Tuned In: Super Bowl commercials disappointing for most part
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Matthew Broderick played himself in a grown-up version of his celebrated Ferris Bueller role to promote the all-new 2012 Honda CR-V in the new Super Bowl commercial.
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According to one poll released last week, 55 percent of U.S. adults said they planned to tune in to Sunday's Super Bowl as much or more for the commercials than for the game. If that's true, and if those viewers also spend any time on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, odds are this was a pretty disappointing year for them.
Many advertisers revealed their Super Bowl commercials online in the week leading up to the game -- including Honda's ad with Matthew Broderick reliving "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" -- leaving few surprises for game day.
Leaking commercials early online is probably smart business but it curtails the cultural imperative to watch the big game for the ads.
The relatively new concept of teaser ads also proved to be a double-edged sword.
VW, looking to relive the buzz from last year's "Star Wars"-themed ad with a child dressed as Darth Vader, launched a teaser ad in recent weeks featuring a dog choir barking Darth Vader's theme. It was a hoot. But the follow-up ad that aired during the Super Bowl -- also featuring a dog and denizens of a "Star Wars" Cantina watching the dog commercial on TV -- wasn't as much fun as the tease, and some of my viewing companions didn't get the link to last year's spot.
Some advertisers refrained from leaking their spots, offering surprises, including a Best Buy ad honoring tech inventors like the Words with Friends creators, who spoofed Alec Baldwin (a flight attendant made them shut off their phones). A Budweiser Prohibition-era spot seemed to be influenced by the popularity of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire."
Other ads disappointed, including the exhibitionist M&Ms and several lame Bud Light Platinum spots. A tax software company promoted itself with a little boy urinating in a pool, and a flower delivery company suggested men who send flowers are guaranteed sex on Valentine's Day (women at my Super Bowl viewing party yelled at the TV after that one).
Other ads and trends worth noting:
Best use of TV character actors: The Jerry Seinfeld spot for Acura where he tries to be first in line to get a new car made terrific use of icons familiar to TV fans, including Jay Leno, actor Larry Thomas reprising his role as the Soup Nazi from "Seinfeld" and Michael J. Anderson (the backwards speaking dwarf from "Twin Peaks") as one of the last living Munchkins from "Wizard of Oz."
First Published February 6, 2012 12:24 am
