Super Bowl XL - Great Game. Great Ads (for the most part)

First, I couldn't start any blog on Super Bowl XL without first congratulating the Pittsburgh Steelers for winning their 5th Super Bowl. As a huge Steelers fan I am ecstatic. And I have to point out that during an appearance on talk radio Friday afternoon I discussed what to expect in Super Bowl advertising. When asked for a prediction of the game I said Steelers by 11. XL final score - 21-10 Steelers.

Now on to the topic of the other game on Super Bowl Sunday - the Ad game. Let's talk about a few of the good, the bad and the ugly - in my opinion (I look forward to all our readers' thoughts).

The Good
Anheuser Busch
Are you really surprised? With more than 5 minutes of advertising at a cost of $25 million, Anheuser Busch scored several touchdowns (more than the Seahawks (couldn't resist). The first ad featured mayhem in an office as employees looked for beer hidden throughout the office. Each ad was better than the one before - the magic fridge, the bear in the woods, the husbands on the roof and of course the young Clydesdale.

The "King of Beers" may have shown once again that it's also the king of Super Bowl Advertising.

Dove
Congratulations to Dove for combining the perfect song with winning images. A big score in their first entry into Super Bowl advertising.

CareerBuilder.Com
Unlike many of the dot coms Career Builder. Com has managed to establish itself in Super Bowl advertising. Their monkeys ads are funny and a mix of obvious and subtle humor (did you ever notice the name of the firm is 'Yeknom'?) The only improvement on these ads would be to focus on those looking to start a career not solely those looking to make a change.

Others:
Ameriquest Nationwide
Sprint's Crime deterrent Phone
Disney

The Bad...& The Ugly

GoDaddy.com
While the ad will likely be effective in driving traffic to the site, it just wasn't that good. Can we please put an end to the 'wardrobe malfunction' spoofs? It was funny for a while...for a while. Can we move on? It is on that alone I wish ABC had rejected the 14th version of this ad as well. That having been said, congratulations GoDaddy.com for success in driving traffic to your site.

Burger King
Maybe this ad explains the 11-year hiatus in advertising for Burger King. Until Sunday, the King ads have been great. Strange at times...but great. The Whopperettes...not so great.

Hummer
What was that? Was it 'the bad' or 'the ugly'?
It was Both!

Every Super Bowl Sunday there are winners and losers. In advertising and football. For the teams that played, the game is over; they won or lost and move on. For many advertisers the game is just beginning. They've reached a fragmented market in more than a third of the country. What will they do now to keep in touch?