• by Seana Mulcahy , February 7, 2005

You are probably a bit groggy from watching the Super Bowl last night. What did you think? For the first time in a long time I didn't throw another one of my game-day soirees. I went with friends to a bar at a Chinese restaurant. TVs littered the wall. The waitstaff all wore beads and none other than our beloved Pats sweatshirts. It was a bit odd. It was also the first time I wasn't surrounded by other ad geeks like me. I must say it was strange all around.

I heard a woman from the next table over say (in a horrible Boston accent), "Shut up, we have to watch the ads." It made me laugh out loud. After last year's "wardrobe malfunction" incident by Janet Jackson, this year was a snoozefest.

As a digital media gal, I'm always mesmerized at the price of the ads, let alone the cost of creative and production. Give $2.4 million (USD) to just about anyone online and we can put on quite a show. But I digress, what did you think of the ads?

I guess I'm not the norm when I think of Bud. I'm also not the demographic. I thought the creative was less than stellar. I did like they way Cedric the Entertainer was used. I applaud the creative concept of "Designated Driver." If you didn't see it, a guy at a very crowded bar yells across and asks to buy Cedric a beer. Cedric says he's the designated driver. The guy can't hear him over the music and the crowd. Cedric launches into a charades-like movement to illustrate he's the designated driver. In the meantime, the entire club (including the DJ) behind him thinks it's a new dance. They continue doing the driving move and the commercial ends. It was clever, funny, and a good responsible message.

My applause for Anheuser soon turned into a cringe when I found out the "Salute" ad was for beer. I was moved by everyone in the ad saluting as our armed forces walked by. The fact that it was Anheuser completely discounted my feeling of being moved and being proud to be an American.

Could the domain name registration company GoDaddy.com have been any tackier? The buxom girl jumps up and the strap on her way-to-tight tank top pops off. As she covers her boob, she continues on in her baby-talk voice. No wonder the bulk of mainstream public thinks the Net is the gateway for porn. I guess the flip side is everyone will remember the commercial and the company name. But please, can we have some positive brand association already?!

In the Mustang commercial, a police officer got out of his cruiser in an artic-like setting to question a guy in a Mustang that was stopped at a green light. When the officer arrived, he realized the guy, outfitted in shades and a Hawaiian shirt, was frozen stiff. I vaguely remember the copy, but it was something about how it would be crazy to launch the new Mustang convertible in the middle of winter. Funny, but I don't think Ford dealers in this region will be packed with people today.

If you want to check any of the ads out, click here.

We can envy monies spent and always think we cold have done so much more with it, but let's face it, we always watch the ads (some of us more than the game). What was your favorite ad? What was your least favorite? Share your thoughts on the SPINboard.