The lights. The turf. The television.
This time of year, when the weather is a dreary gray and spring simply refuses to arrive, Americans turn their attentions indoors to their screens (well, more so than usual) for a spectacle of show under the guise of a sporting match.
But many tune in to the big game for more than just the toss of a pigskin. Ads have a become a sport in and of themselves, with top trailers and catchy commercials catching almost as much attention post-game as the athletic theatrics.
We’ve gathered a few of the most memorable for you here...
Tear-inducing (in a good way): Amazon's #BeforeAlexa
It’s nice to know that fairy tale princesses also had a hard time getting their texts - er, pigeons - to the right person. Thankfully, Alexa is around to send our messages, give us jester-less jokes whenever we demand, and play that song we like without having to carry some giant jug around the wild, wild West. On top of all that, the fact that this ad was basically just some casual daydream the amazing Ellen DeGeneres whipped up on her way out the door really makes this spot something to remember. Unexpected. Clever. Memorable. Touchdown in our book.
Emotionally Moving: Google's "Loretta"
OK GOOGLE. We were NOT ready. This was Disney’s “Up” meets “Her” meets “The Notebook” meets “uh, can you not cry in the buffalo cheese dip?” What’s genius about this commercial is that the entirety of it actually takes place on the product Google’s selling. We get a full sense of who this man is and what his love was like, all on the screen of a Google device. Notice they never actually say which product they’re showing, but we still learn all that we can do using their platform. Subtle. Moving. Embarrassingly tear-jerking. 100 points to Google.
Favorite Movie Reference: Mountain Dew
We’re guessing the ad execs at Mountain Dew must really take their product seriously, because the only way someone could have pitched this idea would have to be during some kind of furious Mountain Dew-fueled brainstorming session. “Ok and then at the end, Heisenberg is actually BOTH of the twins… just in a wig.” Regardless of whatever kind of Kool Aid Mountain Dew this company is sipping on, we love this ad for its hilarious take on a horror classic. It’s familiar yet pleasantly new, faces we recognize and know in a setting we probably wish we didn’t. Enjoyable. Timeless. Gooooooal for Mountain Dew..
American Pride: Budweiser's "Typical American"
#Typicalandproud. What started off feeling like a commercial version of an generic inspirational poster quickly turned into a gentle attack on political generalizations and yet somehow also a condemnation of everything anti-American in the world. And what’s more typical Budweiser than taking a stanceless stance on patriotism during one of the most Amuuurican television features of the year. But really, being widely impartial yet clear in your message takes some serious public relations decision-making. Acceptable. Un-upsetting. Something that no one in the room can have a real problem with. We raise our beers to you, Bud.
The Underdog: WeatherTech’s “Lucky Dog”
Can we talk about the fact that WeatherTech paid millions of dollars in an effort to get millions of people to give even more millions of dollars to an organization that isn’t even WeatherTech?! We know that showing off a company’s soft side can do wonders for one’s image, but this carefully-crafted ad appears to do so with as much genuine feelings a corporation can offer. This spot features Scout, a precious pup owned by David MacNeil, the company’s founder and CEO. Scout was diagnosed with cancer last summer and treated at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, the cause the commercial encourages viewers to give to. We’d give this ad two paws up and the big game’s big trophy.
The big game merely goes to show the lasting power carefully-crafted video advertising can have. If you’re feeling anywhere near as inspired as we are, don’t hesitate to reach out and get a custom quote for your next big video project.