Super bowl commercials
We have a thread about the game itself. On to something almost as important for many people: the commercials. Like many, I have found the commercials to be terrible over the past few years (with a few limited exceptions).
My two questions for the board:
1. Why have the commercials been so bad lately? Are we as a society just jaded and it is harder to make people laugh / cry?
2. What are your favorite SB commercials of all time? For me, the McDonalds showdown with Jordan and Bird is the greatest of all time, followed by the Budweiser frogs. In more modern fare, I really liked the VW commercial with the kid dressed as Darth Vader who thought he started the car with the Force (like you because he was around my older son’s age at the time and it reminded me of something he would have done).
February 2nd, 2020 at 9:17 AM ^
I too am a fan of the Darth Jetta commercial. But, I thought the kid locked the car with the Force, no?
Yes, some of the more recent commercials have been duds. I think that's because we're now expecting to be overly impressed by each and every one. I just hope that a few are very good. My wife, a non-football fan, is even going to watch the game today just so she can see the commercials. I hope she's entertained.......
February 2nd, 2020 at 11:53 AM ^
I always thought he started it but after watching it again I can see how someone could think he locks the doors. The noise makes me think he started it but the situation seems like locking the doors would make the most sense. ??♂️
February 2nd, 2020 at 11:59 AM ^
Pretty sure he started the car. You can sure hear the engine revving if you listen with the volume up.
February 2nd, 2020 at 9:32 AM ^
Too much woke messaging
February 2nd, 2020 at 10:07 AM ^
I agree. Even for the messages that I agree with, I don’t need to be inundated with it during the super bowl. Empowering females in sports, social justice issues, etc. - all great causes. But they aren’t what I want to see during the Super Bowl. Just my personal take.
February 2nd, 2020 at 10:38 AM ^
They're all trying to appeal to this person. Not because she watches the Super Bowl, but because she likes to start social media firestorm over things like Peloton having attractive women in their commercials.
February 2nd, 2020 at 10:52 AM ^
She? That's offensive!
/s
February 2nd, 2020 at 11:32 AM ^
You must be a misogynist.
... and a gender-phobe. After all, how do you know "she" is that person's personal pronouns.
/s <-- for the daft in here.
February 2nd, 2020 at 9:48 AM ^
The wokeness in these commercials are getting a bit “too woke” to be enjoyable IMO.
With that, my buddies and I have run with in jest anyway. We’ve placed bets on who will have the “wokest” commercial. My bet is on Nike. I’m curious if Gillette will double down from last year.
February 2nd, 2020 at 10:06 AM ^
I’m hopeful that this year the advertisers redeem themselves by dialing back the preachiness a little.
February 2nd, 2020 at 11:27 AM ^
Or dialing it back altogether. Just be funny or emotionally evocative.
February 2nd, 2020 at 11:33 AM ^
For me, the Porsche commercial is/was worth it. The rest of them can all suck for I care now. That commercial was brilliant.
February 2nd, 2020 at 1:42 PM ^
I'm dating myself, but the Mean Joe Greene "Hey Kid, catch!" Coke commercial was spectacular.
February 2nd, 2020 at 6:31 PM ^
Well. They wasted no time to get woke. Good work Secret anti sweat!
February 2nd, 2020 at 9:54 AM ^
the Jeep - Bill Murray - Groundhog Day one is good - being shown during today's game
February 2nd, 2020 at 1:01 PM ^
No spoilers!
February 2nd, 2020 at 1:55 PM ^
Why would you put a spoiler on a truck?
/s
February 2nd, 2020 at 8:53 PM ^
Well played.
February 2nd, 2020 at 1:25 PM ^
i'd never seen that one. that's excellent.
February 2nd, 2020 at 4:23 PM ^
It’s new this year.
February 2nd, 2020 at 5:47 PM ^
This is a terrific riff on the original film, unlike the horrific Ferris Bueller spot Honda foisted on us several years ago.
February 2nd, 2020 at 9:55 AM ^
I like the commercials . Most underwhelm tho and many try too hard to pull on your emotions.
Just be funny like the pahk tha cahh commercial
February 2nd, 2020 at 10:48 AM ^
Career Builder monkeys are good too https://youtu.be/VRrMu7B1L2I
From the XL Super Bowl, in Detroit.
Here's a bunch more: https://youtu.be/vdWHucg900U
February 2nd, 2020 at 1:36 PM ^
If I'm an ad exec, I just follow this simple mantra:
Chimps in suits = victory
February 2nd, 2020 at 1:47 PM ^
I used to tell my wife if it has a chimp, it's funny. Trunk monkey had me laughing my ass off years ago.
February 2nd, 2020 at 2:43 PM ^
rgard, you forgot to switch users/avatars....
February 2nd, 2020 at 2:50 PM ^
I think rgard has other issues at the moment...
...him and mean joe have been hooking up:
https://nypost.com/2020/02/01/roving-band-of-herpes-ridden-monkeys-now-roaming-northeast-florida/
February 2nd, 2020 at 10:25 AM ^
This is such a tired take. People have been saying the “commercials are awful” since the beginning.
February 2nd, 2020 at 11:02 AM ^
This is accurate. I’ve been involved in the production of 4 SB ad campaigns over the last 4 years. We did a ton of research, like most companies, and guess what, the average American still likes them a lot. The people with the hot takes on why they suck are basically louder because of social media, but even that has a positive impact for the brands since people complaining about brands being “woke” actually plays well with the key demographic those brands target.
February 2nd, 2020 at 12:17 PM ^
It will be a permanent take every year. It's more or less the same level of lazy take as "SNL used to be so much better when I was younger" [insert the years you were growing up].
February 2nd, 2020 at 4:45 PM ^
Not trying to be argumentative but how doesn't one argue the Tim Meadows, Norm MacDonald, Dennis Miller, Cheri Oteri, Kevin Nealon, Molly Shannon years were not better than what's on now.
Basically Kenan Thompson is the only funny one now that Leslie Jones is gone.
I get your point that it's a lazy thing to say but at other times, some of these controversial cliches are true.
February 2nd, 2020 at 12:35 PM ^
Yep. This year a bunch of people will talk about how bad the commercials are, too. Some will suck, some will be really funny. I think some people either have unreasonable expectations or they just like to be disappointed.
I'm just hoping something lives up to Puppymonkeybaby. Just awful and I loved it.
February 2nd, 2020 at 1:41 PM ^
People like to complain, in general. If Michigan wins a football game comfortably, there will be 300 comments in the game thread. If we win close, there will be 1000. If we lose, there will be 2,500.
Also, it's hard to come up with commercials that are not only fresh/original but appealing at first glance, which a Super Bowl ad must do.
February 2nd, 2020 at 10:29 AM ^
Best commercial in history was the Miller High Life one...it was 2 seconds long literally
February 2nd, 2020 at 11:02 AM ^
I’m not too sure about quality over time, but what really surprises me is one that is awful by everyone’s account - I mean everyone in the room gives a collective WTF? - and yet it made it through 10 layers of production and people signing huge checks. I am left wondering if it was just tons of yes-men agreeing to some exec’s idea.
February 2nd, 2020 at 11:22 AM ^
Budweiser instant replay, 2003.
"This referee is a jackass."
"Nope, I believe that's a zebra."
February 2nd, 2020 at 11:44 AM ^
I like the sentimental ones. And anything with Clydesdales.
I don’t like most of the celebrity ones, usually because the personalities don’t fit the products.
However, I will say the one recent commercial that was so bad it was good was the puppy monkey baby.
February 2nd, 2020 at 12:35 PM ^
I'll agree with the "so bad" part of that sentence. That thing looked like something created by Sid the Rotten Kid Next Door in the first "Toy Story" movie.
One of the few commercials that will make me change the channel.
February 2nd, 2020 at 12:37 PM ^
Yes! Puppymonkeybaby might be my favorite of all time. Just awful and makes my wife cringe.
February 2nd, 2020 at 11:57 AM ^
Terry Tate: Office Linebacker is my favorite, followed by VW Darth Jetta.
February 2nd, 2020 at 1:07 PM ^
I love when Terry pauses and says "Hey Janis!" to another office worker.
February 2nd, 2020 at 1:32 PM ^
office linebacker is an all-time classic.
one of the twins did this in real-life, kind of. short version: the 4 oldest boys are at a football camp, 2 oldest helping to coach and the next two, the twins, are participating. some other kid gives oldest son some crud, won't get in line, do a drill, something, and then actually kicks at him. this oldest son is 6' 3" and plays college ball. nevertheless, one of the twins comes and lays this kid out (bigger than the twin), and stood over him just like the commercial, telling the kid not to mess with his brother. classic.
February 2nd, 2020 at 12:06 PM ^
I think Nike is going to have a 1/2 black, quarter Native American, 1/4 Asian transgender little person discuss how terrible awful no good very bad America is (and that’s why the shoes shims’s advertising are made in Cambodia).
February 2nd, 2020 at 12:08 PM ^
I loved the FedEx "10 Items" commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlJJ84NHxs4
Also, Terry Tate, Office Linebacker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbSpAsJSZPc
Of the more recent ones, the "everything is a Tide ad" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIW3l-ENHdA, and last year's Bud Lite/GoT Crossover (and I say that as someone who hates Bud).
February 2nd, 2020 at 12:50 PM ^
That tide campaign was probably my favorite ever. Any time an ad starts slow now I expect it to be a tide ad.
February 2nd, 2020 at 12:20 PM ^
Will always be Macintosh 1984 for the win. Everything else is a distant competition for second.
February 2nd, 2020 at 12:40 PM ^
Why is the woman with the hammer wearing a Hooters uniform?