Ranking ads including Cheetos, Jeep and more – The Athletic

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Good Super Bowl publicity – good publicity, period – does four things well: it’s funny, it’s memorable, it forces you to buy the product, and it leaves you with a more favorable view of the brand.

Jake Ciely was the top scorer in fantasy baseball twice and the best in fantasy football once. But does this apply to advertisements? We’re about to find out.

Don’t hesitate to throw in on poor Jakey in the comments. He has very strong feelings about some of them. Important Note: Movie trailers do not count. Apologies, but it’s a different category and we can’t go.

(And hey, if you love the leaderboards – and who doesn’t? – check out our 2021 Fantasy Baseball, updated Fantasy Basketball, and ‘Way Too Soon’ Fantasy Football leaderboards)

The 10 best Super Bowl commercials

1. GM: No Way Norway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCy-a_E2I3s

Will Ferrell, Kenan Thompson, and Awkwafina do this pretty well, especially Ferrell, but it was the Scandinavian stinger joke that really made me laugh. I declare that this is the best advertisement of the night.

Nando: I can’t disagree. It was fantastic.

2. Frito Lay: Super Bowl

~~So it could stay # 1 all night!~~ Nope. But it was fun as long as it lasted! This spot was broadcast even before the start of the match. Marshawn Lynch. Peyton Manning. I could have sat in silence for 30 seconds and been great. Simply extraordinary. “Don’t Be Afraid of the Ball” and “Come on We’re Friends” were great with Lynch’s storytelling at the top of the list.

3. Cheetos: it wasn’t me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7yvrDTtsHw

Okay, I knew it was ok right away and laughed… immediately. I’m an Ashton Kutcher fan, and the new lyrics and ending (won’t spoil the joke)… very well done.

Nando: I liked Flat Matthew’s one so much better.

4. Doritos 3D: Flat Matthew

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLuqtTn4610

It has some crazy “Twilight Zone” vibes mixed in with Judge Doom from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” And it works! It’s funny, it’s memorable – the cafe scene where he’s initially invisible is fantastic. I guess it will be a lot of people’s favorite ad this year. Even the warning “Do not try if you are a 3D person” was subtly funny.

People’s Choice – Jeep with Bruce Springsteen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2XYH-IEvhI

As much as we love our Frito-Lay and Will Ferrell brands, we can’t deny that the rest of the world loves Bruce Springsteen’s commercial. Maybe a little too much, but who are we to judge? This is our first annual Super Bowl People’s Choice Award of Excellence (PCSBCAFE). Congratulations, Jeep!

5. M & M’s: Sorry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKUcHcizEMc

The mocking sex reveals, “Karen” and more was pretty good. Not high end, but good for a laugh.

Nando adds: We (my wife and I, not Jake and I) finally gave in and started watching “Schitt’s Creek” – with everyone selling it warning that you have to go through the first two seasons until it is. really well – and I have to say I get the hype. It’s “Parks & Rec” -sy. I just hope Eugene Levy doesn’t get too overexposed.

6. Tide: Jason Alexander is kidding himself, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvjuL6Bci6M

Laughter bonus for the 80s TV music bed (“Believe It or Not”). Alexander’s changing faces were quite funny, however, could be more memorable for the way he looked weird at the end (looked aged).

Nando: I don’t think Jake has the “Seinfeld” connection to the song! Would that have pushed him to number 5?

7. Uber Eats: Wayne’s World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdMTTQ9SBgk

From Nando: “The ad itself was just OK, but I love everything Wayne’s World -“ NOTTT !! “, Tia Carrere, not saying the 2 or the 1 when you count someone on a TV shoot – and despite being sort of mailed, I loved seeing them on my screen again. As for me, it was just fun to see them again, but honestly it would have ranked better with the one before the Super Bowl, which was better …

8. Sam Adams: Horses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLJ7qcB1YaY

The visual of the person having their hip examined on horseback by the window made me laugh, and for some reason every time I hear, “Your cousin, from Bos… ton,” I laugh.

9. Bud Light: Legends (Avengers)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9jkvq4-tCU

Good for laughs and a trip into the commercial memory of Bud Light. Real men of genius! But, how do you leave out “On your left!”?

Nando: It might be # 2 for me. Hearing “Yes I am” again was so awesome. And “I loved you man” in the past tense. And the guy who sang “Mister Vending Machine Repairmannnn.” I watched this three times in a row.

10. LYRIQ: ScissorHandsFree

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KAlqthD6Gc

Do half of the people who watch the Super Bowl remember “Edward Scissorhands”? This is another reminder commercial for kids from the 90s (ish)). I feel like it touches a specific group, and luckily I was part of it because it was fun. Not to roll on the ground laughing but having fun, especially with Winona Ryder reprising her role.

HONORABLE MENTION

Michelob Ultra: Happy

It wasn’t funny, but it had a very cool aesthetic; the part where he switched to live video (Anthony Davis playing chess) was a fun twist of an initial feeling of ‘here’s some serious artistic ad’, and I generally like watching an ad where I recognize everyone. . Additionally, I will always get my vote using “Can I cast it?” By A Tribe Called Quest

Tracy Morgan for Rocket Mortgage – “Pretty Sure”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMgA-y2nRWE

Funny flat-out and it seems to be quite expensive to do. I love everything Tracy Morgan does. In fact, “30 Rock” is one of the most underrated shows. Everyone sweats “The Office”, but you don’t see the same reverence for “30 Rock”.

Craig Robinson Pizza Hut

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45ua4JWfUEk

Total nostalgia is playing, and I’m not even sure it’s technically a “Super Bowl commercial” because it’s six days old on YouTube and it seems to lack that magnitude, but it was released after the intros of the movie. team and I thought it was smart and fun. And man, you can’t find these Pizza Hut Shades anywhere on eBay. It didn’t make the final Top 10, but everything with Craig Robinson (I watched and enjoyed “Ghosted” on FOX a few years ago) is working for me.

Paramount +

Patrick Stewart hasn’t aged since 1990, some good laughs, SpongeBob yet, but seriously, ANOTHER streaming service ?!

Nando: Yeah but “Yellowstone” is so awesome

Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6CVKs77X74

It helped us laugh at the misery of what was 2020, and I especially enjoyed the involvement of the MLB Cardboard Cutouts. Be careful though, man, the “hard” seltzer could have been the biggest beneficiary of 2020… that’s enough!

Skechers: Max cushioning

Meh. Does buying these shoes come with certification to be a mom or dad?

Jimmy John’s: the king of cold cuts

Some real laughable moments, but “Jimmy’s John’s” has become repetitive. In fact, I mostly laughed at the “Don’t try” warning when I lit the billboard on fire. Uh, no kidding, guys.

The worst Super Bowl commercials

Hellmann’s Mayo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dtbbMddugE

It wasn’t funny, and seeing a chocolate cake suggesting the use of mayonnaise legitimately made my stomach ache.

Pringles: stranded astronauts

Not memorable. How can I know? I mentioned it and the people I was with couldn’t even remember when it aired. The advertising of stacked flavors reached its peak and was only good with Bill Hader.

Oatly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUcPYqWa-Ng
It was definitely memorable, but for all the wrong reasons. Weft. Guess that was supposed to be ‘bad’, and props for the CEO, I guess? But that’s not going to make me want to buy Oatly. Internally, it could win this year’s worst award.

Klarna: Small horses, four payments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeLM3-J4BlU

I had a hard time figuring out what the selling point was or remembering who it was because it wasn’t funny and the CGI was one of the worst I’ve ever seen.