Super Bowl advertising

Super Bowl XLV is over and not only did the game live up the hype, it was a good night of Super Bowl advertising as well. Now, don't get me wrong, it wasn't a great night of advertising but certainly a marked improvement over the past four or five years when sophomoric humor and shots to the crotch were the order of the evening.

The following are ads which stuck out for me, both the good and some of the bad.

- Chevrolet Camaro: The ad played on the current fad of consumer-generated advertising but, along the way, provided brand imagery which was consistent with the essence of the new Chevy Camaro. The ad's ending twist made the commercial all the better.

- Coke: The Coke advertising was different, upbeat and what cola advertising is supposed to be about--lighthearted fun.

- Chrysler: Advertising on the Super Bowl is risky--producing a two-minute spot for the big game means you'd better get it right. I liked the intent of the spot and the execution but wonder about the use of Eminem, for a brand like Chrysler, as the spokesperson.

- Motorola Zoom: I've seen some suggest that this approach didn't resonate because of the linkage to Apple's iconic 1984 spot. Actually, I thought it worked for that very reason--it linked to the most famous spot in recent advertising history yet was different enough, and Apple-like in imagery, to drive the point that this product is different than the closed environment of Mr. Jobs and team.

- FOX's Daytona promotions: Really? What was up with that advertising!?

- Bud Light "product placement": This ad linked the overwhelming desire by men to drink Bud Light with the current topical marketing phenomenon of product placement. Well done!

- Audi A8: Any spot which allows Kenny G to make fun of himself is good stuff.

- Go Daddy: Just...GO...DADDY...AWAY.

- Chevy Cruze: Perhaps instant Facebook audio updates are social media gone bad to some, but the execution of this commercial through the understood anxiety about a first date was spot on.

- Doritos: The ad with the guy licking his buddy's finger was just plain weird; the ad with the dog flying through the glass door and pinning the boyfriend was funny and memorable.

- Snickers: Last year's spot featured lovable Betty White along with Abe Vigoda. This year's spot featured Roseanne Barr and Richard Lewis and was the exact same construct as the prior year's version. If you're going to repeat the idea, you'd better use talent which the public finds appealing--not Barr and Lewis.

Special mention has to go to Chevrolet for the "retro Chevy commercial combined with the hottest pop culture phenomenon of 2010-2011" long-form spot on Glee, immediately following the Super Bowl. The spot, and its integration into the show, capped off a good evening of advertising for the automaker.