If the Super Bowl is anything other than a sporting event, it’s a triumphant ode to consumerism. In preparation for each annual Super Bowl Sunday, corporations shell out inordinate amounts of cash to secure premium advertising spots for their products or services. Post-Super Bowl commercial and ad analysis has become as important as the game itself, highlighting the perceived ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ of the evening. Let’s run down a few of the favorites around the office, and examine why they were so successful.

Oreo Takes Advantage of the Blackout

The most impressive (and economical) ad-campaign of Sunday has to go to Oreo, who took advantage of the unexpected 30 minute-plus blackout that occurred shortly after halftime. Throwing together this advertisement on their social media outlets (which was retweeted over 14,000 times and attracted over 20,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook) the folks over at Nabisco received maximum visibility at little expense to their budgets, all on account of keeping on their toes.

Samsung Calls Saul and Utilizes Star-Power

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ae7E8J7h7Y[/youtube]

Celebrities are no strangers to Super Bowl commercials, but the key in their effectiveness is casting the right ones. The commercial for Samsung’s ‘Next Big Thing’ contest starred Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen, two of the most recognized comedic faces in Hollywood, but shifted into a higher gear with the addition of Bob Odenkirk as a Samsung Ad-Exec. Odenkirk plays the role of Saul Goodman on arguably the best show on television, Breaking Bad, and shouts of ‘You better call Saul!’ were immediately heard in my living room once he entered the frame. Throw in a Lebron James cameo and you’ve correctly cast the celebrities to have employees talking about your commercial around the water cooler on Monday morning.

Tide’s ‘No Stain is Sacred’

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLjjb7-WkUk[/youtube]

Wit and ingenuity go a long way in making a memorable and popular commercial. Tide’s ‘no stain is sacred’ ad worked because of how downright clever it was. Factor in the point that their marketing department only had a couple of weeks to come up with the Joe Montana stain idea, and it only adds to the brilliance of this piece of advertising.

Budweiser Makes Grown Men Cry

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2prAccclXs[/youtube]

And that brings us to the ‘aww’ factor. It’s not often you hear of a Super Bowl commercial with emotional impact, but Budweiser’s advertisement featuring its famed Clydesdale horses had the propensity to make even the hardest Ravens fan shed a tear. If you’ve ever seen White Fang, think the scene where Ethan Hawke is forced to release his beloved pet – and then condense it into a minute-long beer commercial set to Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide. Add in a call to action designed to boost their social media presence, and you have a prototypical Super Bowl spot.

-Carter Breazeale