On February 1, 2015, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots met in Glendale, Arizona to mutually swap permanent brain damage. And to the dismay of many Americans (including myself), the Patriots took home the Lombardi Trophy. Isn’t that exciting? Yay, sports.
On the upside, an average of 114.4 million people were watching the game, setting a new record for the most-watched program in American television history. And what program, do you think, was the previous record holder?
You guessed it: Super Bowl 48.
The largest brands in the world burn through obscene amounts of money every year for the chance to get themselves in front this massive audience. So, who spent their $4.5 million per 30 seconds of airtime the wisest? Find out by reading my list of the top five ads of Super Bowl 49.
5. “When Pigs Fly” — Doritos
Doritos has managed to keep their advertising wild and fresh ever since they started the “Crash the Super Bowl” contest/campaign in 2006. Today, “Crash the Super Bowl” is the largest online video contest in the world.
This spot took second in Doritos’ video contest, but it resonated more with me. It makes you laugh and puts a spotlight on the smart kid, which doesn’t happen nearly enough in advertising.
4. “Lost Dog” — Budweiser
Puppy gets lost. Horses save puppy from big, scary wolf. How can you go wrong?
3. “Boston Tea Party” — TurboTax
This may be the most underrated ad of the Super Bowl. It aired right after kickoff, right away in the first quarter. So perhaps that’s why people haven’t been talking about it nearly as much as other spots.
But, it’s done by Wieden+Kennedy, the agency behind legendary spots such as “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” for Old Spice, and Nike’s tagline “Just Do It.” Basically, they know what they’re doing.
“Boston Tea Party” features a story with an ironic twist on the historic protest. Not only was it really entertaining, but I learned I can file my taxes with TurboTax for free.
Like, free-free? Well, all right, then.
2. “Newfangled Idea” — BMW
In a stroke of genius, Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners (KBS+) used a clip of the Today Show from 1994 where Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel attempt to make sense of an internet address. Simple things we use every day such as the “@” sign and “.com” were totally foreign to them. When the scene jumps to present day, Katy and Bryant are having the same discussion, but this time, it’s about BMW’s new carbon-fiber electric car, the i3.
Well played.
1. “Like A Girl” — Always
Advertising doesn’t always get the opportunity to influence positive change in society. In this case, Always challenged us to rethink what “like a girl” really means, and why it ever became an insult. Then, they teach us what “like a girl” should actually mean by asking young girls what they think it means to do things “like a girl.” The results were profound.
Leo Burnett’s offices in Chicago, London and Toronto pooled together their collective brainpower to create this piece. They did not disappoint, and “Like A Girl” certainly gets my vote for the best ad of Super Bowl 49.
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