Super Ad...

Not only did my Chicago Bears lose the Super Bowl XLI last Sunday, my profession lost the advertising Super Bowl. No single ad stood out as best.

Usually one ad jumps out to me as #1. This year I couldn't decide. Not because they're so many great ads. Because they're all just -- good.

No one used that $2.6-million-30-seconds-of-fame to break out and sear their brand in viewers' minds.

So, I've created several categories to give my Super Ad cheers and sneers. (Only commercials DURING the game were eligible.):

MOST SPENT ON ADS: Bud
Bud & Bud Light ran 8 Super Bowl ads. I only remember two: the auctioneer wedding and the crabs worshipping the Bud cooler.
Which goes to prove spending a lot of money doesn't guarantee results.

MOST SPENT ON PRODUCTION: Coke
I counted 4 Coke ads. Three appeared to cost well above average to produce.
Unfortunately, the one I remember most, was the cheapest: A Coke bottle timeline tribute to African-American athletes.

BEST TRIBUTE: Coke
The above tribute was well done while promoting the Coke branding. Dorito's was second place in the category, but also good.
Which proves it doesn't take a lot of bells and whistles to make your point -- just a strong focus.

Next time, I'll award more honors and explain what this all means if your entire ad budget is under $2.6 million.

To see these, and all the Super Bowl XLI commercials again, go to:

http://cbssports.com/superads


- Phil Sasso