Top Commercials from Super Bowl 49

Super Bowl 49 was certainly one for the record books. An incredible fourth quarter comeback led by “he who shall not be named”. A visually stunning halftime show starring Katy Perry, a mechanical tiger, dancing sharks, and the return of Missy Elliot. And, of course, the commercials.

Is it just me, or does it seem like every year the quality of these commercials diminishes? Everyone is trying to be funnier, sweeter or more socially aware—with nearly everything missing the mark. However, there were a few diamonds in the rough Sunday; here are my favorite ads from this year’s Super Bowl.

Clash of Clans. You had me at Liam Neeson.

This ad takes straight from the Taken films, which feature Liam Neeson offering very direct threats into his cell phone at his anonymous opponent who had destroyed his village in the Clash of Clans game. If you haven’t seen Taken 1, 2, and already pre-ordered your tickets for number 3 then this ad might not be for you. I’ve already watched it several times and it almost seems to get funnier each time.

Avocados from Mexico. I’ll be the first one to tell you that I watch way too much football. Between Saturdays and Sundays, Thursday and Monday Nights, multiple fantasy football leagues—I am amazed that I have any social life. With that said, I know all too well the stereotypes of NFL, that’s why I found this advertisement so comical.

Filmed like the NFL draft, I enjoyed the NFL personalities taking about the Kangaroo’s vertical jump, saying the sloth wasn’t a guy you want in the locker-room, the United States drafting wheat, and a polar bear pulling to be drafted by Mexico. I get it, it’s funny, it’s poking fun at football nerds like me and Avocados are delicious.

Loctite Glue. A small company that sells glue (I hadn’t heard of them until this game) buys Super Bowl commercial and fills the slot with a music video of a bunch of normal looking people singing and dancing to rap/dubstep. It’s silly, eye-catching, and showcases the benefits of the product. What’s not to love?

Always. On a more serious note, not every good ad during the Super Bowl was funny, some ads are intended to bring attention to important social issues and in doing so cater to our more emotional side. Which brings us to the Always ad. According to CNN, 46% of people watching the Super Bowl were girls, meaning that this ad hit right at it’s intended demographic, but it left an impact with just about everyone.

I had seen this campaign before the Super Bowl, they released a longer version earlier in the year, but the ad itself remains very powerful. Featuring several models (male and female) asked to demonstrate how to do things “like a girl” (run, fight, throw, etc.), and then contrasting them to the responses by little girls. The little girls have no perception how we as a society we have turned to using “like a girl” into a negative connotation and run, fight and throw like anyone would.

Which Super Bowl ad was your favorite? Let us know below.