Four Super Bowl Spots Not Made By Goodby Silverstein & Partners

Yesterday on Adpulp.com, we addressed the fact that Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the second time in its history has four spots running during the Super Bowl. Today, we continue to explore some of the best spots from other agencies in honor of the one day each year when people with no skin in the ad game find something nice to say about ads.

Budweiser

A dedicated delivery man, a team of horses, and a smart dog pull through just when the town tavern runs low on Budweiser. “Old School Delivery,” a new Super Bowl spot from Anheuser-Busch will likely become a favorite commercial during Sunday’s Adverganza and dominate Monday’s ad chatter.

The Super Bowl is tradition, the Clydesdales are tradition, same with Budweiser. Sometimes, tapping into tradition is just what the moment calls for.

Agency: FCB New York

Oreo

Like Bud, Oreo is an iconic brand with a dedicated place at the American table, especially on Super Bowl Sunday. The brand’s ad this year is lighthearted and suggests that when having trouble making a decision, we “Twist on it,” and “Stay Playful.”

Given that it’s a cookie that comes apart, I like how the ad concept makes use of this product fact to illustrate a larger point. Which is? We live in a random universe. Have a cookie.

Agency: The Martin Agency

Volkswagen

Volkswagen wins for best use of historic brand photos and best use of a Boomer soundtrack (with “I Am…I Said” by Neil Diamond barely edging past Budweiser’s use of “The Weight” by The Band).

VW’s “An American Love Story” tells the story of the brand’s place in American culture and automotive history. I feel like there’s another underlying story here, as well. A story about how VW drivers are not like other car buyers. VW drivers are creative, they’re different, maybe even weird. If the spot had a voiceover this story could lay on top of the song. As it is, we have a sea of images, a song, and a type treatment at the end, which reads, “We shape its metal. You shape its soul.” That’s a poetic line, but it’s hard to read or appreciate poetry at a Super Bowl party.

Agency: Johannes Leonardo

Reese’s Caramel Big Cup

Reese’s ain’t messin’ with poetic lines, trips down Memory Lane, or big ideas for that matter. Reese’s is purely funny and funny works well in this context.

Reese’s gets points for the most outrageous moves made by a grandma (she body slams the coffee table and later kisses a man). I also like how the brand cleverly mirrors the setting in the spot—American living rooms where the big game and the Adverganza are consumed. This is a commercial that real-time viewers can relate to, laugh about, and enjoy in the moment.

Agency: Erich & Kallman