Superbowl-ads.com Article Archive

Source: Nielsen Media Research

http://tinyurl.com/yzne57u

Consider that $3 million you just dropped on a 30-second Super Bowl spot a waste of money — unless you’ve got a smart, calculated search-and-social-media strategy behind it.

Last year, the ads from the big game racked up 99.5 million collective online views, according to Visible Measures, which tallies viral-video data; 98.7 million people watched the game on TV, per Nielsen. It’s further proof that while Super Bowl is still valuable because it’s one of the last high-profile, mass-media TV events, it’s maximized with an ongoing online effort.

“Social media provides a longer shelf life for people’s campaigns,” said Anthony Iaffaldano, senior director-strategy and innovation at Reprise Media. “It’s about who’s got a plan in place to take the equity they’re building through all this activity and activate it after the game. Social media becomes more valuable as you continue to engage.”

About 90% of brands had their Super Bowl ads up on YouTube in 2009, estimates a Google executive, although that’s just the bare minimum. A quarter of the brands in the Bowl tapped social networks to try to drive additional comments, ratings and conversation. And more than two-thirds bought paid-search ads against their brands or products.

This year, those figures will be even higher, setting the stage for what might be the most significant study to date on the interplay between paid and earned media. Marketers such as E-Trade are already planning how they’re going to extend their spots online.

And while the buzz of the game’s commercials will provide a healthy dose of PR value, most of the big winners from past years also relied on paid-media support. Visible Measures said paid promotion more than doubled the reach of a Super Bowl ad on the web. In that regard, brands in the game have come a long way. In 2005, only 21% bothered buying paid search around Super Bowl ads; last year that figure more than tripled to 65%, according to Reprise Media, which creates an annual Super Bowl scorecard rating advertisers’ online efforts.

So it’s no surprise the online-video-sharing sites are building major programs around the Super Bowl, hoping to capitalize off the dollars marketers will be putting against the game. YouTube is again promoting its Ad Blitz, and Break.com has created an entire editorial channel around the event, complete with its own custom content it can sell.

“One thing marketers are struggling with is ‘Do we put [the ad] up on our site and try to drive people there?’ or ‘Do we put the content on other sites?’” said Andrew Budkofsky, senior VP-sales and partnerships at Break.com. “It depends on the marketer and its goals — if you’re running a specific promotion you might send people to your site and that’s why we do the custom content — so we can speak to a promotion and do editorial plugs. We can create custom content in a video.”

Here are lessons from Super Bowl’s past to make sure you make the most of the big game.

CAPITALIZE ON PREGAME BUZZ

According to Google, searches for “Super Bowl commercials” start rising about a week before the game at a rate of 10% to 20% a day leading up to the game. (They peaked the day after the Bowl.) Meanwhile, Visible Measures reports pre- and post-game buzz can account for more than 50% of a campaign’s reach.

E-Trade is the poster child for a smart pre-game strategy; last year it released outtakes from its talking toddler campaign several days ahead of time. It took over the YouTube home page the Thursday before the game to promote the spots.

E-Trade also bought search terms on YouTube as well as on the main engines and set up a Facebook and Twitter account. Today, the E-Trade baby is still yammering away to its 3,000-plus Twitter followers. (A recent gem: “Can someone give me the 411 for the tooth fairy? Are milk teeth a commodity? If not, mine are staying in my mouth.”) No surprise, it’s back in the game again this year and already working on its online push.

BUILD VIRALITY INTO YOUR CREATIVE

Doritos has epitomized this for the past two years, running contests to see who could create the big game spot. The strategy capitalizes on the fact that friends and families of the finalists spread the word around the web since votes help determine the winner.

GoDaddy falls into this category as well. While its ads appeal to the lowest common denominator, the narrative it’s built around them generates interest. Several weeks before the 2008 game, CEO Bob Parsons started moaning that early versions of the ad were too racy for network TV — but not too racy for GoDaddy.com. In 2009 the ads were approved in advance, but viewers got to vote on which ones they wanted to see in the game. Visible Measures also advises leaving room for social interpretation — will the ad be spoofed? Is there something for viewers to discuss?

BUY SMART SEARCH TERMS

Cars.com recognized competition for search terms such as “Super Bowl ads” would be stiff, so it also bought terms related to its incredibly detailed ad about a genius named David Abernathy. Among its more obscure paid-search terms were “Gompers,” the name of Abernathy’s pet rabbit, and “Aristotle,” his guinea pig.

Smart search is also about recognizing what people are likely not searching for the day after your ad airs. “People searching for Super Bowl ads may not be directly interested in peripheral marketing campaigns,” said Jerry Canning, finance industry director at Google.

THINK REAL-TIME

Gone are the days when a CMO can enjoy an uninterrupted game in the network’s luxury box. Today smart marketers will be talking on Twitter, tweaking search campaigns and leaving no rock unturned in their quest to drive impressions. Like E-Trade’s baby, the star of H&R Block’s spot, Tax Guy Murray, turned up on Twitter and actively reached out to people talking about the ad or taxes — during the game. “My prediction is this year you’ll have armies of marketers fanning the flames of their ads on Twitter,” said Pete Blackshaw, exec VP, Nielsen Digital Strategic Services. “‘Did you like it? Check out this link. Thanks so much for the high five.’ Marketers are getting smarter about taking the earliest signals, even from early PR events, and parlaying those into something that would increase odds.”

Real-time thinking also applies to media buying. Search is a near-immediate channel and marketers can monitor the conversation and help that inform their buying. You might also consider holding money back so you can make short-notice buys on the sites where the campaign is getting the most traction.

DON’T FORGET THE CALL TO ACTION

Denny’s had one of the most-talked-about promotions — a free Grand Slam breakfast — but forgot to offer up a URL or other direction where people could get more information. According to Reprise Media’s Scorecard, the marketer’s website crashed right after the ad aired and was down for the rest of the game.

And if you’re going to do some sort of call to action — or buy paid media or search — make sure the landing page fits. In other words, don’t do what Pixar did last year. According to Reprise, it had a call to action and a URL with previews — something the other films in the game lacked. But, it wrote “in spite of this, the actual site was not integrated at all with the Super Bowl ad and there were no paid search ads to help direct confused searchers to the ‘right’ page.”

http://tinyurl.com/yzk4xgy.

Increased digital word-of-mouth marketing — using social media and other platforms — could shift marketers’ media plan dynamics for next February’s Super Bowl.

Pete Blackshaw, executive vice president of digital strategic services, and Randall Beard, executive vice president and general manager of Nielsen IAG, write that “earned media” — material from social-networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook — “will be a huge test, as the new reality of consumer expression” for next year’s big football game.

For instance, Tweets embedded in Facebook feeds, blog entries and Google search results can have long-term value. They say these efforts, in conjunction with Super Bowl ads, can have a “latency” effect and provide brands with an almost endless annuity of “earned media.”

Nielsen cites the example of Nationwide Insurance, which three years ago ran a Super Bowl commercial featuring ex-Britney Spears husband Kevin Federline that grabbed over $20 million dollars in “earned media.”

Marketers are upping their use of social media to adjust their marketing in “real-time” — depending on the data available. For example, marketers in 2009 have been using Twitter to interact immediately with brand loyalists, looking to mend fences over consumer frustrations when it comes to products or services.

Such efforts create a bigger halo effect for the Super Bowl when it comes to paying some $2.5 million to $2.7 million for a traditional 30-second commercial.

Nielsen notes that the Super Bowl is still an effective TV platform, scoring strong research numbers — Super Bowl spots get 31% higher break-through scores and 93% higher likability numbers than a typical television ad.

Digging deeper, however, Nielsen says that marketers still need to act strategically to get the most out of their buys. For example, first- and second-quarter commercials get higher recall scores than third- and fourth-quarter spots. (The recall of fourth-quarter ads is about the same as an average TV commercial.)

But when it comes to “branded-integration” efforts, the opposite is true. “Recall and brand opinion are lowest pre-game, moderate during the game, and big gainers post-game,” say Nielsen. “For marketers, the mix is clear: Focus on ads early and branded-integration efforts late.”

http://tinyurl.com/ykrezln

In the advertising world, building buzz is the pregame game. Coca-Cola is readying an update to the Mean Joe Greene commercial featuring Troy Polamalu and his bountiful hair. (Coca-Cola did not return calls seeking confirmation.) “Everybody’s been waiting for the next Mean Joe spot,” says Bob Horowitz, the executive producer of Super Bowls’ Greatest Commercials, adding that Mr. Polamalu is known for his charisma and not his crankiness.

http://tinyurl.com/y87k4h3

Bruce Springsteen shed light on why after years of turning the NFL’s Super Bowl requests down flat, he broke tradition and performed with the E Street Band during the halftime spectacle.

He explained to The Los Angeles Times, "I’ve said no for about 10 years or however long they’ve been asking, but, I tell you, we played on the last tour and there were some empty seats here and there and, well, there shouldn’t be any empty seats at an E Street Band show. I hold pride that we remain one of the great wonders of the world… so sometimes you got to remind people a little bit."

http://tinyurl.com/yg39d8a

TAMPA – Local Super Bowl organizers are celebrating a different kind of victory two months after the historic matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals.

More than 130 area businesses landed $3.96 million in Super Bowl business as part of the Emerging Business Program. The last time Tampa hosted a Super Bowl, in 2001, 105 area businesses owned by women and minorities won $2.5 million in Super Bowl-related contracts.

http://tinyurl.com/bjjv8c

USA TODAY’s Ad Meter tracks the second-by-second responses of a panel of viewers to ads during the Super Bowl and Ranks them from best to worst.

‘Two nobodies from nowhere’ craft winning Super Bowl ad

Updated 2/4/2009 7:51 PM
HOW ADS FOR RECESSIONARY TIMES MATCHED UP

Bud Light:
Corporate bean counter proposes no Bud Light at meetings to cut budget.
30
1st
7.49

CareerBuilder.com:
When you know it’s time to get a new job.

60
3rd
7.37

E-Trade:
Babies discuss “brutal” economy and E-Trade.
30
2nd
7.27

Monster.com:
Old job gets the wrong end of the moose.
30
3rd
6.95

Denny’s:
Tweaks rival’s fancy pancakes, offers everyone free Grand Slam breakfast.
30
3rd
6.62

Cash4Gold:
Ed McMahon and MC Hammer trade gold mementoes for needed cash.
30
4th
5.58

Hyundai:
Assurance program lets buyers return car without credit penalty if they lose job.
30
4th
4.68

By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY
It wasn’t just the Arizona Cardinals who met their match in the Super Bowl — so did Madison Avenue.
And it could be a game-changer. For the first time, it wasn’t an ad agency that created the best-liked Super Bowl commercial. It was two unemployed brothers from Batesville, Ind., whose ad for Doritos — created for an online contest for amateurs — won them $1 million from Doritos maker Frito-Lay, and leaves ad pros with a lot of ‘splaining to do.

CHART: How all this year’s ads ranked
AD METER QUIZ: How well do you remember the ads?
MARKETING TOUCHDOWN: Winning ad cost less than $2,000
PHOTOS: Previous Ad Meter winners since 1989
What the duo did was beat 51 big-budget advertisers and won USA TODAY’S 21st annual exclusive Super Bowl Ad Meter real-time consumer testing of how much they liked the ads as they aired. (USA TODAY had no connection with Doritos and no connection to the online contest.)

The off-the-wall commercial, “Free Doritos,” features a guy who shatters a vending machine with his crystal ball after predicting free Doritos for everyone in the office.

Just as impressive, the two and backer Doritos displaced Anheuser-Busch and broke its Ad Meter streak. The brewing giant had won 10 in a row.

Although A-B did well, with two ads ranking among Ad Meter’s top five, it couldn’t match Doritos, which also aired a second ad from the contest — and it finished No. 5 out of the 52 ads in the games.

WHAT TICKLED YOUR FUNNY BONE? Tell us what you thought of this year’s ads
REPORTERS NOTEBOOK: USA TODAY’s Laura Petrecca took reader’s ad questions during the game
“Two nobodies from nowhere,” just walked off with one of the ad world’s top honors, says 32-year-old Dave Herbert, who made the winning ad with his 33-year-old brother, Joe.

We “beat the king of commercials,” says Herbert.

The two brothers now have fame, fortune and a decent shot at changing the way Super Bowl commercials — and maybe lots of others — are made in the future.

As if the $280 billion U.S. advertising industry doesn’t have enough problems in the struggling economy, now it’s got an even bigger problem: Amateurs are beating it at its own game.

“Regular people have great ideas. They took something simple and made it funny,” says Charles Boast, a 59-year old engineer from Alexandria, Va., an Ad Meter participant.

“Given the type of times we’re in, funny is in,” he says.

Anheuser-Busch executives were good sports, even though A-B was out A-B-ed this Super Bowl by two guys who stole from its playbook of low-brow slapstick ads. (Yes, the crystal ball in the Doritos ad also is heaved at a man’s crotch, albeit accidentally.)

“Tell them to do a recount,” said a jesting Bob Lachky, chief creative officer at Anheuser-Busch, upon learning A-B had been bested. But Lachky conceded that the winning Doritos ad was pretty funny.

“Congratulations to Doritos,” he said.

Folks who sat down to watch Sunday’s Super Bowl had an entirely different emotional frame of mind than just one year ago.

Since 2008′s Big Game, the economy has fallen near all-time lows, and a historic election and inauguration has taken place.

Even in a downtrodden economy, what delights Super Bowl viewers hasn’t changed at all. Folks simply want to laugh.

“People should laugh in times like these,” says George Banks, a Portland, Ore., resident.

Consumers participating in Ad Meter also laughed loud at the Bridgestone ad, which featured Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.

But they laughed hardest at the Doritos ad. And Doritos is thrilled.

“We were hoping for this. This is going to be the best million dollars we’ve spent at Frito-Lay,” says Ann Mukherjee, group vice president at Frito-Lay.

It will have an “ongoing relationship” with the brothers, she says. “They’re now part of the family.”

She says Frito-Lay hasn’t decided how it will present the check.

The contest had 1,900 entries, and five finalists were posted online — with the two top vote-getters airing during the game.

The budget-conscious brothers behind the winning ad had just five takes to get the ad right — since they had invested in only five panes of glass for the used vending machine they had bought.

They got the shot they wanted on the first take.

The brothers worked hard for Sunday night’s surprise win.

They met once a week for the last four to five years to talk about filmmaking and how they could make a break “in this tough business,” says Joe Herbert.

Two years ago, an ad they created made it to the top five finalists but didn’t air. “But we wanted to come back again,” says Dave Herbert.

They now plan to focus on filmmaking and on a board game, Triviathon, they invented that is coming out in July.

Even in a hobbled economy, about 28 advertisers bought a record $206 million dollars’ worth of commercial time. Even more astounding, they paid a record $3 million per 30-second slot — or $100,000 a second — for their moment of Super Bowl glory.

Nearly 100 million viewers nationally watched at least some part of the game and its 52 commercials.

The much-promoted pair of 3-D ads for SoBe and DreamWorks did not air during the game. They aired at halftime and, thus, were not counted in Ad Meter, which only rates ads between the opening and closing whistles of each half.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

Did you like the 3-D ads — or were they too much of a gimmick? How about the ‘amateur’ Doritos ads and Budweiser’s Clydesdale commercials — what’s your opinion of those ads? USA Today’s Ad Team wants to get your take on those TV spots, as well as other commercials that aired during Sunday’s Super Bowl. Post your comments below.

http://tinyurl.com/abnxvp

How TV’s most expensive commercials scored with USA TODAY’s Ad Meter focus groups:

10 most popular

Advertiser
Description
Sec.
Qtr.
Score

Doritos
Crystal ball sees free Doritos.
30
1st
8.46

Budweiser
Clydesdale’s romance with circus horse.
60
2nd
8.42

Budweiser
A Clydesdale can fetch.
30
2nd
8.26

Bridgestone
Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head take a drive.
30
2nd
7.83

Doritos
Superpowers of Doritos’ crunch.
30
2nd
7.79

Cars.com
Cocky overachiever needs help buying a car.
60
2nd
7.78

Pedigree
Dog is better pet than an ostrich or rhino.
30
2nd
7.71

Pepsi-Cola
Mix of Forever Young with old and new images of Bob Dylan and Will.i.am.
60
1st
7.65

Castrol
Grease monkeys and Castrol Edge keep car running smoothly.
30
2nd
7.56

Bud Light
Corporate bean counter proposes no Bud Light at meetings to cut budget.
30
1st
7.49

The rest

Coca-Cola
Bugs make off with a guy’s Coke.
60
3rd
7.48

Audi
Transporter actor Jason Statham in time travel chase in progressively better cars.
60
1st
7.44

CareerBuilder.com
When you know it’s time to get a new job.
60
3rd
7.37

Cheetos
Pigeons attack gabber on cell phone.
30
2nd
7.35

Budweiser
Tale of Clydesdale emigration from ancestral home in Scotland.
60
3rd
7.32

E-Trade
Babies discuss “brutal” economy and E-Trade.
30
2nd
7.27

Bridgestone
Space travelers visit Saturn.
30
3rd
7.27

Coke Zero
Steelers safety Troy Polamalu parodies classic Mean Joe Greene ad.
30
4th
7.27

Bud Light
Conan O’Brien agrees to do Bud Light ad thinking it will air only in Sweden.
30
1st
7.25

Pepsi Max
“I’m good,” say battered guys.
30
2nd
7.12

Monster.com
See wrong end of moose in old job.
30
3rd
6.95

GE
Clean wind energy.
30
4th
6.87

Sony
Movie: The Year One.
30
1st
6.79

Universal Studios
Movie: Land of the Lost.
30
2nd
6.78

Walt Disney Studios
Movie: Up (3-D film from Pixar).
30
2nd
6.74

Denny’s
Tweaks rival’s fancy pancakes, offers everyone free Grand Slam breakfast.
30
3rd
6.62

NFL
Saints’ Usama Young and dad talk about teen job as snow-cone vendor.
60
4th
6.60

GE
Scarecrow sings about smart electrical distribution grids.
30
4th
6.46

Walt Disney Studios
Movie: Race to Witch Mountain.
30
3rd
6.38

Taco Bell
Young guy is overeager for Taco Bell date.
30
4th
6.34

Hulu
Alec Baldwin: TV makes brain mush.
60
4th
6.29

Teleflora
Boxed flowers can insult your Valentine.
30
2nd
6.25

Bud Light
Two skiers compare smooth beer to smooth and not-so-smooth skiers.
30
2nd
6.20

Sony
Movie: Angels & Demons.
30
1st
6.14

Paramount
Movie: Star Trek.
30
2nd
6.14

Bud Light Lime
This beer creates summer in all seasons.
30
4th
6.09

Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes
Run-down field becomes lush playground. Tony the Tiger does cameo.
30
3rd
6.08

Paramount
Movie: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
30
3rd
5.93

Coca-Cola
Coke transforms monster avatar into a pretty girl.
30
3rd
5.71

H&R Block
Grim Reaper unhappy with accountant.
30
2nd
5.69

Universal Studios
Movie: Fast & Furious.
30
2nd
5.66

GoDaddy.com
Guys fantasize about shower scene.
30
2nd
5.62

Cash4Gold.com
Ed McMahon and MC Hammer trade gold mementoes for needed cash.
30
4th
5.58

Gatorade
Tiger Woods and others talk about G.
30
2nd
5.51

Pepsi-Cola
Saturday Night Live’s MacGruber changes name to PepSuber.

4th
5.48

GoDaddy.com
Danica Patrick says she “enhanced.”
30
4th
5.11

5 least popular

United Way/NFL
Promotes youth fitness program.
10
2nd
5.10

Hyundai
Rivals unhappy Genesis sedan named Car of the Year.
30
2nd
4.98

Toyota
Diversity of new Venza’s appeal.
30
1st
4.89

Hyundai
Assurance program lets buyers return car without credit penalty if they lose job.
30
4th
4.68

Vizio
Flat-panel TVs.
30
4th
3.77

http://www.zagstudios.com/Scoring_the_2009_Superbowl_ads_.html

Superbowl commercials as bad as the economy.

by Kim Freeman, Freelance Copywriter with special thanks to superbowl-ads.com

Is there something about a lousy economy that makes advertisers go to nostalgia and slapstick? It seems those were the two popular routes taken this year, and in most cases, neither worked very well.

Bud Light in particular was very disappointing after so many great spots in the past. The spot where an office worker was thrown out a window for suggesting no more beer at meetings should have been shot down in the first agency presentation and the whole “Drinkability” approach is a non starter. One has to wonder if this is the alternative to the “non-drinkable” regular Budweiser.

Likewise, the Bud Light “Party starter” spot with Conan was pretty embarrassing, as was the skiing spot. Making skiers wreck with fake trees was another example of bad, undrinkable slapstick.

Of all the Bud spots, only the Budweiser Clydesdale playing fetch with a tree branch stood out. it was simple and enjoyable.

Usually, the Budweiser Clydesdale ads are beautiful, understated spots, but this year, they went overboard on the nostalgia with the “great Grandpa” Generations spot. And why would a third generation Clydesdale have an accent? Is Budweiser trying to seem like an import?

Other than the “golden morning light” in one shot, this one didn’t have the look of the classic Budweiser spots. In the “Daisy” ad, Budweiser is pushing too far away from the majesty of the Clydesdales and trying for kitschy comedy with cheesy music. Please, leave these icons with a little of the dignity they deserve.

Pepsi went for total all-out slapstick, stopping just short of Jackass. But it worked. Apparently men will endure all kinds of pain except for diet soda. The “true” part of this came from the comedy of always answering, “I’m good” no matter how bad the pain.

More slapstick showed up in the Doritos ads: the first with a guy getting smashed in the nads with a crystal ball, and then the guy who discovers the magic of the Doritos crunch runs out when the bag is empty gets hit by a bus. Good editing make this surprise ending work.

With a game so close going all the way to the end, a few advertisers may have wished they’d run spots later in the game. In the 4th quarter, there was a newcomer to the Super Bowl: Denny’s.

In a bid against against IHOP’s Rooty-Tooty-smiley pancake breakfast, the first Denny’s spot has thugs meeting for breakfast planning something sinister interrupted by noisy and profuse whip cream application. Quite funny. The best part was the tagline offer of a free Grand Slam breakfast on Tuesday. Really. Free. Not the usual, crappy, “Buy-one-get-one-for-half-price.” When’s the last time we got a totally free offer on national TV?

There were a lot of network ads this year and local spots, too. NBC in-house did a good job—if not better—than most of the agencies this year. The LMAO Clinic spot was especially outstanding.

Although Alec Baldwin as evil alien in the Hulu ad was really an NBC ad (and who else could afford a :60 during the Superbowl?) it was the one of the standouts of the evening. “An evil plot to destroy the world.. Enjoy.”

Alec Baldwin as evil alien out to destroy the world in Hulu ad

Perhaps the next closest thing to slapstick is butt humor, and Monster pulled off a comedy with a sad-sack, “need a new job” back office lackey perched under a giant Moose Butt.

Who the hell approved that?
On the “Huh?” end of the spectrum, we have the SOBE ads. What a mess. And disturbing, even with 3D glasses. No amount of gimmick and special effects can save a weak concept. This was basically a creepy, chaotic mess that didn’t make sense and will most likely scare away anyone who was considering the lizard beverage.

Career Builder was also a disappointment after several years of standouts. Note to agency creatives: don’t punch animals in your spots. The repetition made something that started out a funny “we understand” ad into a huge messy annoyance. It might even go on to spawn a new term to describe a potentially good ad gone bad: “Dude, you punched the Koala.”

Also on the “Who the hell approved that?” list was the mean Teleflora ad. Teleflora thinks it’s funny to slam their own customers? “Go home to your romance novels and your fat smelly cat,” the flowers say. They also told her nobody wants to see her naked. Awful. Cruel. And memorable enough to never use the service. This is a prime example only of how negative ads can sometimes backfire.

Another head-scratcher and bad use of the rhetorical question was the Toyota Venza ad. “Influenced by many. Defined by none.” At the end they ask, “Are you Venza?” Why would anyone answer with anything other than “No?

Most of the Super Bowl ads were just trying too hard. It might have been wiser to produce fewer over-the-top special effect monstrosities and more sensible, low-budget ads. Based on the class of 2009, perhaps the most telling indicator about our economy was that Cash4Gold dropped $3M on an ad–and with gold at $900/ounce this week, they just may get the biggest return on their investment.

http://tinyurl.com/blqews

By Allison Linn
Senior writer
msnbc.com
updated 4:15 p.m. ET, Mon., Feb. 2, 2009

With the economy in the doldrums and the nation’s future uncertain, it’s nice to know that some things never change.

Among them: Super Bowl advertisers continue to rely on hot women, violent gags and sophomoric humor to sell their wares.

While this year’s batch of Super Bowl ads offered a lot of the predictable fodder, there were some bright spots. Here’s a look at Ads of the Weird’s take on the best and the worst of this year’s Super Bowl spots.

What we liked

Cars.com
David Abernathy starts life by congratulating the doctor on a perfect delivery, and thus begins a journey of overachievement and general excellence. And yet, even a man who can perform open heart surgery in an opera house with a ballpoint pen loses his confidence when he is faced with that scariest of prospects: the car salesman.

But alas, thanks to cars.com, he’s able to regain his sense of self-worth, and walk away with the vehicle he wants.

The commercial for cars.com was engrossing and witty enough to keep people’s attention, and also used a theme that would actually resonate with car buyers — the fact that, no matter what you’ve done in life, it is still intimidating to try to deal with a car dealer.

Audi
In Audi’s Super Bowl spot, action star Jason Statham travels through time as he tries to make a getaway, first in a 1970s-era Mercedes, next in a 1980s-era BMW and, finally, in a sleek and modern Audi.

The action-packed, entertaining ad shows a pitch-perfect attention to detail, from the washed out look of the 1970s sequence to the box-like cell phone in the 1980s bit to the star’s sigh when faced with a Lexus in the 1990s.

Perhaps most of us aren’t thinking of an Audi purchase in this economy, but we still liked the escapism.

Pepsi
Pepsi also chose to travel through time and space for an uplifting ad juxtaposing a previous generation with the current one, to the tune of Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young” (reinterpreted in part by will.i.am).

The other clever juxtapositions in the ad including a soldier’s homecoming in times gone by versus today, Jack Black versus John Belushi and even Gumby versus Shrek.

Sure, it was a bit hokey, but we still think the message — “Every generation refreshes the world” — is something people could stand to hear about now.

What we didn’t like

Teleflora
We’ve always thought that sending flowers was a pretty classy thing to do, so it was surprising that a flower delivery service offered the least classy commercial of the Super Bowl.

In the ad for Teleflora, a woman is chatting with her office mates when a box of flowers arrives. She opens the package happily, only to have one of the flowers start berating her.

“Oh, no, look at the mug on you, Diane, you’re a train wreck, that’s why he only sent a box of flowers. Go home to your romance novels and your fat, smelly cat,” the flower says.

And then, as if that’s not enough of a verbal lashing, “No one wants to see you naked.”

We get the implication: That a box of flowers “says” something cheaper than a vase delivered by Teleflora. But instead of coming off as the more upscale alternative, Teleflora came off sounding petty and mean. Really, really mean.

Doritos
A man takes a bite of Doritos, a woman’s dress comes off. He takes another bite, cash comes flying out of an ATM machine. A third bite, and a police officer is turned into a monkey. Then he runs out of these magical Doritos and gets hit by a bus.

Far from offering us anything original, this ad struck us as essentially being the greatest hits of lame advertising gags: you’ve got your accidentally naked woman, your promise of unearned riches, your snubbing of authority and, finally, your violent act played for humor.

Pepsi Max
After striking the right tone with an original ad for its overall brand, Pepsi reverted to the land of the stereotypes for an ad promoting its new Pepsi Max.

The ad shows men in a series of violent accidents, including a golf club to the head, a bowling ball dropped on the head and that old favorite, getting hit on the head while sticking one’s head out of a limousine.

After every encounter, the man bravely tells his pals, “I’m good.”

A voice then intones, “Men can take anything, except the taste of diet cola. Until now. Pepsi Max, the first diet cola for men.”

The random acts of violence thing is not only unoriginal, it’s also never really that funny. On a broader level, the ad also begs the question of why the company created Pepsi Max in the first place.

The commercial basically implies that drinking any other diet soda isn’t manly, which seems like kind of a risky move if you want men to keep buying any of your other many diet products. And how exactly is Pepsi Max going to be a more manly diet soda anyway? Is it made with testosterone or something?

http://tinyurl.com/yzodbyo

Feb. 2, 2009
BY JULIE HINDS

FREE PRESS POP CULTURE WRITER

For a country that needs some economic stimulus, the 2009 Super Bowl did its best. The commercials weren’t the best ever, but they tried to be as big and bold as those from better times. There were romantic Clydesdales, soda-stealing bugs and a hilarious cameo by the rear end of a moose. The laughs mostly outweighed the winces. And if the ads could make you smile during this financial crisis, there’s hope for us all. The halftime show was even more optimistic as Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band set off musical fireworks (accompanied by real ones) that were soul-stirring enough to make everyone believe we can get back to our glory days. And did we mention the game was exciting?

Most likely to spark a speed-dating trend. If you like gentle humor more than the vicious approach, you had to appreciate Taco Bell’s soft sell, where an eager young man went in the blink of an eye from getting a girl’s phone number to taking her to Taco Bell to meet his parents.

Least sentimental remake. The Coke Zero update of the classic Mean Joe Greene ad from the 1980 Super Bowl had Steeler Troy Polamalu tackling a brand manager for regular Coke and ripping off the white-collar flunky’s shirt before he tossed it to a kid. It’s the drink for a snarky generation.

Best/worst Conan appearances. Some celebrities turned out to tout Conan O’Brien’s move to “Tonight,” including Tina Fey, who said, “If your Conan lasts more than three hours, call a doctor.” But Conan could have skipped the Bud Light spot, where he crawled around on a fur rug while wearing a mesh vest. He’s funnier in late night.

Best chance at making iPod playlists. The “Forever Young” Pepsi ad with youthful Bob Dylan footage and Will.i.am’s update was a nice pairing. Hip is hip in any millennium.

Funniest portrayal of workplace despair. Kudos to Monster.com for showing two adjoining offices: one with a moose head on the wall and one where, well, the other half of the moose stuck out over the desk of a clearly miserable worker. And you thought you couldn’t laugh at your employment situation.

Best sound effect. Thanks, Denny’s, for offering a free Grand Slam breakfast on Tuesday. We’ll probably still be chuckling then about those mob guys trying to make their plans while a waitress squirts a noisy whipped-cream can and draws smiley faces on their pancakes.

Grossest portrayal of workplace despair. CareerBuilder.com’s reasons to find a new job were amusing, except for the one about the hairy, underwear-wearing, toe-scratching guy in the cubicle. Too much information — and it might be enough reason for the company to find a new ad agency.

Most noteworthy signs of the times. How could you tell this is 2009? By the spot for the Hyundai program that lets consumers return their cars if they lose their jobs. And by the fact that there was a Cash4Gold.com ad starring Ed McMahon and MC Hammer.

Most creative visuals. The acrobatic animated insects who absconded with a Coca-Cola bottle were a virtual ballet of bugs. Talk about green energy.

Most valuable player. Move over, Prince and Tom Petty. Bruce Springsteen joins the list of performers whose halftime shows have lived up to the hype. From the moment he asked viewers to step away from the guacamole dip and put down the chicken fingers, the Boss had America in the palm of his hand with a set that included “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” “Born to Run,” and “Glory Days.” Hot on the heels of his performance at the Lincoln Memorial, Springsteen again demonstrated why he’s the go-to guy for rockin’ national unity.

Best special effect. Sure, the 3-D “Monsters vs. Aliens” and SoBe plugs got attention, but they couldn’t hold a candle to watching the 59-year-old Springsteen show off his flexibility by sliding on his knees and crashing into an onstage camera. Now that would have been fun to see with 3-D glasses.

Best one second. “High Life!” Enough said.

Nastiest approach. Teleflora slammed boxed flowers with a spot where some buds in a cardboard container insulted the young woman who received them. “Go home to your romance novels and your fat, smelly cat,” the snarky blooms said. They also told her nobody wants to see her naked. Yikes, every rose ad has its thorn.

Most noticeable omission. In the Hyundai Genesis spot where Japanese and German rivals were shown railing furiously at the sedan being named Car of the Year, there were no American automakers joining in the histrionics. Well, at least the Detroit Three weren’t portrayed behaving badly.

Best horsing around. Watching the Clydesdales is sometimes like seeing your great-uncle tell a family joke for the umpteenth time. But the familiar animals scored for Budweiser in several segments, including a romance-drenched frolic where a Clydesdale raced across the country — and jumped a small canyon — to reach his circus-horse love, all to the tune of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Best excuse to bring in Alec Baldwin. Smart move by Hulu.com, having the “30 Rock” star reveal his evil plot to turn our brains to mush through online TV viewing — because he’s an alien (or, at the very least, he’s out-of-this-world amusing).

Best argument that monkeys aren’t always hilarious. As much as we love a capitalist chimp, the Castrol Edge bit where a man watches grease monkeys take care of his car while he wears an air filter crown (because they’ve made him their king) probably won’t go down in the great ape ad annals.

Most sexist. The sleazy GoDaddy.com spots were so desperate to be controversial, they’re hardly worth mentioning. But it was disappointing to see the Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head ad for Bridgestone, where the spud husband is secretly happy when his annoying wife’s mouth falls off. Is it possible to be a male chauvinist starch?

Most forgettable bruisings. Several guys took an impossible battering for Pepsi Max, yet popped up to yell, “I’m good.” Another guy crashed into imaginary trees while skiing to demonstrate Bud Light’s drinkability. Well, maybe in an age of real economic pain, fake pain isn’t so funny.

Worst use of a speeding car. A predictable Toyota ad in the first quarter offered nothing but the fast-moving vehicle. “Are you Venza?” it asked. Not unless they come up with a zippier pitch.

Best use of a speeding car. Jay Leno zipped around wordlessly in a convertible in the short, snappy teaser for his future NBC prime-time show.

Most shattering ads. The broken glass flew in three early commercials: a Bud Light spot where an office worker was thrown out a window for suggesting no beer at meetings as a cost-cutting measure; an action-packed Audi spot with actor Jason Statham, and a Doritos ad where another white-collar dude hurled his crystal ball snow globe at a vending machine to make a free-snacks prediction come true. Um, in this economy, who’s going to pay for the repairs?

Biggest grab-the-handkerchief moment. A nervous but composed Jennifer Hudson making her first big appearance since the slaying of her family members turned her soaring version of the National Anthem into an emotional highlight of the evening.

Best fashion foresight. During her performance of “America the Beautiful” before the kickoff, the impeccable Faith Hall’s eye shadow was perfectly coordinated to go with the robes of the choir that surrounded her.

Most unexpected airtime for a celeb mag. Who knew Matt Lauer would hold up a copy of Us Weekly during his live pregame chat with President Barack Obama and tease the leader of the free world about being left out of the cover photo of Michelle and the girls? Or that Obama, referring to another major story on the cover, would note Jessica Simpson is “in a weight battle, apparently” — officially making him the most pop-culture-aware prez ever.

Most unexpected airtime for Lauer. The NBC “Today” host got more face time during the game. In a preview for the upcoming “Land of the Lost” movie, Will Ferrell’s character was interviewed by a skeptical Lauer about time travel. Then, as Ferrell was rubbing shoulders with way-back creatures, he yelled, “Matt Lauer can eat it!.”

Most shocking product placement. Did you notice Pepsi’s use of “MacGruber,” the “MacGyver”-like skit that usually runs on “Saturday Night Live”? The ad debuted Saturday night during the 90-minute “SNL” block, when a series of “MacGruber” skits made references to the soft drink and MacGruber changed his name to Pepsuber. SNL fans probably will be appalled.

Contact JULIE HINDS at 313-222-6427 or hinds@freepress.com.

http://tinyurl.com/yfvdz68

U.S. tire maker Bridgestone’s Potatoheads commercial was voted the favorite product pitch aired during the Super Bowl Sunday in the ninth annual ADBOWL.

The ad, featuring Potatohead toys driving a car equipped with Bridgestone tires, was the first non-beer commercial to grab the top spot in six years, said Steve McKee, president of the media services firm McKee Wallwork Cleveland and founder of ADBOWL.

Bridgestone also took second place with its “Hot Item” ad, which showed astronauts tooling around another planet in a rover sporting the company’s tires only to have them stolen.

No. 3 was Coca-Cola’s “Heist,” which had insects spiriting away a bottle of Coke from a picnic site while the human owner sleeps.

Anheuser-Busch’s “Clydesdale Fetch,” depicting one of the beer company’s trademark horses retrieving a huge stick, was No. 4 and fifth was Doritos’ “Crystal Ball,” in which throwing a glass ball into a vending machine for free snacks worked well but throwing one at the boss to get a promotion, not so much.

The next five were a Pepsi ad showing men getting knocked silly, a Pedigree spot for pet adoption, a Monster.com ad about bad jobs, another Doritos ad about super crunchy chips and a Budweiser pitch for its light beer.

The rankings were determined by viewers voting at www.ADBOWL.com. Vote totals were not provided.

McKee said he thinks the nearly quarter billion dollars the companies forked out advertising during the big game was money well-spent

“Despite their seemingly expensive price tag, the ads reach their target audiences for just pennies per household,” he said. “That’s a great buy in any economic climate.”

http://tinyurl.com/yap9jyr

Denny’s, Pedigree, E*Trade and job sites score

Free stuff. And public service. That’s what I think viewers are looking for in this Super Bowl of our economic discontent.

First-time advertiser Denny’s is all over the free stuff: the restaurant chain offers up a spot with a mafia motif in which the joke is so clever that it makes up for using a moldy 2006-era Sopranos-style theme. Some wiseguys are having breakfast at another pancake chain, and the sound of the whip cream coming out of the can to decorate (or decimate) the innocent flapjacks with happy smiley faces makes it impossible for them to hear.

It’s a beautifully produced scene, but the next cut is what will get Americans cheering: an offer of a gratis Grand Slam Breakfast on Tuesday.

Free food trumps a good joke, but this spot offers both.

Pedigree is another first-timer, and its spot offers up a twist. This ad for dog food never shows a single hound. It examines a world without dogs, in which hogs and other under-domesticated beasts are used as pets. The visuals call to mind Roomba commercials, but those unfortunately linked the unlikely household animals with husbands.

Pedigree’s payoff is that the spot promotes doggie adoption. Who could be against that? Plus, it’s not like it pulls on our heartstrings by showing skinny big-eyed dogs plaintively staring at us from cages.

It’s unexpected and civic minded — with a bigger idea than where our next bowl of kibble is coming from.

In this economy, it makes sense that both Monster.com and CareerBuilder are spending the big bucks.

Monster surprised me with a really strong spot. It opens with opera music and a shot of a lavishly appointed office — the kind of place Mussolini might have run the trains from. The camera pans across the room until we get a behind-the-scenes view of a guy sitting under a giant ass — the back end of a moose whose head is hung on the wall above a mahogany desk in the next room. It might make people who are jobless laugh and realize that their present condition could be worse.

Similarly, CareerBuilder leaves the chimps for a spot that plays on knowing when you really hate your job.

Although both sites no doubt advertise lots of jobs of dubious quality, both spots get us to think about but what we would do in the world of work if we had our druthers, and that’s gotta be an idea that resonates.

What does it say about our times when advertisers like Cash4Gold and Denny’s outdo Budweiser on the Super Bowl?

Like house and car loans, the industry is upside down. Having Doritos’ civilian filmmakers win the USA Today poll for most-popular Super Bowl spot proves it.

“Step back from guacamole and put the chicken fingers down,” the Boss instructed us during his halftime show. And we were happy to follow.

The Super Bowl is an artificial holiday, the kind of free entertainment that means more in a bad economy. Luckily, the game was actually thrilling; it was the gift that kept on giving. And the ads that resonated weren’t violent or slapstick. They were more like comfort food for thought.

“Refresh Anthem,” the Pepsi spot that used Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young” redone by Will.i.am, felt right for the post-inaugural moment. Dylan is an exceedingly verbal troubadour. As such, he might have been the first rapper of the folk world, so it was smart to link him with Will.i.am. Plus, the clever spot was perfectly executed.

I liked both of the Coke spots. The animation was exquisite and the message was the “real thing” in terms of the brand’s history. Even so, neither hit the majestic heights of last year’s commercial that focused on a Macy’s balloon.

Pepsi seemed to exchange places with Budweiser this year — right down to its Sybil-like complement of IDs. We got violent slapstick spots for Pepsi Max … and then there was PepSuber. I liked how they knowingly sold out the SNL skit and kept making fun of it. Meanwhile, those three syllables — Pep, Su, Ber — nest in your brain and never leave.

Speaking of gelatinizing brains, the Hulu spot with Alec Baldwin was spot-on. In terms of making fun of his own bloated persona, he’s heading squarely into Shatner territory. And the spot was inspired.

E*Trade’s “talking babies” were show-stoppers. You have to love that one infant who tells the other to stop singing “Love lift us up where we belong” because it’s “not the venue.” Great dialogue and mouth matching.

Let’s get to the bad spots. Teleflora was so awful that it exploded the space/time continuum. Speaking of coffins, H&R Block seemed to build itself a nice one by using the Grim Reaper, voiced by Abe Vigoda. What were they thinking?

Then there’s Doritos, No. 1 on the USA Today Admeter poll with a spot that not only encourages theft, butt ends with a poor old codger getting hit in the nuts. What a way to sell a salty snack!

The brand also scored at No.5 for a similarly miserable spot featuring an unclothed woman and fake flying banknotes.

I can only imagine that those polled have been programmed over the years to respond to crotch jokes. And when they saw the cavalcade of violent and stupid clichés in both spots (including getting hit by a bus, ha ha!), their hand-held meters forced their votes.

I would rank Doritos with GoDaddy, which forced one of my fellow Super Bowl Twitterers to respond, “I Want My Mommy!”

And that’s the way it is, in this era of ads as comfort food.

http://tinyurl.com/yh8p3zk

- Top Five 2009 Ads Score Lower than Top Five 2008 Ads -

FLEMINGTON, N.J., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ — Results of a national study conducted among Super Bowl viewers last night revealed that the Budweiser Horse Circus ad was selected as the number one ad of Super Bowl XLIII. To view the rankings for all of this year’s Super Bowl ads go to: www.mediacurves.com

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071204/NYTU133LOGO )

The study was conducted by HCD Research using its Media Curves web site, during February 1-2, among a nationally representative sample of Americans over the age of 18.

In addition to the winning ad of Super Bowl XLIII, HCD Research announced the winning ads in the following categories:

Advertainment
Movie Trailers
Network Spots
Other (public service, call-to-action, etc.)

“This year we compared our Super Bowl ad testing scores against the scores from last year,” said Glenn Kessler, president and CEO, HCD Research. “Our study revealed that the top five ads this year scored statistically lower than the top five ads from last year, which may indicate a change in viewers’ attitudes as a result of the current economic situation.”

Ad Testing Methodology

During the game, the Super Bowl ads were inserted into a web survey and sent to a national representative sample of more than 2,000 participants. Responders answered questions regarding their perceptions of the ads using various parameters, including breakthrough, emotion, memorability and involvement. They also utilized an automated response system to indicate their level of interest in quarter-second intervals as they watch an ad.

The interest levels were analyzed in the form of curves to determine which commercials had the highest sustained levels of interest. The curves were used as part of a metric to calculate and rank the advertisements. The metric was also included with a measurement for emotions and an index for “word of mouth” impact of the ads.

HCD Research is a communications research company headquartered in Flemington, NJ. The company’s services include traditional and web-based marketing and communications research. For additional information on HCD Research, access the company’s web site at www.hcdi.net or call HCD Research at 908-788-9393.

Website: http://www.hcdi.net/

http://tinyurl.com/ba48nx

By Peter Hartlaub
msnbc.com contributor

Nothing makes the economy appear sound like scores of corporations lining up to spend $3 million for a 30-second advertisement that may or may not help their company. Even after a year filled with government bailouts, Bernie Madoff and $4-plus gas, there’s still plenty of money for Super Bowl commercials.

But will this year’s advertisements be any good? Too often, today’s Don Drapers fail to look at what has worked in the past — mostly simple spots that involve animals, potty humor, violence, celebrities, sentimentality, a stupid catchphrase or some combination of the above.

Below are our choices for the 10 best Super Bowl ads of all time. The picks were heavily influenced by commenters on the MSNBC message boards, who discussed their favorite commercials and voted on the subject two years ago. We also considered the economic impact of the ads, which mostly consisted of disqualifying failed dot-com companies.

10. Master Lock — “Shot Lock” (1974)
One of the first high-profile Super Bowl ads featured little more than a bullet, a padlock and the following words: “On December 5th, 1973, at a rifle range outside of Los Angeles, a high-powered .30-caliber rifle was fired at a distance of 40 yards, to try to open this Master padlock. …” The results were definitely more entertaining than Super Bowl VIII (Miami 24, Minnesota 7).

File under: Violence.

Economic stimulus: Master Lock enjoyed record growth in the 1970s and is still an industry leader in the 21st century. It doesn’t hurt that Discovery Channel’s “Mythbusters” recently shot a bullet through a Master Lock and got the same result.

9. Coke — “Parade Balloons” (2008)
Just when we were convinced that memorable advertisements are a thing of the past, Coca-Cola unveiled this gem near the end of last year’s Super Bowl. Parade balloon versions of Underdog and Stewie from “Family Guy” fight for an inflatable Coke bottle over the New York skyline, but are thwarted when a Charlie Brown balloon shows up and steals the drink.

File under: Sentimentality; celebrities.

Economic stimulus: “Family Guy” was mired in a writer’s strike, the “Underdog” movie was a box office disappointment and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade got Rickrolled later that year. Was this commercial cursed?

8. Budweiser — “Sleigh Ride” (2004)
Borrowing heavily from a popular “Seinfeld” episode, a flatulent hansom cab horse turns a candle into a flamethrower and torches a guy’s date. (He escapes the danger because he reaches for a Bud Light.) We learned a valuable lesson after putting this on a “10 worst” list a couple of years ago: There are many, many Americans willing to go to war in defense of a good fart joke.

File under: Potty humor; violence; animals.

Economic stimulus: A gassy horse and third-degree burns didn’t appear to make anyone switch to Coors. Anheuser-Busch will have seven commercial spots in this year’s Super Bowl.

7. E*Trade — “Money out the Wazoo” (2000)
Most of the dot-com ads were terrible, but E*Trade had two classics in 2000. In this one, a man is rushed into an emergency room and is quickly diagnosed with “money coming out of the wazoo.” Several good one-liners followed. (“Does your husband have insurance?” … “Insurance? He’s got money coming out of the wazoo!”)

File under: Potty humor; violence.

Economic stimulus: E*Trade has had its ups and downs, but its mere survival puts it ahead of most of the dot-com companies that advertised in this era. “E.R.,” the television show that this ad appears to spoof, is currently in its 132nd season.

6. McDonald’s — “The Showdown” (1993)
Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, two of the most recognizable and popular athletes in the world, engage in an increasingly logic-defying shooting contest for a Big Mac. (“Over the second rafter, off the floor, nothing but net.”) The commercial ends with the players throwing a ball off the John Hancock Tower in Chicago.

Economic stimulus: Larry Bird’s visible back hair in this ad didn’t seem to hurt sales. The 650-calorie sandwich continues to be a staple, and McDonald’s is posting solid numbers even in a rough economy.

5. Budweiser — “Frogs” (1995)
With the Bud Bowl and its anthropomorphic bottles and cans becoming increasingly intolerable, Anheuser-Busch needed a new gimmick. The best idea advertisers could come up with: Three frogs sitting on a log and croaking the words “buuuud,” “wiiiise” and “errrr.” Americans predictably loved this ad, which included lizard and ferret-themed spin offs.

File under: Animals; catchphrase.

Economic stimulus: Anheuser-Busch didn’t just sell a lot of beer in the 1990s. For the next several years the company also sold the frogs on T-shirts, beer steins, key chains, neon pub lights and a motion sensor-activated frog lamp that repeated the catchphrase when anyone walks by. (It’s currently going for $500 on EBay.)

4. Apple — “1984” (1984)
An Orwellian scene of lockstep fascism is broken up by a woman in red Dolphin shorts, who hurls a sledgehammer through a theater screen. Then we see this text: “On January 24th, Apple will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like ’1984.’”

File under: Violence.

Economic stimulus: The Macintosh didn’t quite change the world as we know it — we’re typing on a PC, and bet you’re reading this on one — but Apple has managed to stick around and make a few bucks. While the original Macintosh is likely gone for good, Dolphin shorts have made a comeback.

3. Reebok — “Terry Tate Office Linebacker” (2003)
Workers at a fictitious corporation who breach office etiquette receive bone-crunching tackles from Terry Tate, a Reebok sneaker-wearing linebacker who barks observations like “Break was over 15 minutes ago, Mitch!”

File under: Violence.

Economic stimulus: The nation’s jobless rate may be rising, but Terry Tate actor Lester Speight has plenty of work, including video game voiceovers and a guest spot on TV’s “Prison Break.” Rawson Marshall Thurber, who came up with the Reebok spot, now directs feature films.

2. Budweiser — “Respect” (2002)
The Budweiser Clydesdales, easily the most recognizable icon in Super Bowl ads, walk across a snowy field and the Brooklyn Bridge before taking one knee in front of the New York skyline where the World Trade Center towers used to be. Budweiser followed this theme three years later with its “Heroes” ad, featuring people at an airport applauding returning soldiers.

File under: Sentimentality.

Economic stimulus: Don’t be so cynical. It’s not always about the money.

1. Coke — “Mean Joe Greene” (1979)
Apple spent more money and the frogs were cuter, but there’s no beating Mean Joe Greene (even though this advertisement technically debuted just before the Super Bowl). Greene meets a kid in a stadium tunnel after the game. The kid offers Greene a Coke, and the player smiles and gives him a jersey. You’re crying just thinking about it, right?

Economic stimulus: This advertisement became an economy in itself. Remakes were made in other countries with different athletes, including one in Argentina with soccer player Diego Maradona. There was even a 1981 movie based on the commercial called “The Steeler and the Pittsburgh Kid.”

Honorable mention: FedEx “Cast Away” (2003); Pepsi “Diner” (1995); EDS “Herding Cats” (2000); Tabasco “Mosquito” (1998); Budweiser “Heroes” (2005); Monster.com “When I Grow Up” (1999).