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Advertisers fight to spend insane amounts of money on a small chunk of TV time and hope to become a memorable note to the breaks in the Super Bowl. Every year the advertisements become a sort of side show to the actual game and every year there are some hits and misses. Three of my favorites are below:
1. The Phone Call: Radio Shack really nailed this one. As a product of the 80's I loved seeing all the familiar faces in the ad. The concept was spot on. If you find yourself in a Radio Shack, look around. The store has not changed at all from when you were deciding whether or not to buy Beta or VHS tapes. I love when a company makes fun of itself.
2. Microsoft: Sometimes a good ad tugs at your heartstrings. The Steve Gleason / Microsoft ad was a powerful ad for not only the Microsoft Surface, but to raise awareness for ALS. (Charity awareness was another popular theme this year).
3. Hyundai: While this one was neither shocking or particularly creative, being a dad to a couple young kids made me identify with this ad. Pretty much daily you are keeping your kids from disaster and Hyundai found a way to tie it into car safety. I thought it worked well.
Honorable mention: Bud Light. The concept was cool. Grab a random guy, hand him a beer and take him on a wild ride of celebrities and parties. I give it an honorable mention for the story you would have if you were the random dude snagged for this commercial. The guy did seem to take it all in stride.