Third Annual Super Bowl Commercial Awards by Kristin Wallace

It's that time of year again. I’m back with my third annual Super Bowl Commercial Awards for 2020, reviewing my favorite spots from the Big Game. With my background as an advertising copywriter I tend to pay attention to commercials more than many people. However, the Super Bowl is basically…well…the Super Bowl for advertisers. 

Here’s a look at my favs from this year…

1. NFL - Next 100

Last year, the NFL ran with a hilarious spot featuring the greats from football tearing apart a fancy ballroom in pursuit of a football. This year’s spot was just as good. It also featured many past players. However, the star was a young boy running while the players encourage him to “take it the house, kid”. Best part of the spot was the end when the kid from the spot ran onto the field.

2. Hyundai Park the Car

This spot highlighting the "smart park" feature on the new Hyundai also features the infamous Boston accent as a character, along with famous actors who are actually from Boston, including Chris Evans, John Krasinski, and Rachel Dratch. Clever and funny.

3. Jeep® Groundhog Day

This spot is a hilarious take on the Bill Murray classic film, Groundhog Day. In the spot, Bill Murray is once again stuck on Groundhog Day. Even the annoying salesman Ned Reyerson shows up. However, he doesn’t mind because he found a Jeep to play with and he became best friends with the groundhog.

4. Walmart Parking Lot Delivery

Last year, the spot featured famous cars from TV and movies arriving to pick up groceries from Walmart. This year, even more characters showed up, including Bill from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Flash Gordon, the aliens from Mars Attacks, the pug from Men in Black, R2D2 and C3PO, and Marvin the Martian.

5. Reece’s Take 5

This one pokes fun at various play on words when one office worker can’t believe her co-workers have never heard of Reece’s Take 5. Wait for the hilarious visual representation of “got your head up you’re a@@?” at the end.

6. Amazon #BeforeAlexa

This spot features Ellen Degeneres asking what people did before Alexa and then we see various versions of historic “Alexas” responding to requests.  

7. Google Loretta

Warning…this spot is a tearjerker so have a Kleenex handy. It features a man asking Google to remember things about his beloved wife… I’m not crying…you’re crying!

8. Little Caesar’s Delivery

I don’t want to leave you on a sad note, so including this funny spot featuring a poor marketing exec who has to come up with the next "best thing since sliced bread" since Little Caesar’s delivery has claimed that distinction. Fans of The Office might recognize Dwight as the hapless exec.

Kristin Wallace is a USA Today Bestselling Author of sweet contemporary and inspirational romance filled with "Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith". It's not too late to pick up her holiday box set featuring three Christmas romances (Finding You At Christmas, Falling For You At Christmas, and Loving You At Christmas). Christmas in Shellwater Key is available on Kindle Unlimited so go ahead and scoop it up now. 

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My Favorite Super Bowl Commercials by Kristin Wallace

Last Sunday was the Super Bowl where the New England Patriots took on the Philadelphia Eagles. A lot of people watch for the game. I tend to watch for something else…the commercials. Since I work in advertising, it makes sense. I wanted to give you a round up of my favorite commercials in case you missed them.

My favorite Super Bowl commercials

It's all Tide ads

Every Super Bowl ad is secretly a Tide ad. Funny…clever…original. Bonus points at how they managed to play off other famous commercials like Mr. Clean and Old Spice. Another bonus is that it features (David Harbour) from Stranger Things, and I love that show and him.

Amazon Alexa

Alexa loses her voice so Amazon hires “fill ins” to provide answers with hilarious results. I especially love the Anthony Hopkins a la Silence of the Lambs.

Diet Coke Mango

Personally, I’m betting that Diet Coke Mango is super gross…but there is something about this strangely odd lady and her dancing that is both weird and weirdly mesmerizing. Maybe it’s her total deadpan expression.

Toyota  - Good Odds

Pulling at the heartstrings is a popular theme, especially for Super Bowl commercials when giant corporations (who are paying millions to run a 30-second tv commercial Super Bowl ad) want everyone to think they "care". Sometimes these feel good commercials come off as overly saccharine, fake or preachy. This one works, though. It’s emotional and inspirational, without being cloying or hitting you over the head with how you're supposed to feel.

Visit Australia

This clever spot looks like a trailer for a new Crocodile Dundee movie or maybe a spoof (it even has a cameo by the original Crocodile Dundee), but it’s really a tourism ad for Australia. Honestly, I picked this one mainly because it features Chris Hemsworth.

Universal Parks Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning on a trip to Universal Parks. Again, I picked this because I really like Peyton Manning and his delivery is great in this spot. I love how the little girl is trying to teach him how to use a wand a la Harry Potter, but Peyton can’t do it and is “uncoachable” in her words.

Groupon - Who Wouldn't?

A funny spot for Groupon, featuring comedian Tiffany Haddish who was probably the best thing about the movie Girls Trip starring Jada Pinkett Smith & Queen Latifah. 

Febreeze - #BleepDontStink

Bodily functions are always funny, no matter how “mature” we think we are.  This commercial is about a guy who’s #BleepDontStink done in the style of docudrama interviews. It’s cheeky and clever, and it makes a good point. You need Febreeze for the bathroom when you have all those guests over for the Super Bowl.  

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and contemporary romance, and women’s fiction filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. She is the author of two best selling series, Shellwater Key Tales (sweet contemporary romance) and Covington Falls Chronicles (inspirational romance). Her latest book, LOVING YOU AT CHRISTMAS, is available now at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble and Kobo.

Look for Kristin’s new series The Heiress Games, launching in April, (Least Likely Heiress, Not Quite An Heiress & The Forgotten Heiress). Get a sneak peek at the series with a FREE Chapter Sampler with the opening chapters of all three books. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD!