• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer, February 2, 2011

I was all for this ad until the baby hit the window. Homeaway.com, a vacation rental Web site, is launching "Smush" in the third quarter of the big game. Music that sounds as if it was ripped from a James Bond film plays while the "Ministry of Detourism" takes viewers on a tour of a secret lair that saves family vacations from disastrous events. Like ricocheting your baby into a window. The secret test facility demonstrates what can go wrong when staying in hotels: having loud neighbors and rooming in cramped quarters are top vacation downers. On the other hand, renting a house gives families privacy and space. And keeps your babies on terra firma. "Why hotel when you can Homeaway," closes the ad, seen here. Vendor Inc. created the ad, directed by Rocky Morton of MJZ, with visual effects by The Mill.  

Teleflora, the online flower store that delivers flowers in vases rather than cardboard boxes, gets a most-improved ad award from me. After two years, the brand has ditched the talking flowers that belittled and insulted recipients. Sorry, Don Rickles: not even your voiceover could save those ads. This year, the 30-second spot, running in the second quarter, stars Faith Hill, promoting "The Collection by Faith Hill" floral arrangements. The spot takes place in a recording studio, where Hill helps her sound tech say the perfect thing to his girlfriend on Valentine's Day. I can't post the ad until post-Super Bowl, but I can tell you the funny moment targets the male population. Fire Station created the ad, produced by Hungry Man and directed by Bryan Buckley. 

Stella Artois is trickling out information about its big game commercial. "Crying Jean" stars Adrien Brody as a singer in an underground jazz club circa 1960. The ad is the latest in the brand's "She is a Thing of Beauty" campaign. Naturally, Brody sings to a group of beautiful women, but only has eyes for Stella. More on this ad when further information is released. In the meantime, viewers can go online for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of "Crying Jean." Mother London created the ad.

Volkswagen update: Wow. Judging by the number of emails I received yesterday, everyone is itching to watch "The Force." I didn't have a postable ad yesterday, but I do today. So without further ado, here are the full-length Volkswagen Super Bowl ads, entitled "The Force" and "Black Beetle." Enjoy.

 

Bridgestone update: There may be an ice storm hitting the East Coast, but that didn't stop my delivery of Super Bowl ads. You read that right: my DVD came today and made my morning. The bad news is that I can't post the ads until after the big game. But I will tell you this. If you reread my potential ad outcomes from Monday, they're not far off from the actual endings. I'm talking 80% accurate. Brush up so you'll be a step ahead of your Super Bowl party friends.