Out to Launch
Friday, February 1, 2013
Today, we'll look at additional Super Bowl ads from Kia, Hyundai, and GoDaddy. Also, in Dwayne Johnson's world, milk is more important than saving the world. Let's launch!
  • It’s two days before the big game and we’ve seen a bunch of ads break on YouTube. Personally, I’m underwhelmed, disappointed and may actually pay attention to the game, for once. Plus, I can go to the bathroom when the ads are running and not while the game is playing. That says a lot. Right now, my favorite ad remains “Prom” from Audi, and “Forbidden Fruit” from Allstate, even though Mayhem is technically not a Super Bowl ad, since it runs after the game.

    GoDaddyThere’s the kiss in “Prom,” Audi’s big-game ad where the dateless guy who plants one on the prom queen – and then there’s the kiss in Go Daddy’s “Perfect Match,” running in the first quarter. I’m not grossed out by the kiss, but Bar Refaeli looked very uncomfortable in front of the camera, which in turn made me feel the same. In the ad, Danica Patrick explains the two sides of GoDaddy: the sexy, played by Refaeli, and the smart, played by a nerdy guy named Walter. Put them together and magic happens. Cue the awkwardly extreme closeup of the pair locking lips. Go, Walter! The spot ends with the two coming up for air; I was waiting for a scene of Patrick just watching them make out. GoDaddy is maturing. Watch the ad here, created by Deutsch New York.

    MilkPepWhen the world is under attack by aliens, Dwayne Johnson’s priority is clear: He needs to drink some milk before he can fix the situation. MilkPEP’s ad, “Morning Run,” will air during second quarter. The morning begins with Johnson realizing he’s out of milk. How will his daughter and sleepover friends eat their cereal? Johnson leaves his building, only to find pandemonium in the street. A girl’s cat is stuck in a tree – sorry, can’t help you. A bank robbery is in progress, but Johnson lets the robbers go. A circus truck has crashed, leaving animals and clowns running rampant. TFB, Johnson needs some M-I-L-K. He grabs a gallon from a passing milk truck and returns home. He drinks a glass of milk and heads off to fight aliens. The least believable part of the spot is seeing the passing milk truck. I don’t know when I last saw one of those. See a 30-second version here and a 60-second version here, created by Deutsch New York.

    HyundaiHyundai is running a 60-second spot at the pre-kick promoting its Santa Fe vehicle. “Epic PlayDate” features The Flaming Lips, a custom song, “Sun Blows Up Today,” and one heck of an outing for a family of kids. First, the family reenacts movies like “Night at the Museum” and “Top Gun,” plays extreme bowling in a park, and practices yoga, all while The Flaming Lips pass by on a boat that looked like it came from Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. See the in-game ad here, and an extended version here, created by Innocean USA.

    KiaKia is serious about technology and introducing viewers to “Hotbots” in an ad running in the third quarter. These sexy robots are standing next to a 2014 Kia Forte while a group of automotive reporters cover the car launch. One man gets too close to the Forte and is kicked, atomic-wedgied and thrown into a hors d'oeuvres table. “Respect the tech,” closes the ad, seen here, and created by David&Goliath.

    Quick bits: Gildan launched its third quarter ad in its entirety. A guy goes back for his T-shirt. His one-night stand is sleeping in it and he proceeds to take it off her, while her cat watches. See it here. Century 21 Real Estate is running an ad in the third quarter where a bride asks a church-full of wedding guests if there’s a Century 21 agent in the house. There is nothing funny or sexy about selling real estate. At least not here.