Best of the Bowl: Top Commercials of Super Bowl 2015

From kickoff to final whistle, this may have been the best Super Bowl in years. The game delivered a wildly unpredictable ending. The halftime show gave us dancing sharks. And we got a diverse lineup of commercials—not just brands trying to be funny and failing (like this gem).

So let’s sink our teeth into this year’s crop of commercials. From Budweiser and BMW to Toyota and T-Mobile, we’ll tell you what ads tugged at our heartstrings, tickled our funny bones, and had us cheering in our seats. But before we get to the good let’s touch on the bad…

ODD MEN OUT: TWO COMMERCIALS THAT MISSED THE MARK

A lot of people think Pete Carroll and the Seahawks were the big losers of the night. Wrong! It was actually GoDaddy and Nationwide, who spent a lot of money only to fumble the ball…

GODADDY “JOURNEY HOME”

A parody of Budweiser’s crazy popular (and overrated) “Lost Dog” commercial that didn’t go over so well with animal rights activists. Or the millions of people who loved the Budweiser commercial. Sometimes when you create something in the hopes of being funny, you don’t necessarily see the marketing from your customers’ perspective. This is a prime example.

NATIONWIDE “MAKE SAFE HAPPEN”

One of the strangest big-game commercials in recent years. Though well produced, this one was all over the map tonally. It starts off cute and lighthearted then goes dark—real dark—with a Sixth Sense-style twist no one saw coming. While this is an important issue to draw attention to, was a Super Bowl commercial the best avenue to do that? Judging by reactions on social media, no.

THE CHAMPIONS: EIGHT ADS THAT CAME THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH

Moving from the controversial to the sensational, let’s talk about our favorite ads…

BMW “NEWFANGLED IDEA”

This pick is really just a nostalgic love for how far we’ve come in the last 20 years. It’s easy to forget there was a time when most of us didn’t know what the Internet was, and that it hasn’t been a part of our lives forever. We also love when people feel comfortable enough to poke fun at themselves (nice work Katie and Bryant). Finally, the product itself is pretty freakin’ cool.

BUDWEISER “BREWED THE HARD WAY”

While the “Lost Puppy” ad was the audience favorite, we thought this was the better Bud commercial. Nothing fancy here—just images, text and music used to present a simple message: Budweiser isn’t for hipsters; it’s for beer drinkers. This ad directly addresses the rising popularity of microbrews and positions Budweiser against them. It really defines and speaks to their audience.

CLASH OF CLANS “REVENGE”

We like this one because it takes that new mobile game commercial—you know the one where they just show some of the animated gameplay—and introduces a human element to it. The fact that it has an angry and vengeful Liam Neeson is icing on the cake.

ALWAYS “LIKE A GIRL”

This ad was around prior to the big game, but its presence during the Super Bowl added a new layer of impact. This expertly crafted commercial establishes some long-held stereotypes and then smashes them in an incredibly powerful way. There’s a great message here and inserting this ad into the the biggest football game of the year was a bold and brilliant move.

THE COMEDY KILLERS:

SNICKERS “THE BRADY BUNCH” & LOCTITE GLUE “POSITIVE FEELINGS”

In the funny department, Loctite and Snickers delivered the goods. The Snickers ad used a couple of oddball celebrities to great effect (more Trejo!). And the Loctite commercial features so much glorious weirdness you may feel like you’ve been sniffing glue. Both left us smiling.

DADDY DOUBLE FEATURE:

TOYOTA’S “MY BOLD DAD” & DOVE MEN+CARE “#REALSTRENGTH”

Emotional ads were more prevalent this year and these were two of the best. These commercials got every dad in America (yep, even that guy) choked up thinking about their children. They didn’t just tug at your heart, they pretty much yanked it out of your chest. Some great storytelling here.

THE LOST OPPORTUNITY: WHERE WAS THE BRAND MESSAGING?

There was a hugely important marketing component missing from most of this year’s commercials: the brands themselves. Even many of the best ads seemed strangely disconnected from the brands they were promoting. Take the Dove ad above. How does Dove’s brand really play into being a father? Does the commercial do anything to tie the two together in an effective way? Not really.

While a great Super Bowl commercial must grab us and entertain us, it also has to present a strong message that ignites our interest in the brand. Without that, what’s the point really?