The Rule of Five: 5 most notable Super Bowl 2016 ads
For the other 365 days of 2016, commercials will continue to be an ignored nuisance splitting up TV shows. However, during the Super Bowl, the commercials are part of the main event, as integral to the experience as watching the halftime show or wolfing down chips and dip.
Every year, Americans watch the Super Bowl on a Sunday in February, many watching for the weird, funny, and unique commercials as much as for the game itself. Businesses spend millions on these ads, some for mere seconds of screen time. Sometimes, their highly thought-out commercials hit the mark, and many times, they fall flat. I’ve compiled a list of this year’s “most notable” Super Bowl ads, and I’ll warn you, that most definitely does not mean that they’re all good.
1. Mountain Dew: PuppyMonkeyBaby
Just when you think advertising cannot get any weirder, Mountain Dew produces this horrifying monstrosity to prove you wrong. This ad for Mountain Dew’s new drink called the Kickstart is notable for its appalling strangeness, and it just makes me dislike Mountain Dew even more than I already did. The PuppyMonkeyBaby will haunt my nightmares for many weeks to come.
2. Heinz: Meet the Ketchups
On the other end of the spectrum, this Heinz commercial uses animals that are actually cute (specifically, some adorable dachshunds!) in ways that are not disturbing. I’m not going to lie; I might have emitted some high-pitched noises upon first seeing those wiener dogs galloping across an open field. The people in ketchup and mustard suits didn’t even need to be included in this commercial; those adorable dogs definitely stole the spotlight.
3. Doritos: Ultrasound
This was probably the second most upsetting commercial I saw last night; it wasn’t quite up to PuppyMonkeyBaby level, but it came close. Simply put, it was weird. Rather than being funny, which I suppose was intended, the ad almost verged on nightmarishly strange, and also ignited mixed reactions on Twitter.
4. Doritos: Doritos Dogs
Similar to the Heinz commercial, this ad scored points in my book for its excellent use of adorable dogs and almost redeemed Doritos for me. Anything including dogs in people clothing appeals to my highly developed sense of humor. Along with the Ultrasound ad, this commercial was created for the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl ad contest, and 2016 is the last year of the ten year old contest.
5. Campbell’s: This One’s for Mom
This soup ad is a good ol’ classic, stirring up feelings of nostalgia for viewers and maybe even a few tears. Filmed from inside the helmet of a football player as he grows up, with his mom always watching from the sidelines, this commercial proved to be corny, but sweet and unique. Campbell’s soup is known for their cheesy, feel-good ads, but I have a soft spot for them and all their “possibilities”.
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