Playmaker 10: Best Super Bowl XLVI Commercials
By Javi Perez at February 6, 2012 | 4:16 am | Print
Follow Javi on Twitter: @PlaymakerJavi
We were surprised at how awful and vanilla so many of this year’s Super Bowl commercials were this year. Coca Cola polar bears? Seen it. Platinum Bud Light? Who cares. Celebrity cameos? Only three on this list feature them. So let’s take a look at the best of the best in between some amazing football and an underwhelming halftime show.
10. The Avengers
Last week, we joked about how Marvel released a teaser for their Super Bowl commercial for The Avengers and how it was starting to get Monty Python-esque in how everything we see about this Avengers movie is essentially just a tease for something else. Little did we know that the spot that aired during the Super Bowl was just a shorter version of the awesome commercial you see above.
The more I see in the media released about the movie (not including spoilers, I hate spoilers), the more excited I get. The story that Marvel used for The Ultimates 2 story is one that works really well and it looks like that’s what the film is going to resemble. If you’ve never read The Ultimates 2, go out and buy the trade paperback. It’s one of the best comics I’ve ever read.
9. Cars.com – Confidence
Yes, the guy’s self-confidence is clearly reminiscent of Johnny Knoxville’s alien character from Men in Black II. But it still makes us laugh every time we watch it. If I had a self-confidence guy, I’d totally start harmonizing with him.
8. Bridgestone – Football
This commercial had something for everyone, our favorite ESPN personality Michelle Beadle, Dallas Cowboys legend Troy Aikman, Prime Time himself Deion Sanders, and even a quick joke from that guy from those Playstation commercials (Well played, Mauer). This spot was pretty funny because you don’t really know where it’s going until after Aikman throws the ball as it weaves its way through the air, through the coverage, and into the hands of the desired receiver. Bridgestone also had a basketball commercial run that featured Tim Duncan (boy, they love champions from Texas) and Steve Nash. Beadle previously talked about working with Tim Duncan on her podcast and I’m sure it was a more fun shoot for her because, growing up in San Antonio, she’s been a Spurs fan for a long time.
7. Oikos Yogurt
Until I saw the Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget, I didn’t know that John Stamos was Greek. That probably explains why he was in this commercial for Oikos Greek Yogurt. This spot works on so many levels. If you like John Stamos, you appreciate how funny he in this commercial. If you think he’s the hottest thing ever, you certainly appreciate him slowly eating something and looking handsome on screen. If you hate him, you love watching him get head butt and running for his life scared at the end.
6. Hyndai – Cheetah
Animals are tired of being exploited for commercials and they’re starting to fight back. The standard “professional driver, closed course” warning is given and yet no warning is given for working with really fast carnivorous predators.
5. Chevy – Graduation
You don’t need a ton of production value or celebrities to make a good commercial. You just need to make a funny premise and know how long to milk it and when to wrap it up. Such is the case for this hilarious commercial. After all is said and done, I hope that he sticks to his promise to marry that girl because she looked pretty cute. Although she seems pretty materialistic based on her desire to propose to him right after seeing a brand new car.
4. Toyota – Reinvented
I used to work at Dave and Busters, which is located right across the street from a DMV. You’d be surprised at how many people came into D&B thinking it was the DMV. I’m a little skeptical about crime-fighting plants. I don’t need any reason to be reminded of how awful Batman and Robin was with Poison Ivy as the main villain. Although I’m down with rain that makes you skinny. Sadly, it never rains in San Antonio which explains DeJuan Blair.
As for the reinvented couch, if you were looking to just use the couch as a couch, would you want to try and be supported by a group of swimsuit models that barely look 100 pounds or a bunch of stout dudes that looks like they could curl you?
3. Chevy – Apocalypse
Apparently, Ford sent letters to GM and NBC in an attempt to pressure someone into pulling the ad before it aired. Ford is very upset that the study cited in the commercial for a few seconds that no one notices talks about longevity and not durability. But, as far as I can tell, no study has ever accounted for the Mayan apocalypse prophecy and how it would affect Ford or GM trucks so Ford should probably just learn to take a joke.
2. Fiat 500
This is such a great, funny, sexy commercial that clearly accomplishes it’s goal: making us completely forget how awful a Fiat 500 Abarth looks. All we see when we look at it is how incredible Catrinel Menghia is at… really anything she does.
1. Chrysler – Halftime in America
As Ed Helms once said on the Daily Show: “I’m sold. I’ll take one America, please.” This ad was incredibly inspiring and cool. Last year, this ad featured the city of Detroit set to Eminem’s accompaniment from “Lose Yourself.” While that ad stood out last year, this one is better because it’s about the country punctuated by Detroit’s toughness rather than just Detroit itself. And the narrator didn’t have a voice as awesome as Clint Eastwood.
“This country can’t be knocked out with one punch. We get right back up again and when we do the world’s gonna hear the roar of our engines. Yeah, it’s halftime America. And our 2nd half’s about to begin.”
Enough said.
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