Advertising’s heroes, goats
Winners among Super Bowl TV spots separated from losers
NEW YORK — Some of the Super Bowl ads that grabbed the greatest buzz on Sunday were surprises, such as Bud Light’s “Game of Thrones” teaser. Other crowd-pleasers focused on humor, among them Amazon’s take on celebrity product testers.
Some spots, including Microsoft’s about its adaptive Xbox controller, charmed many viewers. But Mint Mobile’s ad about “chunky milk” was among those that fell flat.
THE BEST
Amazon
The Amazon ad was an early crowd pleaser when it was released well ahead of the game. Harrison Ford, Forest Whitaker and other celebrities test ill-advised Amazon products that feature its Alexa digital assistant, such as a electric toothbrush and a dog collar that both talk.
Bud Light
Bud Light’s crossover with “Game Anheuser-busch’s Bud Light ad was a crossover with the TV show “Game of Thrones,” including a dragon. of Thrones” was a hit because it came as such a surprise. What started out as the “Bud Knight” in a jousting tournament morphs into a promo for the HBO show’s final season, including a dragon showing its fire-breathing skill.
“It was somewhat confusing at first,” said Mark Dimassimo, chief of ad agency Dimassimo Goldstein. “But it was super engaging and fun and surprising.”
Stella Artois
To tout its partnership with Water.org, which helps provide clean water to the developing world, the beer maker shows two 1990s icons giving up their signature drinks for a philanthropysupporting brew. “The Dude” — a Jeff Bridges character from “The Big Lebowski” — forgoes his White
Russian, while Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw from “Sex and the City” eschews her cosmopolitan. The 1990s nostalgia was a hit with viewers.
Hulu
Hulu kicked off the evening’s surprises during the first break with an ad that started out like Ronald Reagan’s 1984 campaign ad “Morning in America.” But it was soon revealed to be a teaser for the next season of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” “Wake up America, morning’s over,” a voiceover stated.
“It was a great misdirect and great placement,” Dimassimo said.
Microsoft
A heart-tugger was Microsoft’s ad showing a disabled child talking excitedly about the fun he had using an adaptive Xbox controller designed for players with mobility limitations.
“It combined true emotion, great storytelling, and relevant product innovation with an insight about their category (gaming) as a great equalizer,” Dimassimo said.
THE WORST
Mint Mobile
The wireless provider was trying to stand out from larger rivals Verizon, T-mobile and Sprint by taking the “grossout” route. The ad compares Mint Mobile’s $20-a-month wireless plan with “chunky milk”; then it shows a fake ad with a family drinking the unappetizing beverage. A mint-colored cartoon fox says the milk is “not right,” but Mint Mobile’s plan “is right.”
Turkish Airlines Turkish Airlines created a trailer for a six-minute short directed by Ridley Scott, who is known for directing Apple’s iconic “1984” ad. It was the storied film director’s first return to the Super Bowl in decades. But some viewers took to Twitter to express confusion over what the ad was trying to promoting.