Super Bowl XLIII Commercials Review - Second Quarter

Bridgestone - "Taters" - :30

Teaser:

Full Spot:
Summary: Features Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. An excursion on a picturesque mountain road takes an unexpected turn when they encounter a herd of sheep on a tight curve.
Agency: Richards Group, Dallas
Review: Cute. Not memorable.

NBC Universal's Universal Pictures - "Fast and Furious."
Agency: In-house

Castrol Motor Oil - Grease Monkey- :30

Summary: Cute monkeys working on car.
Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
Review: Cute - like that he kissed the monkey at the end. Can't be a Super Bowl ad without them. But at least they made sense in this one.

NBC Universal's Universal Pictures - "Land of the Lost"
Agency: In-house

PepsiCo's Frito-Lay/Doritos - Power of the Crunch- :30

Summary: Guy eats chips and makes things happen like money flying around, girls clothes come off, etc.
Agency: n/a
Review: Blah. Feels like something GoDaddy would have done.

GoDaddy - "Shower/Danica Patrick" - :30

Summary: Ad features Patrick in a shower with another woman as three college students control the women's movements from a computer keyboard.
Agency: In-house
Review: Yawn. I knew this ad was the one that would air. Of course those who would vote on these would pick her in the shower. Duh. Stupid.
(See the GoDaddy - "Enhancement" spot that didn't end up airing).

PepsiCo Beverages/Pepsi Max - "I'm Good" - :30


Summary: Pepsi Max ads will air a :30 spot of its new "I'm Good" series.
Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day
Review: Great. Lots of fun.

Pedigree - "Crazy Pets" - :30

Summary: The Mars dog-food brand makes its first Super Bowl appearance in an ad by TBWA/Chiat/Day that shows us that not all pets are created equal for Pedigree. You can also see behind-the-scenes videos at Pedigree.com.
Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day
Review: Fun. Love it.

Anheuser-Busch/Budweiser - "Clydesdales Stick" - :30

Summary: One of the Clydesdales raises the ante on his Dalmation friend.
Agency: DDB, Chicago
Review: Cute. Not super memorable but fun.

Anheuser-Busch/Budweiser - "Clydesdales Circus" - :60

Summary: One of the famous Clydesdales falls in love with a horse from the circus. But as the circus leaves town, we see that love knows no boundaries.
Agency: DDB, Chicago
Review: Cute. Nice to see some romance and men acting not like farting meatbags in an ad, even if it's a male horse. ;)

Paramount Pictures - 'Star Trek'
Agency: In-house

PepsiCo Beverages/Gatorade - "Jordan" - :30

Summary: Gatorade will reveal that the drink marketer is the brand behind the "What's G?" campaign. Narrating one of the ads is Grammy nominated artist Lil' Wayne who defines what "G" means in a Gatorade context as the heart, hustle and soul of athleticism. In the second spot, 16 athletes from 10 different sports define what "G" means to them.
Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day
Review: Ok. Really not Super Bowl worthy, is it?

Cars.com - "David Abernathy" - :60

Summary: The commercial uses the epic life story of fictitious character David Abernathy to illustrate how even the most confident people need a little extra help when it comes to car shopping. From shaking his doctor's hand upon birth and successfully negotiating a later bedtime at age 3, to saving the class pets from his burning school and performing surgery at an opera house, the narrative spot takes viewers through various events in David's lifetime of confidence. Yet even David is intimidated when it comes time to buy a car. David's preparations on Cars.com build his confidence so he can get the perfect car at the perfect price. The ad closes with Cars.com's tagline, "Confidence Comes Standard."
Agency: DDB, Chicago
Review: Nice story telling. Much better than last year.

Hyundai - "Bosses" - :30

Summary: Features the Genesis sedan's "2009 North American Car of the Year" win at Detroit auto show. Drives to an online component at www.EditYourOwn.com which allows visitors to create their own version of a Genesis Coupe ad called “Epic Lap”, to be shared with friends and posted to social networking sites.
Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco
Review: Damn, say Hyundai a thousand times. Good golly. Good for branding though and it worked with the idea. Like a client's wet dream.

E-Trade Financial - "Flex the Pipes" - :30

Summary: E-Trade is bringing back the talking baby it used in the last contest. E-Trade declined to comment on the content of its Super Bowl advertising, but it has posted on YouTube a sneak peak.
Agency: Grey New York
Review: Eh. Not so memorable. Will get lost in the shuffle of other ads.

Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar - "Up"
Agency: In-house

Anheuser-Busch/Budweiser - "Skiers" - :30

Summary: Two guys talk about drinkability at a ski slope.
Agency: DDB, Chicago
Review: Classic Bud Light. Guys getting hurt, more slapstick-type humor.

H&R Block - "Death and Taxes" - :30

Summary: The ad will "carry out our "You've Got People" messaging and will introduce some unexpected characters you haven't seen with the H&R Block brand before," said Kathy Collins, VP-marketing for H&R Block. Abe Vigoda, the "Barney Miller" actor who was accidentally declared dead in 1982, will play the character Death in H&R Block's ad. The theme of the spot is: "Nothing in life is certain except death and taxes."
Agency: Campbell Mithun
Review: Yes, death and taxes. Obviously play.

Teleflora - :Office" :30

Summary:Teleflora's ad will use humor to show what flowers in a box, rather than delivered already assembled in a bouquet, says about the sender.
Agency: The Fire Station, the company's in-house agency
Review: Interesting. Edging on Super Bowl worthy. But not quite there. Felt kind of like a FedEx spot.

Monster - "Director of Fandemonium" - :30
Summary: The ad promotes a contest for the job of "Director of Fandemonium," which has a $100,000 "signing bonus" for the winner, and perks such as being on the field for the 2010 Super Bowl's coin toss.
Agency: BBDO
Review: Huh? More of an in-game promo thing. Boring.

Sprint Nextel- "Roadies" - :30
Summary: What if Roadies ruled the world? Sprint promotes Nextel Direct Connect service by showing how roadies would run an airline.
Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco
Review: Another old ad that's been around the block.

NFL/United Way - "Fit" - :30
Summary: Promotional - text "fit" to join the program
Agency:N/A
Review:Meh. Very promotional. Not quality Super Bowl material.

PepsiCo's Frito-Lay/Cheetos - "Uptown Snob" - :30

Summary: The first-time Super Bowl advertiser is using the spot to build on last year's work targeting adult consumers. An uptown girl sits down at a cafe and begins to behave snobbishly. The heroine, with a nod from Chester the Cheetah, tosses Cheetos near the offending girl. She is swarmed by pigeons.
Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
Review: Hahahah, nice. This might be more popular with the ladies who can't stand women like that. Popular with the fellas for the gross out/creepy factor.

Halftime:
Dreamworks - Monsters vs Aliens - aired in 3D (if you had the glasses)

DreamWorks Animation/PepsiCo's SoBe - "Lizard Swan Lake" - :60

Summary: Teaming up with NBC and Intel Corp. to create a 3-D ad break set to appear at the end of the second quarter. This eye-popping commercial interruption will include not only a trailer for the upcoming DreamWorks film "Monsters vs. Aliens," but also a 60-second ad for SoBe Life Water that features the popular SoBe lizards, which appeared during the game in 2008, alongside NFL stars and characters from the movie. The ad will include a "modern interpretation of the famed ballet Swan Lake, and the rhythmic effects when the players and creatures are infused with the refreshing and reinvigorating impact of SoBe Life Water," according to a press statement.
Agency: Arnell Group
Review: Not bad but was it worth all the money to produce in 3D and all? Quetionable. At least it didn't have pointless use of Naomi Campbell like last year. Overhyped just like every other SoBe Super Bowl ad.

Toyota Tundra - Burning Tower

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Los Angeles

Priceline - "help"

Agency:Butler Shine Stern & Partners
Erich Joiner of bicoastal Tool directed William Shatner as the priceline negotiator - here he acts as Cyrano to the husband who delivers a painfully (funny) poor Whilliam Shatner impersonation.

Overstock.com - Carlos Boozer

Universal Orlando Resort - :30
Summary: The NBC Universal resort is keeping things close to the vest, but promises it "will make theme park history with an inspiring commercial and an unprecedented offer."
Agency: David & Goliath, El Segundo, Calif.
Review: Ew. Dumb.

Local Spots:
Acura

Comcast - Turtles

Nerf

Acela

Dodge dealer - local

Miller High Life - 1 Second - : 01

Links to the other parts
Super Bowl XLIII Commercials Review - First Quarter
Super Bowl XLIII Commercials Review - Second Quarter
Super Bowl XLIII Commercials Review - Third Quarter
Super Bowl XLIII Commercials Review - Fourth Quarter