We’re just a few days away from this year’s Super Bowl! (This annual tradition proves to be more exciting for people who are, you know, into football, but I still enjoy participating.) This year, Kevin and I will be in Charlotte promoting Fulton & Roark for a retail show, so we’ll likely be catching the game from our hotel room.
The game and the COMMERCIALS, that is (duh). But the thing is, these days you don’t have to wait for the big game itself to get a glimpse into the ads that will be running. Now, brands are all into creating buzz by releasing commercials in advance of the event, and that’s cool by me because it means I get a sneak peek.
I thought I’d take this opportunity to round up a few of those “leaked” ads for you guys, just in case you’d like a preview before Sunday as well. (Then you can know when it’s cool to leave the room for snacks and when you should stick around for an ad. Genius!):
- Let’s start with the cutest thing I’ve seen in a while. No, I don’t like Budweiser beer, but I do very much like this Budweiser ad featuring a friendship between a puppy and a horse. (I have a soft spot for animals of different species who are besties, harkening back to this story about an elephant and dog from back in 2009.) I’m not ashamed to admit that this ad made me tear up a little. It’s that adorable:
- Next up: the opposite of cute. Let’s just go ahead and call this one a huge missed opportunity. The guys of Full House (yeah — Full House as in that amazing 90s sitcom) teamed up for this disaster of an Oikos commercial. My friend and fellow blogger Bethany has a more detailed post on her blog that you should check out. (You know that thing about knowing when it’s okay to leave the room Sunday? If you see an Oikos ad come on, go ahead and refresh your drink supply.):
- Per usual, there are lots of car ads in this game’s line-up, but the VW spot “Wings” gets my vote. Not only good execution, but they’ve chosen a great way to spotlight the fact that VW has more vehicles on the road with 100K+ miles than any other car brand:
- Okay, so this Audi ad is pretty great as well. It might be my favorite of the car ad bunch we’ve seen so far, in fact. I especially give them props for the Sarah McLachlan cameo. Well done, Audi. Well done:
- Axe is obviously trying a new ad approach to promote its new Peace line. I’m not a fan:
- It’s a Go Daddy ad without Danica Patrick in it! Oh, wait — she’s there after all. Looking a little, um, different than usual. Did you spot her?:
- The Muppets are awesome. Old Spice ads are great. What do you get when you combine the two? A pretty quality Toyota Highlander commercial, as far as I’m concerned:
- BONUS AD! This one’s not for the Super Bowl. It’s from last 2013, even, though I just recently stumbled upon it. It’s a Foot Locker commercial called “Week of Greatness,” and I am dying to know how they got everyone who’s in this ad to participate:
