Do celebrities make the commercial? If you use them right:
yes! This year's Super Bowl commercials had Megan Fox in a bathtub, the
return of Chevy and Beverly as the "Griswolds," and a cameo by Beyonce (who was
barely in her
commercial for seconds, yet still made an impression!). That's just the tip
of the sundae, on a year that had so many good commercials; it was hard to
choose which were "best"...!
In fact; this list was so hard to make this year, I had to
create a few ground rules. One: no film trailers. If the movie trailer is
good or bad, well, let's save critiques for the full review when the film is
in theaters. Second: it had to be a real ad. Sorry,
Oprah!...and Dave!...and Jay! (even if, yes: their faux commercial was
hilarious)
The point is: there were many good commercial breaks this
year. That's good news on many levels. As I remind people every year: these
are the ads we'll be seeing over and over again...for better,
or worse! Here are the ones
for 2010, that we will be glad to see every time they air:
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"Internet Aps" (Visio). In Summary:
Beyonce is tossed into the latest product. Better Summary:
Guy puts his quarter in the machine for a Coca-cola bottle. The coin is seen
rolling into this magical realm where the little Lord of the Rings style
folk want nothing more than to make another Coca-cola customer happy. They
even hold a parade and cheer as the bottle is sent back to the machine. What Makes It So Cool:
I love the imagination that went into this ad. The animators could've gone
for cliché imagery and instead created machines and creatures of pure
magical whimsy.
"Betty White Plays Tackle Football" (Snickers). In Summary:
Yeah; I would imagine the actual title of this ad was different, though this
is the scene that everyone's talking about. Better Summary:
"You're not you when you're hungry." Such is the case when it appears as
though Betty White is being tackled to the ground playing football. It turns
out it's a college kid who becomes "himself" again after a bar of Snickers.
The final punchline: another hungry kid, resembling Abe Vigoda, gets tackled
soon after. "That hurt!" says Abe. What Makes It So Cool:
This is one of the ads everyone's talking about, and with reason. Props to
Betty and Abe for showing they've still "got it," in one of the best ads
this year.
"Screaming Chickens" (Dennys). In Summary:
Chickens! Auuuagh! Lots of chickens! All going...."Auuuugh!" Better Summary:
Chickens everywhere are screaming. Why? Because the Denny's Grand Slam
breakfast is going to take a lot of work for those chickens. How much work?
Auuuuugh! What Makes It So Cool:
Imagine how many people went on a "snack break," running to the TV to see
what all the screaming was about. The good news: the answer was funny.
Better news: the joke didn't get old, after repeat appearances later on.
"Dog Collar" (Doritos). In Summary:
Dogs love Doritos, and they'll go to any length to get them. Better Summary:
Guy eats a bag of Doritos near a dog with one of those "shock collars" to
keep a dog from barking (not to digress; does anyone
actually put these things on their dog?). Dog then jumps
behind guy and puts the collar on the guy, who gets shocked unconscious
before he can even say "Wha...?" The dog then proceeds to eat the now fallen
bag of Doritos. What Makes It So Cool:
Funny yet simple; this is the sort of
Doritos commercial that works...unlike the two (yes two) Doritos commercials
that simply didn't work.
"Simpsons!" (Coca-Cola). In Summary:
Mister Burns might be bankrupt, though he has a bottle of Coca-Cola! Yay! Better Summary:
Among all the many millionaires now bankrupt is Mister Burns from The
Simpsons, who loses everything: his mansion, his car, and yes, even Smithers!
He soon walks next to a park where everyone (yes, even Smithers) is enjoying
a bottle of Coke. One guy gives Burns a bottle. Suddenly, everything is
right in the world again. You know. Basically. What Makes It So Cool:
I haven't watched The Simpsons regularly since it stopped being terribly
funny (when was that? 1999? I
lost track). That's what makes it so amazing that every once in awhile, the
show's animation team comes up with some great stuff to keep Simpsons
topical again, including a funny movie, a great video game, and this
commercial. Bravo.
"Stranded on an Island" (Bud Light). In Summary:
Lost's FInal Season isn't on the same network as the Super Bowl
this year? Oh, parody it, anyway! Better Summary:
People looking strikingly similar to the cast of Lost find themselves on a
deserted island. A parody of the series' "Kate" insists that they must now
make a signal fire and other things to get rescued. Then a guy comes and
says, hey; all the Bud Light bottles survived the crash. Who needs rescuing?
It's party time! What Makes It So Cool:
Die hard "Lostie" here, so seeing this commercial on the Super Bowl was
really fun.
"A Beaver With a Violin " (Monster.com). In Summary:
The new Monster.com search engine is so precise; it could help a beaver get
a job as a violinist. Better Summary:
In another eye grabbing Super Bowl ad from Monster.com, we see a beaver
playing the violin as his buddies make dams near the river. He then uses a
laptop to search for work. Suddenly he's the talk of the town, getting a
cocert gig and partying in a hot tub in the back of his new limo. What Makes It So Cool:
Take it from someone who's been there:
it's hard to use most job search engines because of all the job "spam" (you
know what I mean; the job listings that aren't "real" jobs and promise you
the ability to work at home while doing something that isn't a real job
because, as the fine print will tell you: the spurious "job" does not offer
any real paycheck until you do this and this and this and this and oh yeah:
find a real job). Monster.com promises a more precise
search engine that, to look at this ad, could help a beaver find a job as a
violinist. The commercial has me interested in the new Monster dot com;
that's for sure.
"It's the Griswolds!" (Homeaway.com). In Summary:
Chevy! Beverly! The Griswolds! Yay! Better Summary:
Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo reprise their roles as Mister and Mrs.
Griswold from the National Lampoon's Vacation movies. We quickly see them go
through all the perils of vacationing...all of which can be easily resolved
with the help of Homeaway.com. What Makes It So Cool:
Chevy! Beverly! The Griswolds! Yay! Seriously; welcome back, guys.
"Casual Friday" (Careerbuilder.com). In Summary:
It's not fun to work in a job where "casual" means white underwear. Better Summary:
Guy is seeking a better job because he just doesn't fit in with his current
coworkers. Why? Because of "casual Friday"...where everyone goes to work in
their skimpy white underwear. Unfortunately; none of them are Megan Fox. What Makes It So Cool:
Another job search engine offers a really eye grabbing ad...and not just
because of all the good sports in this ad, who parade around in their "tidy
whiteys," no matter how they look while doing it!
"Megan Fox" (Motorola). In Summary:
What if Megan Fox sent you a cel phone photo of her taking a bath? Better Summary:
Megan Fox is taking a bath with her new Motorola cel phone. Gee; what would
happen if she sent a photo of herself right then and there? We soon see a
husband getting slapped, men at work distracted on the job, and a guy who
was supposed to "spot" his friend on a ladder letting him fall to the ground
with a comical "Auuugh!" Nah; probably nothing would happen at all, insists
Megan Fox. What Makes It So Cool:
Saving the best for last...? For us guys;
yeah. If you ask me, at the very least: this was 1,000 times sexier than
those inane "Go Daddy" ads...
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...Think this feature story is just sucking up to a few
advertisers? Nope! Some ads this year were just...awful! Check out
the companion list of the 10 worst commercials
for
this year's Super Bowl; you'll see what I mean.