista Daddy" was a better all-around commercial: a group of tough guys who get talked into playing dress-up with a little girl because she has Doritos.

1. The Tide "Miracle Stain" commercial was another favorite, and by the end of the game was hitting a bit too close to home. A Joe Montana "miracle stain" on a jersey could lead to a 49ers win — until a Ravens fan washes the stain out.
2. Best Buy's ad featured Amy Poehler, and the star did not disappoint. If you missed it, it's worth a watch.
3. Audi's "Prom" commercial got attention online, too. After a teen's father lets him take the Audi S4 to prom — which he is attending without a date — he gets the guts to take matters into his own hands with the prom queen.
4. Budweiser's "Brotherhood" ad was a big winner, showing the bond between a horse and the man who groomed him to be a Budweiser Clydesdale. The general reaction here seemed to be misty eyes and relief that Budweiser pulled out at least one good ad.
5. One of the best ads (or at least the group favorite at ksl.com) was one produced by the NFL itself: Deion Sanders dressed up as Leon Sandcastle, the Chiefs' No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. "Sandcastle? Looks like an ugly Deion Sanders." Win. The "meh"

• Most of the Budweiser commercials were head-scratchers. Perhaps fine for everyday TV, the ads left something to be desired compared to what we've come to expect from Budweiser (the frogs, anyone?).

1. The Toyota "Wish Granted" ad had the air of a commercial that was trying desperately to be a Super Bowl ad, but just couldn't make the cut. There were a lot of missed opportunities for laughs with the family's wasted wishes, and the ad fell flat on social media in comparison to some of the more entertaining ads of the night.
2. Psy is now doing pistachio commercials, apparently. The ad was a bit of a letdown after the insanely viral "Gangnam Style."
3. Skechers' "Man vs. Cheetah" ad was another that could have worked just fine any other day, but was a disappointment on Super Bowl Sunday. No humor, no heartstrings. Just meh. The ugly

Some Super Bowl commercials are just plain bad. It's like their respective marketing teams just gave up. They aren't funny, or dramatic, or memorable in any positive way. The online consensus this year seems to be these two:

• If GoDaddy is trying to win the award for most consistently bad Super Bowl commercials, it's well on its way to the finish line. Neither of the hosting company's ads were particularly creative — but the "Perfect Match" commercial did get ripped apart online, so at least the marketing team can say the ad got people talking. A few sample tweets:

#poll

• "That last Go-Daddy commercial made sure the entire human race lost :(" -@followarmada
• "And just when I thought things couldn't get any worse.. They play the Go Daddy commercial again :(((" -@amanduh_cary5
• "The worst thing about the Go Daddy commercial is I can never unsee it! :( #scarredforlife" -@lori_milo

1. The Calvin Klein ad took the objectification GoDaddy typically subjects females to and turned it on males. Some of the reactions:
   • "Ok Calvin Klein. Now I'm all insecure about my body. :(" -@EricGruis
   • "I hate it when commercials like the Calvin Klein one objectify men. We are not pieces of meat! :(..." -@dagoscancel
   • "That Calvin Klein commercial made me feel weak and powerless :(" -@McKDerrrick What were your favorite commercials? Your least favorite? Tell us on the comment boards, or on Facebook or Twitter.

Related topics