Super Bowl commercials leave lasting impact

Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

Budweiser’s immigration commercial was arguably the best of this year’s Super Bowl.

It’s an annual tradition for commercials during the broadcast of football’s biggest game, the Super Bowl, to be much crazier and funnier than normal advertisements-many viewers watch the proceeding for the breaks alone. With all of the crazy events that have happened since Super Bowl L back in February of last year, I had extremely high hopes for the antics that would unfold between the Patriots’ eventual win. After the game was over, however, I was a little disappointed. There wasn’t a single commercial that made me burst out laughing, and only a few managed to get even a chuckle out of me. When I looked back on the night as a whole, I realized that there was more emphasis placed on creating a meaningful and thoughtful advertisement rather than one the audience would forget about the next day.

Here were some of the hits and misses on the night:

THE GOOD:

84 Lumber:

Construction supply provider 84 Lumber came out of nowhere with a six-minute short film about a mother and daughter immigrating to America in hopes of a better life. In the spirit of nationalism, the little girl collects pieces of red, white and blue cloth along the way, and creates an American flag. That’s where the company’s TV spot ended; Fox, the network of the Super Bowl, prevented 84 Lumber from airing the conclusion of the ad in which the two came to Donald Trump’s proposed wall and found a door to cross through. Even though the advert seems to be against Trump, the building supply company’s CEO has come out in support of the newly elected president, even adding that if she “thought the wall was negative, [she] wouldn’t have had the wall.” Take this ad for what it is; a heartwarming, feel-good film.

Budweiser:

In another immigration related advertisement, Budweiser detailed the dramatized story of their founding by a German immigrant. The commercial showed the hardships and discrimination he faced in his pursuit of the American dream. In the end of the ad, he finally meets with his co-founder, who simply says, “Let’s make a beer.” I thought that Budweiser hit a home run with their emotional appeal in this ad, and struck a nerve in many across the country. Again, many presumed the commercial was in protest of Trump’s travel ban, but Budweiser has denied the claim. They have mentioned that the commercial must be written, shot and produced starting months in advance, so the timing was purely coincidental. Even so, I love this advertisement.

THE BAD:

T-Mobile:

While their Super Bowl commercials featuring comedian Kristen Schaal weren’t awful, they were not nearly as bad as this atrocity featuring pop star Justin Bieber as some sort of dance historian, detailing the progression of moves throughout time. While this advert had plenty of star power, including NFL legend Terrell Owens and Patriots star Rob Gronkowski, everything felt crammed and forced, and left me uncomfortable when a giant dance party broke out.

Go-Daddy:

Now that the company is done airing risque commercials, they’re not entirely sure how to grasp an audience. Without women like Danica Patrick and Bar Refaeli to push their product by any means necessary, GoDaddy tried to be creative-and failed miserably. This advert redesigned the internet as a guy who loves cats and Rick Astley, and frankly, he makes me want to enjoy fresh air a little bit more often. Unfortunately, seeing as GoDaddy is a domain name company, this commercial achieved the opposite effect from what was intended.

THE QUESTIONABLE:

Mr. Clean:

In his Super Bowl commercial debut, a staple of the advertising industry made the sexiest appearance of the night. The ad features a woman and the cleaning agent dancing seductively as they clean the house. Suddenly, Mr. Clean transforms into the woman’s husband, and with cleaning supplies in hand, they tumble onto the couch. The end features the tagline “You gotta love a man who cleans.” The overall reception was extremely mixed, but I thought the commercial was hilarious and very creative.

Final Verdict: Good

Snickers:

Although it was the first ever live commercial to air during the Super Bowl, this advert from Snickers was very underwhelming. The commercial featured Star Wars star Adam Driver as he messed up an entire commercial shoot because he didn’t realize filming had started. So much more could’ve been done and a simple inclusion of the score of the game didn’t satisfy the spot’s potential.

Final Verdict: Bad

While there was no “standout” commercial this year, I think that a few could stand the test of time and be looked back on with fondness and nostalgia. I enjoyed the general shift from a focus on humor and outrageousness to sending a thought-provoking message; hopefully, advertisers can find a balance.