Yes, I watched The Big Game......

[poltr1]

Yep, I watched Super Bowl XXXIX last night. Once again, I wasn't rooting for either the Patriots or the Eagles. As with previous years, the main reason for me to watch the game shifts from the teams to the commercials.

This year, I rated the ads on a 1-5 scale, with a 0 for offensive ads. I also added a +/- value for ones that fell between two numbers. Here's the scale:

5 is ROTFL / "Holy Sh--!" / a commercial that's remembered for years (Examples: Apple "1984", EDS "Cat Herding")
4 is LOL / "Whoa!" / a commercial that's remembered the next day (Examples: Budweiser "Bud Bowl" series, monster.com "Kids")
3 is chuckle / "Cool!" / a clever commercial (Examples: Most Anheuser-Busch and Pepsi commercials)
2 is no reaction / "OK" / Typical Super Bowl ommercial (Examples: Schick, Gillette, Master Lock "Bullet through the padlock")
1 is bored / "Ho-hum" / I've seen it before (Examples: Ads for the NFL or other network programs)

Thanks to Nipplegate last year, there were no 0s this year, in my opinion. But there were no 5s either.


Here's the complete list of commercials with ratings. The names I've given to the commercials are my own and probably don't match the official or canonical commercial names.

Pre-game (from Alicia Keys onward):

DirecTV: "History of TV"			4-
Frito-Lay Toastitos: "Wedding party"	3+
Blockbuster Video: "Mailbox"			2
Ford Trucks: "Bikers"				3+
McDonald's: "Lincoln Fry"			4
CA Milk: Sadie					2-
movie: "XXX: State of the Union"		3
Verizon: "Chimps With Bananas"		2-
Blockbuster Video: "Mailbox" 			(repeat)
Pizza Hut: "Dipping" (Muppets)		3

1st quarter:

Ford Mustang: "Frozen"				3
Bud Light: "Skydivers"				2
O2 Optix contact lenses				2
movie: "Constantine"				3+
Diet Pepsi: "Pepsi Trucks (P.Diddy)"	3+
Bubbilicious					3-
Olympus: "M:Robe"					2
movie: "The Pacifier"				2
FedEx-Kinko's: "10 Things"			4
Bud Light: (Bernie Mac)				3
Volvo: "Rocket"					3+
Diet Pepsi: "The Hunk"				4+
godaddy.com: "Hearings"				3+
Bud Light: "Camera Phones"			2
movie: "The Longest Yard"			2
McDonald's: "Lincoln Fry"			(repeat)
Visa Check Card: "Marvel Heroes"		3
Ameriquest: "Store Robber"			3
Quizno's: "Talking Baby"			2+

2nd quarter:

movie: "Hitch"					2
MBNA Credit: "Rugby (Gladys Knight)"	3-
Honda Ridgeline: "Driving"			2
Bud: "Animals Want to be Clydesdales"	3+
Frito-Lay: Lay's "Neighbor"			3
Subway: "Lovers' Lane"				3+
Pepsi: "iTunes 1"					3
movie: "Be Cool"					2
Degree: "In-Action Heroes"			4
Pepsi: "iTunes 2"					2
Cadillac: "The Tunnel"				3-
careerbuilder.com: "Chimps #1"		3
Taco bell: "Rookie Cards"			3-
Bud Light: "Cockatoo"				3+
movie: "Batman Begins"				3+
Silestone: "I'm Diana Pearl"			3
Michelob Amber Bock: "Rich/Smooth 2"	3

3rd quarter:

Taco bell: "Rookie Cards"			(repeat)
Ford Focus: "Drive Me"				2
Bank One: "Maximum Checking"			2
Ford Mustang: "Frozen"				(repeat)
Olympus: "M:Robe"					(repeat)
Tabasco: "Bikini Girl"				3
movie: "Robots"					2
Anheuser-Busch: "Hero's welcome"		3+
Napster: "Napster To Go #1"			2
Staples: "Easy Button"				2
Ameriquest: "Cat Spills Spaghetti Sauce"	3+
careerbuilder.com: "Chimps #2"		2
movie: "War Of The Worlds"			2
Cialis: "Be My Baby"				2
Honda Ridgeline: "Belt Buckles"		2
Verizon V-Cast: "Miniaturization"		3-

4th quarter:

Toyota Prius: "Spinning Wheels"		3+
Bud: "Budweiser Select"				2
Mastercard: "Food Icons Eating Dinner"	3+
Emerald Cashews: "Legends"			3+
Anheuser-Busch: "Designated Driver (Cedric)" 2
careerbuilder.com: "Chimps #3"		3-
movie: "Sahara"					3-
Diet Pepsi: "Pepsi Trucks (P.Diddy)"	(repeat)
Cadillac XLR: "Eloping"				3+
Napster: "Napster To Go #2"			2
Verizon: (not identified)			3
Subway: "Lovers' Lane"				(repeat)

Trends: Most of the commercials I liked were clever, ironic, or humorous, and aired in the first half.

So what were my favorites this year? McDonald's: "Lincoln Fry", FedEx-Kinko's: "10 Things", Diet Pepsi: "The Hunk", Degree: "In-Action Heroes".

Honorable mention: DirecTV: "History of TV", Ford Trucks: "Bikers", Volvo: "Rocket", Budweiser: "Clydesdale Donkey II",
Subway: "Lovers' Lane", Bud Light: "Cockatoo", Anheuser-Busch: "Hero's welcome", Ameriquest: "The Cat", Toyota Prius: "Spinning Wheels".

View the commercials here if you missed or skipped the game. (Requires Flash player and a fast internet connection.)

[Updated 2/7/05 15:39: USA Today has their ad-meter (and downloadable commercials) here.]