Still some good stuff in a disappointing year for Super Bowl ads

[debgeisler]

It's a good thing the game was engaging, because this year's Super Bowl ads left me lamentably flat. But here are the ones that I thought were well done (from an advertising standpoint):

Google's ad -- which I think I rate at the top of the heap -- was a delightfully product-centric ad with a clear narrative. Branding, amusement, and story-telling. You couldn't ask for better.

While I don't care for the organization's goals, the Focus on the Family ad featuring football player Tim Tebow and his mother was charming, droll, and heart-warming. Nicely done, and brilliant from a secondary point of view: all of the pre-game hype about the ad had people talking about the organization, trying to counter its (anticipated) anti-abortion message...and on the day, the ad said nothing its opponents thought it would. Very, very effective.

Snickers bars nearly always amuse with their ads (or at least they amuse *me*), and the spot featuring Betty White (now 88!) playing football...and ending with Abe Vigoda (also in his 80s) was really charming.

Bud Light offered several fun spots. One was a parody of the television show "Lost," and another featured a planet-busting comet about to hit Earth. Okay, but I really giggled about the beer fantasy that spoke to my fannish heart: the house made out of Bud Light cans.

Go Bud! While the usual Clydesdale ad was pleasant, it was the Budweiser "bridge" ad that just cracked me up. And, of course, the "building bridges is what we do" implication was also very nice.

Although competitor Pepsi didn't advertise this year (the first time in decades), the Coke invulnerable sleepwalker ad was very good.

Some ads, as is often the case, were stupid but memorable:

Monster.com's beaver-playing-the-violin ad.

Cars.com's latest in the "even incredible people freak out when buying a car" series...they had me until the tiger midwifery.

The Denny's freaking chicken ads. Let's hope their Grand Slam breakfast give-away works out better tomorrow than it did last year.

I still hate the E*Trade baby ads. Yes, I know they seem to work, but they're creepy.

Some ads were just stupid:

All of the Doritos ads. Every one. Oh, and they were stupid *and* violent.

The BoostMobile ad featuring one of the most annoying football players who ever played the game. He has not gotten any better years later. I so did not need to see that thong.

And some ads went over the border into offensiveness:

A MetroPCS ad, which was so insulting to anyone from the Indian subcontinent that I screamed. Fortunately, I was home alone.

Every GoDaddy spot. They were sexist without being at all sexy.

Finally, may I say to Dockers and CareerBuilders: Please? Next year? Keep their pants on.