Every year a lot of focus is placed on the commercials at the Super Bowl, both from the perspective of advertisers and viewers.  Super Bowl XLIV was no different. Dumping millions of dollars into a :30 second spot might not seem prudent with respect to ROI given the state of our economy, but I’m still a firm believer that it is still the greatest media staging event  to reinforce your brand message.  After all, for most of these companies a few million dollars is just another drop in the bucket.

Google Super Bowl AdSome regular attendees skipped out on joining the party this year, like Pepsi, who opted to invest more of their ad dollars ($20 million to be exact) in launching a more targeted social media strategy.  At the same time, we saw some companies like E-Trade stick to their guns, unveiling new baby spots.  Only time will tell if Pepsi will regret their decision.  Don’t get me wrong, social media is great, but I’m always skeptical about any ad agency who puts all of their eggs into one basket.

For the first time, we witnessed Google actually advertising on TV.  What a shocker!  Unless I missed ads that went under the radar in previous years please correct me if I’m wrong.  The spot was great.  No pop, no fizz, no sizzle.  Just Google taking us through the entire life cycle of planning a trip to France from start to finish.  The theme was necessity, and how our lives have become so dependent on more than just their search technology.  I found myself totally in shock as I watched the ad.  As I sat back smoking a cigar at Schlesinger’s I propped myself out of the crater I created in the couch, turned to my friend Richard and said, “Wait, is this a Google ad?”  I guess the competition with Bing and other search engines is starting to become a little more fierce.

My absolute hands down favorite though was the Betty White Snickers ad.  Funny, clever, and making me crave a snickers, they sold me from the beginning.

Whether controversial, witty, weird, or blatantly obvious, it seems like advertisers seize this opportunity to make a name for themselves, or simply to remain a household name.  In the end it really doesn’t matter how good a commercial is.  If it is not memorable, and lacks a cause of action the end result will not justify the means.  That’s my take on it.

What was your favorite commercial for Super Bowl XLIV?  What was the lamest?  Are there any that you just didn’t get?  Feel free to share your thoughts.

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The Best and the Worst of the Super Bowl Ads (MSNBC)
Watch Super Bowl Commercials Online on YouTube & Bing (Search Engine Land)
2010 Super Bowl Commercial Lineup (superbowl-commericals.org)