Target Print Ads

Ever since I was a teenager I've had a very odd habit every Sunday. As soon as I open the paper, I flip not to the comics, not to the sports, but to the Target Ad.

To me, the Target Ad is everything an advertisement should be. An eye catching, attactive layout. Items and colors appropriate with the theme (such as this week's Valentine's Ad in which every product seems to be red or white), and items that both men and women like to browse for.

Healing God's Way

I saw an ad for a local chiropractor yesterday that said, "Try Healing God's Way."

Found it amusing given the association of the profession to certain religions and for the fact that I tend to believe that medicines and science are also part of God's way.

Super Bowl Winners And Losers

Best Campaign

Ameriquest's Cat Killer and Store Robber ads. Brought attention to the product, succeeded in connecting the wacky to a mortgage company, of all things.

Worst Use Of $2.4 Million Dollars

GoDaddy.com's poorly written and produced ad where what appears to be the world's dimmest Hooters Girl keeps losing the strap to her outfit. The whole joke is the strap. The concept of having a woman dressed like this testifying makes no sense, and why in the heck GoDaddy.com thought it was necessary to advertise a product that probably 98% of the SuperBowl audience will never purchase is beyond me. The full ad is even worse.

2nd Worst Use of $2.4 Million Dollars

The countertop ad with Mike Ditka, Jim McMahon, and the Fridge. Yes, the ad was supposed make you start asking questions, but I don't think the question was supposed to be "Who the heck places an ad for kitchen and bath remodeling in the Super Bowl"? And why in the heck would you use Dennis Rodman for the punchline? In my book, Dennis Rodman is a walking wardrobe malfunction.


Best Use of Advertising Icons

MasterCard's Corporate Mascot Dinner. This one was fun for people over 30 everywhere.

Worst Use of Advertising Icons

Budweiser Clydesdales in the Clydesdale tryouts. The tiny mule won our hearts last year, but they would have been better off following the mule for another year, not trying to outdo last year with even more animals.

Campaign I Miss The Most

Bud Bowl. Yes, it was dumb. Yes, it probably cost a bunch to produce. But I enjoyed watching it every year and trying to guess who would win. I always rooted for Bud Lite. Does that make me a wuss?

Ad Trend I Wish Would Come Back

Cool Characters and running themes -- I loved the Budweiser Frogs. Still do. I wish someone had done an ad with something cute or at least that carried over the entire Super Bowl.

Ad Trend I'd Like to Go Away (and for more than 4 hours)

Viagra, Cialis, and other ads that put visions of my parents or their parents "getting frisky" in my head.

MORE TO COME

USA Today's Ad Meter -- Bud Lite Parachute Ad Wins

My favorite commercial, the Ameriquest Store Robbery came in second. Click on the title of the posting to link to the Ad Meter Results.

Tabasco Sauce Tan Lines

One of the only sexy ads in the Super Bowl, and its a good one, from the Tabasco bathing suit to the payoff, Tabasco had made everything under her swimsuit sunburn.

Crutmeter Rating: 8

Cosetino Silestone Countertops

Okay, if you're going to link three Chicago Bears, please don't throw in a bathing Dennis Rodman to make me ill. It's nice to have a commercial in the Super Bowl when you've never done it before, but this company is so out of place, this ad seems like $2 million plus thrown down the drain.

Crutmeter Rating: 3.0 (But only 'cuz I have fond memories of the Super Bowl Shuffle)

Napster -- Super Bowl Sign

A cheesy looking ad, but gets its point across. Why pay $10,000 for 10,000 songs when you can put whatever you want on your player from Napster? Call me intrigued.

Crutnacker Rating: 6

Staples -- Easy Button

I don't get this campaign. Was getting office supplies that hard? The idea that Staples will somehow make your life easier is lost in the gimmick (which isn't that funny to begin with.)

Crutmeter rating: 5.5

Pepsi -- I Tunes -- Singing Bottle

Nice audio/visual gimmick of having the open bottle act as the I-tunes radio. These ads are much better than the ones last year with people who got burned for downloading music illegally. But, since it's for a contest, this one will probably get overplayed and old fast.

Crutnacker Score: 7

Subway -- Steamy Car

I'm sorry, but I don't get it. Subway has hot subs, and when you toast something (at least using the glorified toasters that Subway has purchased), you don't steam up the windows. This was an attempt for funny that fell flat. Subway's always let the food speak for itself, and it's not wise to try something different.

Crutmeter Rating: 3

War of the Worlds

Great effects footage of destruction. Yeah, we've seen things get destroyed before in Independence Day, Day After Tomorrow, and others, but the fact that Tom Cruise is in it, and Spielberg's directing makes the footage more exciting. Best movie preview.

Crutmeter Rating: 8

Lay's Potato Chips -- Mean Neighbor

Kids toss chips over the wall to get their ball returned by a neighbor. In return, they get their ball, a dog, an old car, and MC Hammer, who they throw back.

Nice ad, reminds me of the goofy Pepsi ads of old.

Crutmeter Rating: 7.5

Anheuser Busch -- Returning soldiers

The only feel-good ad so far. Soldiers return home and everyone in the airport applauds. Great feel to the ad. Nice message without overdoing it.

Crutmeter rating: 8

Cedric's Designated Driver Dance

Funny ad with Cedric the Entertainer trying to pantomime that he's a designated driver to a friend across the room. Clubgoers think he's doing a dance and copy his moves. Anheiser Busch once again makes an amusing ad about the importance of being a designated driver.

Crutmeter Rating: 7.5

Ameriquest -- Cat knocks over the spaghetti sauce.

Ameriquest wins the adbowl this year. This ad, while not as funny as the convenience store ad, was a great continuation of the campaign with a horrific looking payoff shot of the guy holding his red sauce soaked cat and a knife. This ad probably wouldn't have worked for a lot of companies, but with it being for a financial company, it somehow works.

Crutmeter rating: 8.5

Budweiser Select

I want a beer. Of course, not that beer.

Crutmeter Rating: 3

MasterCard Corporate Mascot Ad

Cute ad, although I was so busy counting off who was in the ad that I missed the copy. Having Mr. Clean actually doing the dishes was a nice touch.

Crutmeter Rating: 7

Toyota Prius Ad

Okay, I'm a bit behind, had to make some dinner. The Toyota Prius ad was well shot, with an interesting gimmick, but it would have been nice to see a little more selling of the green/money saving aspects of the car instead of shots of its rather ugly shape.

Crutmeter Rating: 5

Hitch Ad

Crutmeter Score: 7

MBNA

Odd juxtaposition of things people don't really think about, Gladys Knight and Rugby. Got its point across (namely, they have a card for everything), but more odd than amusing.

Crutmeter Score: 4

Honda Truck Ad:

This is the best Chevy ad so far this Superbowl. Too bad it's for a Honda truck.

Crutmeter Score: 2

Bud Light Ticket Giveaway

Guy gives his ticket to friends so he can steal the friend's girlfriend. Funny.

Crutnacker Score: 6.5

Longest Yard

Crutnacker Score: 6

Super Heroes Visa Check Card

Funny ad. The reaction of all the superheroes is priceless. (Ooops, used a Mastercard word).

Crutmeter Score: 9

Ameriquest -- Convenience store owners beat up cell phone user. This one cracks me up. The message ties into the company and the ad was funny as heck, primarily because I've always wanted to beat up one of those headset wearing, loud talking cell phone users myself.

Crutnacker Score: 10

Quiznos Subs

I hate Baby Bob. He scares me and distracts from the food.

Crutnacker Score: 4

Volvo Ad -- Rocket With Branson

Bumper sticker on rocket was funny, but the entire ad showed too little of the car, which is typically what sells a car.

Crutmeter Score: 4

Diet Pepsi Stayin' Alive

The guy walking down the street attracting all the ladies' attention because of his Pepsi was a bit obvious, but bringing in the guy from Queer Eye to also turn around and stare made me laugh hard. But really Pepsi, isn't Cindy Crawford done?

Crutmeter Score: 7


GoDaddy.com

Ad was tacky without being funny. The Bud Light ad spoofing the wardrobe malfunction was much funnier.

Crutmeter Score: 3

Pacifier with Vin Diesel

Bald Man and a Baby. Looks cute. But it's a movie ad.

Crutmeter Score: 6

FedEx Superbowl necessities

Funny ad. Not sure what it has to do with Fed Ex, except trying to win the Admeter race. Probably will get a strong score.

Crutmeter Score: 8

Bud Lite with Cedric and bickering women.

Sexist, nowhere near as funny as previous Cedric ads.

Crutmeter Score: 5

P Diddy -- Diet Pepsi on Red Carpet

Funny ad spoofing the way certain celebrities can create trends. Punchline with Carson Daly and Monster Pepsi truck was funny.

Crutmeter Score: 7

Lebron James Bubbilicious

All that money to sell bubble gum? Wouldn't it have been cheaper to mail everyone a free piece?

Crutmeter Score: 4

Olympus MP3 Camera

Reminded me too much of that silly ad for Levis with the loose limbed guy. Product looks neat though.

Crutmeter Score: 6

Bud Light Parachute Jump

Pilot jumps out of the plane after the Bud Light. Funny!

Crutmeter Score: 8

O2 Contacts

Ad had a nice look, but I'm not sure that it's the right ad for the Super Bowl, and from the ad, it was very tough to tell what the heck it was for.

Crutmeter Score: 4

Constantine

Seen it. Who cares. It's Keanu.

Crutmeter Score: 3

Mustang Convertible in the Snow Ad

Nice ad, although I'm not partial to dead people advertising products. The eyes open, wide smile was a nice touch.

Crutmeter Rating: 6.5 (Would have been higher, but the car looks much better in person than any ad has shown.)

Pizza Hut Muppets Ad

My daughter likes it. But really, do I want a pig selling me sausage pizza?

Crutmeter Rating: 4, but only because the pizza looks good.

McDonald's Lincoln Fry -- Quick Review

Cute ad, playing up the recent rash of foods being sold on Ebay because they look like something. It must be working because I immediately went to the website and the fake fry is already up to $500 with close to 100 bids.

Crutmeter Rating: 7

The USA Today Super Bowl Advertising Page

I'm sure they'll soon have links to the advertisements for this year.