Superbowl XXXVIII Ad Review

Another Super Bowl comes and goes and so passes another set of ultra-expensive advertisements. This year, there were a few spots worthy of mention.

The Studs
1. Clearly, the funniest ad to grace the game of games was the Fed Ex “Castaway” spot. In a classic exchange, a bearded, knotty haired Tom Hanks-ish castaway delivers a package that was his “purpose” for pulling through while marooned on the island. As he’s about to leave, he asks the woman, “Hey, by the way, what’s in the package?” She responds glibly, “Uh…not too much. A satellite phone, a GPS locator, a fishing rod, and some seeds.” A good belly laugh.

2. Another great ad that showed its face was the zebra referee. While watching a reply over and over, a zebra, apparently referreeing a game between two teams of horses, is admired from the sideline. One man sneers “This referee is a jackass.” The other says calmly, “Actually, he’s a zebra.” Good stuff.

3. The office defense – Reebok hires a defensive lineman to be a “motivator.” We see him tackling people and ransacking the office. Sheer brilliance.

4. The Matrix and The Hulk spots. Not worthy of discussion, except to say they were awesome and they premiered.

The Duds
1. Willie Nelson, H & R Block was a good combo. While it did get a chuckle, the potential for a better gag was there.

2. The clown drinking through his butt: a man wearing a costume that looks like a clown standing on his hands drinks a beer through what appears to be the clown’s butt. Not especially funny.

3. mLife – The Gilligan thing was nothing special.

Just my thoughts.

Tags: Ads, Review, TV