BLOGGING THE 2007 SUPER BOWL ADS

Welcome to SuperAdFreak, where the post-mortem of Super Bowl XLI’s advertising continues. We had a nice cadre of guest bloggers who posted their thoughts during and after the game. Check out their reviews below, cross-referenced by commercial (with streaming video) and by individual writer, and leave your thoughts in the comments sections.

—Posted by Tim Nudd 




• American Heart Association: “Gotta Have Heart”
• Blockbuster: “Mouse”
• Bud Light: “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” “Auctioneer Wedding,” “Language Course with Carlos Mencia,” “Slapping,” “What Would Carlos Do?,” “Gorillas,” “Hitchhiker”
• Budweiser: “Fake Dalmatian,” “Beer-Stealing Crabs,” “Jay-Z”
• CareerBuilder: “Office Jungle,” “Office Jungle Fight,” “Torture”
• CBS promo: “Dave and Oprah”
• Coca-Cola: “Grand Theft Auto,” “History,” “What Else Haven’t I Done?,” “Happiness Factory”
• Doritos: “Crash the Super Bowl,” “Checkout Girl”
• Emerald Nuts: “Robert Goulet”
• E*Trade: “Bank Robbery,” “One Finger”
• FedEx: “Office on the Moon,” “Don’t Judge”
• Flomax: “Here’s to Men”
• Garmin: “Ultraman”
• GM/Chevrolet: “Everybody Loves a Chevy,” “Car Wash Dudes,” “Robot,” “Chevy is America’s Favorite”
• GoDaddy.com: “Marketing”
• Nationwide: “K-Fed Rollin’ VIP”
• SalesGenie.com: “Free Leads”
• Sierra Mist: “Beard Comb Over,” “Karate Class”
• Snickers: “Kiss”
• Sprint: “Connectile Dysfunction”
• Taco Bell: “Lions”

• Tim Arnold, Dragonfly
• Andy Berlin, Voluntary United Group of Creative Agencies
• Marc Berman, Mediaweek
• Rick Boyko, VCU Adcenter
• Jim Ferguson, TM Advertising
• Seth Godin, author and entrepreneur
• Jeff Goodby, co-chairman of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
• Joseph Jaffe, crayon
• Richard Kirshenbaum, Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners
• Gary Koepke, Modernista!
• Barbara Lippert, Adweek
• David Lubars, BBDO
• Jason Marks, Heavy.com
• Tom Messner, Euro RSCG
• Bob Parsons, founder and CEO of GoDaddy.com
• Marian Salzman, JWT
• Matt Seiler, president of PHD
• Len Short, ex-Charles Schwab and AOL
• Catharine P. Taylor, AdFreak
• Stephen Voltz & Fritz Grobe, Eepybird
• Chris Wall, Ogilvy & Mather
• Mark Wnek, Lowe

Published on February 5, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (15)

NATIONWIDE: K-Fed Rollin’ VIP

JEFF GOODBY: After hearing how bad the K-Fed thing was going to be, I found myself liking it, actually. I feel for the guy, being Mr. Spears and all that, and this was a way to deal with it.

JIM FERGUSON: Favorite line from a commercial: I was part of the creative team that did the Federline spot, or I would says, “Federline, fries.” Oh, hell, I’ll say it anyway. Favorite line: “Federline, fries.”

BARBARA LIPPERT: I resent the Nationwide spot because it actually shows that Kevin Federline has a modicum of talent and the ability to make fun of himself. Am I supposed to actually like him now?

RICHARD KIRSHENBAUM: My cashmere hat is off to Nationwide and Kevin Federline...He looked great, The commercial was executed beautifully and he wasn’t a half bad rapper or actor. Not to mention that HE was on the Superbowl--- Hello, what BOWL was Brittney on? Porcelain?

JASON MARKS: K-Fed sorta rocked it. He looked natural in the cliché rap environments and just as natural as a fry cook. The problem is when it jumps to the CG piggy bank, it is such a break in mood and visual style that it felt like a new commercial started. They should have figured out a way to brand within context.

TIM ARNOLD: First of all, what’s up with the grumpy old National Restaurant Association? They said this spot is a “strong and direct insult to the 12.8 million Americans who work in the restaurant industry?” And this dude is ... just ... daydreaming, OTJ. Like, that’s news? Like, everyone one of us doesn’t drift off into a little fantasy what if during an otherwise scintillating 9 to 5 gig? If we didn’t we’d be like, well, K-F, in real life. Hell, guys float off about sex something like 12.5 times per hour. And that’s not even day dreaming. It’s wishful thinking. Me, I think the first 28 seconds of this video is really cool. Unfortunately it’s not a video. It’s a commercial. It’s supposed to be a commercial. And the only reason it is, is because somebody stick a tag and logo on the end. Could have been anybody. Least of all, an insurance company.

Published on February 5, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (3)

FLOMAX: Here’s to Men

RICHARD KIRSHENBAUM: Between the amount of erectile dysfunction information and the FLOMAX Commercial that talked all about the level of your ”stream“ and ”going“ all the time, I felt like I was in a nursing home with old fraternity brothers. I felt embarrassed watching all this with my daughter who asked me ”what do they mean by ’stream“? and I was really not happy when they mentioned the word SEMEN while she was holding her teddy bear.

STEPHEN VOLTZ & FRITZ GROBE: Apparently missed the Flomax ad—I was in the bathroom.

Published on February 5, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION: Gotta Have Heart

CHRIS WALL: Heart is attacked by all sorts of bad diseases. Marc McClure is the actor in this spot. He’s a really terrific actor but wasted here.

BARBARA LIPPERT: Was that depressing, or what? The heart -- the ultimate symbol humanity -- gets flogged publicly in the street by high cholesterol and then bangs himself into a wall.

JIM FERGUSON: The heart association spot was about as funny as a heart attack. First reaction from one of the “ladies” at the party, “Look he’s got a heart on.”

Published on February 5, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (5)

E*TRADE: Bank Robbery, One Finger

JOSEPH JAFFE: Almost nothing has stood out...not even the return of E*Trade from the grave (a duet with Orville Deadenbacher perhaps?)

CHRIS WALL: The evil broker making a ton of money off of you. Sure, pick up some Global Crossing, Enron and Pets.com. How quickly we forget.

RICK BOYKO: E*Trade gets little notice, while Coke’s vending machine is liked.

GARY KOEPKE: An honorable mention for E*Trade, “the finger.”

MARIAN SALZMAN: I’m an E*Trade customer and have always loved the Web site and its simplicity. There is no connection between the customer experience and the spot that just ran. In fact, I am actually feeling E*Trade is a bit juvenile, and I’d rather feel they were stodgy, given the business they’re in.

Published on February 5, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (3)

FEDEX: Office on the Moon, Don’t Judge

DAVID LUBARS: Interestingly, I prefer the smaller budget FedEx spot to our bigger production from the first quarter. They’re both cool, but this one is more effortlessly funny to me. Eric Silver may disagree and we’ll end up obsessing about it for days - anyone who knows either of us can easily picture the upcoming compulsive, hand-wringing exercise.

CHRIS WALL: Moon office. Fedex. Cringe. ... Fedex ground. This isn't a new one. This campaign is very funny, very well shot, cast etc. I miss a point along the lines of "when it absolutely, postiively has to be there over night." Sorry to beat a dead horse. I like advertising with a memorable point.

RICK BOYKO: FedEx office on the moon, funny. FedEx, Nationwide and Bud Light are all liked, but not thought not be the best.

MARK WNEK: Fedex consistently funny.

JASON MARKS: FedEx: Moon station? Didn't really make any sense. FedEx trucks will be awesome in the future?

Published on February 5, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2)

CAREERBUILDER: Office Jungle, Office Jungle Fight, Torture

JOSEPH JAFFE: The year that Careerbuilder does away with monkeys (which actually worked for them), we see a new sea of lemmings.

CHRIS WALL: CareerBuilder: bring back the monkeys. And I didn't like the monkeys, either.

STEPHEN VOLTZ & FRITZ GROBE: CareerBuilder.com, exciting it was! Again, great, consistent imagery in this sequel. They really are taking the premise all the way. It's in the small touches: "You don't even work here!" What a great touch.

MARC BERMAN: The careerbuilder.com spot was clever.

RICK BOYKO: CareerBuilder.com continues to miss the mark for most of the group.

TIM ARNOLD: The good news: they were smart enough to walk away - ok, knuckle drag away - from monkeys. The bad news: this stuff is completely buried in overwrought “production values.” What the hell is the idea here anyway? Am I supposed to be convinced to turn over my career quest to these ... monkeys?

Published on February 5, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (5)

TACO BELL: Lions

CHRIS WALL: Talking lions. Personal prejudice against talking animals. Taco Bell dog defined how to do this right, if you must do it. (And I confess, I have done it.)

RICK BOYKO: Taco Bell’s lions enter the game and beat out CareerBuilder.com and Van Heusen, but someone points out they were not hard to beat.

MARIAN SALZMAN: The demographics for the game are obviously broad but some of these spots feel very focused on a viewer niche. And the generics like Taco Bell are definitely losing me. (Given how much we’ve all been eating, this is just not the best time for shiny food photography. Gastroporn flopped here.)

ANDY BERLIN: Taco Bell Lions … Was that Ricardo Montalban’s VO? I suppose my favorite commercial was somewhere among these three: the Goulet spot for somebody’s nuts, the man as Mom for somebody other than Frito-Lay’s chips and the Taco Bell spot where the two lions try and say Carne Asada rolling the R like Ricardo Montalban.

JOSEPH JAFFE: The Bud Light spot with the gorilla that just couldn’t resist smiling for the camera—we liked this commercial...definitely one of the best—is followed up by the talking lions for … uh, wait ....uh, hmmmm ....uh, gee so memorable I’ve already forgotten. Hold on a second ... I’m reminded by a fellow drunken colleague that it was Taco Bell. Wonder if that’s cat in my Gordita.

BARBARA LIPPERT: I gots to say I’m enjoying the pre-game spots, except for the Taco Bell one with the lions on the velt who speak like surfer dudes. What’s up with giving every speaker in commercials—rom babies to wild animals—that same slacker voice and affect?

Published on February 5, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (4)

SPRINT: Connectile Dysfunction

BARBARA LIPPERT: Although its not new, I also like the Peyton Manning commercial for Sprint in which he tries to hide his identity with Burt Reynolds-style moustache and wig. Later, in a promo for the NFL, they asked him “If you win, is there any way it’s humanly possible to do more commercials?” Good question. Although I think the black pencil moustache is the way to go for future bookings.


STEPHEN VOLTZ & FRITZ GROBE: Connectile dysfunction for Sprint. Funny concept. Weak execution. Call your doctor if your connection lasts more than four hours! Or a woman walks up to a guy sitting with his laptop-“Do you have a connection?” His signal only goes up a few bars ... “That’s okay, it happens ...” It’s a bit counterintuitive, but usually true: it’s less offensive if you go all the way with the concept, more uncomfortable if you only go halfway. If you’re going to go there, really go there! This was such a missed opportunity.

ANDY BERLIN: Sprint: Connectile dysfunction, a little bit funny. Easy to imagine how much funnier it would have been in presentation to the client.

RICK BOYKO: Sprint’s connectial dysfunction gets laughs.

Published on February 5, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (4)

SIERRA MIST: Beard Comb Over, Karate Class

CHRIS WALL: Beard comb over started off great, ended up creepy. Self-defense started off not so great. Kept going. Sierra Mist has done some witty stuff over the years - I think they were better.

MARC BERMAN: Let me begin with Sierra Mist. Ironically, it features comedian Jim Gaffigan, who is also being featured in a 13-episode marathon of his TBS sitcom, My Boys opposite the Super Bowl. I love My Boys -- it’s my favorite current sitcom. But I can’t stand Jim Gaffigan, who I met while he was doing short-lived CBS sitcom Welcome to New York. He was not exactly friendly. So, I didn’t like the Sierra Mist spots. They try to hard to be “cool” and missed the boat on telling me why I shouldl drink the soft drink. Why does anyone hire Jim Gaffigan?

RICK BOYKO: “Didn’t get it.” … “Not funny” … “Waste” … can be heard after two Sierra Mist ads air.

DAVID LUBARS: These spots kick off the third year of our “Mist Players” campaign for Pepsi’s Sierra Mist. The cast has settled into becoming a great reparatory company who can play any characters in any setting. Gives campaign creator Bill Bruce and his teams a wide pallet to work from. What else can this campaign turn into - A sitcom? A touring improv troupe?

JASON MARKS: Beard comb-over is okay but too office, too quirky. Seems played for the largest stage in advertising, but might be the best so far. Karate spot: Tracy Morgan rules. If you’re going to pay him to be in your spot, use him. Wasted here, hope he shows up later.

Published on February 5, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (3)