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 Annual Super Bowl Commercial Awards by Kristin Wallace

Okay, yes it is February, which means Valentine’s Day, but since I am still very much single, I tend to ignore it entirely. Instead, I’m doing my 2^ndAnnual Super Bowl Commercial Awards where I present my favorite commercials from the big game. The Super Bowl was Sunday and though the game was a bit of snooze (13-3 and the last 10 points came in the last 5 minutes), there is still the entertainment factor of the commercials. Overall, even the commercials were a bit tepid this year, but there were a few standouts.

Best Super Bowl Commercials of 2019

NFL 100

The standout for me actually came courtesy of the NFL, which celebrated its 100th with a spot that featured a roomful of past and present football greats. The action starts in a ballroom of a reward show. There’s a cake with a gold football on top. The football is knocked off…and then chaos ensues, as every player wants that football. Brilliant and funny and so many great players, it’s hard to catch them all.

The Elevator – Hyundai

You know that saying, “I’d rather have a root canal” in reference to something you don’t want to do? I think that was the inspiration for this funny spot for Hyundai. It features Jason Bateman as an elevator attendant taking passengers to all kinds of horrible places, including the dentist, jury duty, the middle seat on an airplane. Of course, car shopping is among the horrors, but since the couple has Hyundai Car Assurance, it’s actually not so bad for them. 

T-Mobile

This spots is done entirely through texting and it’s super clever. There’s a guy wanting to celebrate Taco Tuesday but knowing his girlfriend with want sushi, a case of mistaken identity with a Lyft Driver, and a clueless dad thinking he’s texting Google for a recipe, but it’s really his daughter. 

  

Amazon – Not everything makes the cut

This ad shows the “fails” when Amazon tried to incorporate Alexa into a bunch of other products like dog collars, toothbrushes, hot tubs and even the space center. Also features a hilarious cameos by Harrison Ford and his dog. 

Mercedes-Benz - Say the Word

Yeah, there are a lot of car spots, but this one is clever and touts the voice commands of the Mercedez-Benz. A guy gets magical powers that can make parking tickets disappear, lights change to green, money rain out an ATM, and Free Willie. Too bad real life doesn’t happen that way, but it can “somewhat” happen with this voice-activated car. 

Kristin Wallaceis the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and contemporary romance, and women’s fiction filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. Look for her upcoming release, SECOND CHANCE HERO. 

And The Winner Is...The Super Bowl Ads by Kristin Wallace

Chances are a lot of you out there are a little tired today, thanks to a little game called the Super Bowl. Depending on who you are, you’re either very happy this morning (congrats Broncos fans) or very sad (sorry Carolina fans, maybe next year). Or if you’re like the majority of people in the country, you didn’t really care who won. In fact, you mostly tuned in for the commercials. Actually, the Super Bowl may be the one TV event where the commercials are more anticipated than the headlining event.

Since I have a background in advertising as a writer, I always pay special attention to the commercials. I thought this year’s batch was mostly so-so, but there were some standouts. So here is my review of my favorites.

Prius Great Escape: This may be my favorite of the night. A car chase with some bumbling bank robbers who try to get away in a Prius…and it goes pretty well since the car never runs out of gas.

Doritos Ultrasound: This one was deemed controversial by some, but I thought it was funny. Doritos always puts together something good, and this one delivered.

Hyundai Elantra Ryanville: I included this one because it has Ryan Reynolds as nearly every character in the spot. You’re welcome, ladies.

Hyundai The Chase: Hyundai scored again with this spot that seems be a takeoff of "The Revenant" and the famous “bear eats Leonardo” scene. I like that the one bear only wanted to hug them and the other wanted to eat them, even though he's a vegan (but it’s his “cheat day” so he's allowed).

NFL Super Bowl Babies: This one features kids (many of whom are now 50) who were all born 9 months after the Super Bowl. Funny concept. Guess we should all pay attention to the maternity wards in Denver 9 months from now.

Budweiser Simply Put: This is a PSA about not drinking and driving, only spoken by Helen Mirren with much more class. Somehow coming from her, even an insult is lovely.

Amazon Echo: This is a new product from Amazon. I guess it’s like a portable Siri? Still trying to figure that part out, but it is funny. As someone from Miami I applaud the use of Dan Marino. Jason Schwartzman, I don’t think you want to try sack Dan. Alec Baldwin is great, too.

Apartments.com: Jeff Goldblum riding a grand piano up a giant apartment building while singing the theme song from "The Jeffersons". I say…yes…brilliant.

Marmot: I include this one only because I think it’s a precautionary tale about being "too" clever in Super Bowl ad. So clever that no one actually knows what you are advertising in the end. I was watching the game with a room full of people and no one understood what the product was. Finally, someone said, I think it’s for outdoor equipment. 

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”. Visit Kristin’s website at Kristin Wallace Author 

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