EAST LANSING, Mich. — A Budweiser television advertisement featuring a Dalmatian dog that helps train a Clydesdale to lead the beer wagon, earned the top grade in the Michigan State University Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Retailing’s list of the best commercials of Super Bowl XLII.
While football fans watched the New York Giants upset the New England Patriots in Sunday night’s game, MSU advertising faculty members huddled to watch and grade the commercials. Of the nearly 54 commercials that aired during the Super Bowl, the experts rated Budweiser as the top ad in a good year for both the Super Bowl and the television ads.
“Beer usually is the king of Super Bowl advertising,” said Bruce Vanden Bergh, professor of advertising at MSU. “The Bud ad was emotional and well produced, and Super Bowl fans love any animal ads.”
Commercials for Bud Light featuring cavemen, a Bridgestone tire ad showcasing a screaming squirrel, and a talking baby plugging E-Trade also scored high marks from the advertising faculty.
Using a 10-point grading scale, the 18 faculty members rated each commercial based on creativity, production and overall quality. The faculty considered whether each commercial’s strategy was unique and relevant to the appropriate target consumers and also determined whether the ad’s execution was memorable and bolstered the reputation of the product.
Among the worst commercials airing in the Super Bowl this year were ads for General Motors hybrid Yukon, movie trailers, Salesgenie ads and a Doritos musical spot.
To listen to a podcast with Vanden Bergh, go to http://spartanpodcast.com/?p=380.
Here’s how the faculty graded the commercials:
Ad Score
Budweiser (Dalmatian helps Clydesdale) | 158 |
Bud Light (cavemen) | 138 |
Bridgestone (animals) | 136 |
E-Trade (baby talks) | 134 |
Pepsi Max (Missy Elliott and Stars) | 133 |
Doritos (mouse goes for the whole bag) | 132 |
Bud Light (fire-breathing man) | 128 |
Victoria's Secret (Happy Valentine's Day) | 126 |
FedEx (pigeons) | 120 |
Coca Cola (dueling parade balloons) | 118 |
Bud Light (cheese and wine) | 116 |
Tide to Go (talking stain) | 113 |
Bud Light (dates) | 112 |
Coca-Cola (Senator Frisk/James Carville) | 110 |
E-Trade (baby talks again) | 109 |
Bridgestone (Cooper/Simmons) | 102 |
Planters cashews (men like unattractive woman) | 100 |
Bud Light (man flies too high) | 100 |
Pepsi (Justin Timberlake) | 99 |
HyundaiGenesis (second ad) | 97 |
Garmin (Napoleon) | 96 |
Careerbuilder.com | 95 |
“Wanted” movie trailer | 94 |
SoBe Life water (naked lizard dance) | 93 |
Hyundai Genesis | 92 |
NFL.com (Chester Pitts makes NFL) | 92 |
Toyota Sequoia | 91 |
GoDaddy.com (Danica Patrick) | 90 |
Bud Light (Will Farrell) | 90 |
Sunsilk (Madonna and Marilyn Monroe) | 89 |
Glacau Vitamin Water (Shaq becomes jockey) | 88 |
Audi (Godfather) | 86 |
Toyota (Corolla keeps outside noise out) | 86 |
Cars.com (medicine man) | 83 |
Taco Bell (Fiesta platters) | 82 |
Under Armor (Big "E" and athletes) | 80 |
Dell RED | 78 |
Whitehouse drug policy office | 76 |
“Ironman” movie trailer | 75 |
Ice Breakers (Carmen Electra) | 75 |
“Leatherheads” movie trailer | 74 |
“Jumper” movie trailer | 74 |
Cars.com (witch doctor) | 72 |
Careerbuilder.com (wish upon a star) | 72 |
“Wall E” movie trailer | 72 |
Gatorade G2 | 71 |
“Narnia Prince Caspian” movie trailer | 71 |
Amp (energy drink tow truck driver) | 71 |
SalesGenie.com (Indian Sales gets Fired) | 66 |
T-Mobile (Dwyane Wade/Charles Barkley MyFaves) | 64 |
Gatorade (man's best friend) | 64 |
Doritos (monkey) | 60 |
SalesGenie.com (panda bamboo furniture drum sales) | 52 |
“You Don’t Mess with Zohan” movie trailer | 47 |
GMC Yukon hybrid | 46 |
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