Super Bowl 2014

The Super Bowl itself may be an entirely US fixture, but the commercials the event surrounds itself with are very much of global interest in the days following the big show. On Sunday, alongside the big men throwing pigskin, a little man playing pop hits and a robot warrior riding a robot dinosaur, were numerous massive brands vying for massive attention on the most massive night in TV advertising.

So what themes were on show? Well, unsurprisingly, the American-ness of America rang through a lot of the show’s spots – from the Dylan-fronted, patriotism-soaked monologue for Chrysler, through the multilingual sing-a-long for Coke to the heart-on-your-sleeve town’s welcome for a soldier, sponsored by Budweiser. Indeed Bud had a pretty good evening in all, with three of their brands’ spots (‘Puppy Love’ and the aforementioned ‘A Hero's Welcome’ for the master brand, ‘The Perfect Beer For Whatever Happens’ for Bud Light) hitting top 10 in popularity (according to Visible Measures).



The online platform for spots was also acknowledged both in the run-up and during the event itself, with many of the big-hitters either being revealed in full or previewed in parts during the days prior. Not really a new tact (‘The Bark Side’ springs to mind), the technique nonetheless piques the interest of viewers, with the teases for the hidden-cam ‘The Perfect Beer For Whatever Happens’ tickling us with views of Arnie in a tracksuit and Doritos yet again making crowd-sourced commercials a competition with their ‘Crash The Super Bowl’ campaign.

Well that barely scratches the surface of the 100+ spots shown throughout the show, but if you want to see ALL OF THEM, members can log on and view the whole shebang here. However, we thought it fitting to highlight a few of the notable executions that emerged during the show:

Radio Shack

One of the clear ‘winners’ of the event was Radio Shack’s 80s-tastic ‘Phone Call’, a pointed rebuttal to the commonly held view of the store as an antiquated experience. Shot by Moxie’s  Frank Todaro, the commercial featured retro stars like ALF, Hulk Hogan, the California Raisins and even Cliff from Cheers (obviously taking a sabbatical from being Pixar’s lucky mascot), descending on the store in a comical and well-judged skit.

Cheerios

No flashy special effects. No pratfalls, pranks or one-liners. One of the Super Bowl highlights was instead an engaging, low-key look at a stable family’s breakfast conversation. Lifted by its smart use of the product (the ‘little o’s’ becoming intrinsically linked with the family unit) and a killer performance from its young star (And the award for Best Eyebrow Work goes too…), this neatly put together spot from Community Films’ Matt Smukler was a surprise champ.

Budweiser

This year’s Super Bowl had as much ‘aw’ as ‘awe’ in regards to commercials, but the clear heart-warming favourite had to be this slice of animal magic from the clever folk at Anomaly. Telling the tale of an adorable puppy and a the devoted Clydesdale horse that can’t stand being apart from him, the film succeeds in somehow eschewing the cheese-fest that could have been and instead generating genuine gulps of endearment through canny direction (RSA’s Jake Scott) and an excellent soundtrack. Unsurprisingly the spot broke the internet a week before too, proving that animals really are the viral magic ingredient.

Microsoft

Technology ads are rarely the most touching of properties, but this 60-second narrated montage from the tech-giant Microsoft goes to prove that the benefits of our gizmo-filled present (and future) far outweigh the detriments. Running through the roboticists, surgeons and rocket scientists who push the tech, as well as the everyday people who utilise it (including 2013 online star Hal Lasko), the spot is genuinely uplifting, particularly due to its narrator - former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason who’s ALS means that he can only communicate through a computer.

Jaguar

Yeah, yeah, it’s an old cliché that all of the best Hollywood villains are British but, as this attention-grabbing spot from Smuggler shows, people may have got a point. Drafting in Sir Ben Kingsley (bad guy credentials – Sexy Beast, Iron Man 3, Thunderbirds), Tom Hiddleston (bad guy credentials – Thor, The Avengers) and Mark Strong (bad guy credentials – EVERYTHING HE’S EVER BEEN IN!), the spot takes the Bondian villainy of the accent, charm and seeming superiority of Brits and amps it up to 11. We can only assume that Alan Rickman is calling his agent right now!

Newcastle Brown Ale

OK, not technically a Super Bowl spot as it didn’t air as part of the show, this perfectly judged viral gently prods and the pomposity of some big game ads with wit and charm. Casting geek-favourite Anna Kendrick as… er… herself, the ad completely entirely of her talking about the Super Bowl ad she was supposed to be in. With classic lines like ‘I mean, I’m hot, but like, approachable hot, like the hottest girl in your improv class hot. Like hot to the kind of guys that feel bad for calling a girl hot.’ and ‘You can't stuff indie cred down a stripper's G-string’, the film succeeds in successfully scoffing the very bandwagon its riding. Kudos.

As mentioned before, our complete list of Super Bowl spots can be accessed here by members.

Non-members can console themselves by instead watching the best local Super Bowl spot to air in 2014. Or ever.