OK -- I blogged about the Super Bowl last night and celebrated the Giant upset.

But what about the OTHER story -- the Super Bowl ads?

Many commercials that appeared during Super Bowl XLII took a satiric tack, spoofing movies, television shows, video clips, celebrity misbehavior and more. A typical though entertaining cast of characters — animals, babies, pop stars — all made their appearances, lending a lighthearted spirit to the annual festivities.

For the most part, it worked. The tone was a welcome contrast to the angry, off-putting tenor of too many spots in last year’s Super Bowl, which were filled with crude and cartoonish violence. Although some sponsors decided to play it straight — with decidedly mixed results — the pervasive atmosphere was one of good-natured humor, of a type that seemed to elevate the night’s proceedings.

There were some top notch ads., such as this one.

One spot-on satire Sunday came from the Audi division of Volkswagen of America, which drolly spoofed “The Godfather,” complete with a cast member, Alex Rocco, from the original. The spot, by Venables Bell & Partners, replaced the horse’s head in the mogul’s bed with — gasp! — a grille severed from the front end of a Brand X luxury sports car.

I really enjoyed that one, though my wife was a little less enthralled by it. Perhaps it is just the difference between men and women when it comes to "The Godfather".

But we both agreed on this ad, which elicited jokes between us all night AND set the standard for comparisons for the rest of the game.

Anheuser-Busch parodied another 1970s film, “Rocky,” with a Clydesdale as Sylvester Stallone and a Dalmatian in the Burgess Meredith role. The spot, among the best of the night, was created by DDB Worldwide, part of the Omnicom Group.

Set aside the fact that any commercial involving the Clydesdales will be an automatic favorite -- this one was clever and well-done. And on a night when much of America was rooting for the underdog, how on earth could this one miss with viewers, including those of us who do not drink?

But the one that stole our hearts as the game approached it end was from the NFL itself, and elicited few comments in the press.

Yeah, maybe it is the fact that we are there in section 541 every game, cheering for both Chester Pitts and Ephraim Salaam, and that Pitts is a particular fan favorite at Reliant Stadium. Or maybe it is that we Texans fans, buoyed by an 8-8 season, are dreaming that next year we will actually see these guys on the field as the Houston Texans play in their first Super Bowl. Then again, maybe it was just fun to see Chester Pitts playing the oboe(!) on national television.

Overall, I wasn't impressed with this year's crop of ads -- but I am thankful for these.

Posted by: Greg at 11:17 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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