DISCLAIMER: Not your typical #TopTenList

Shortly after halftime, I tweeted: @MaxxWellSaid Year of the DEEP commercial. Wow. #SB49

By this time it appeared that a number of commercials were laden with deep meaning, teachable moments and non-traditional approaches to “selling their wares.” Of those that look forward to Super Bowl commercials are typically entertained by creativity, humor, innuendos and those that find a way to go way farther than “should be allowed on television.”

This didn’t seem to be the case this year. Commercials made us think. They changed our mood. Some even caused extreme emotion such as tears and anger. As an executive leader of a family-focused for-impact organization, I was particularly pleased with the “family friendly” veil on some of the commercials and implied meanings and opportunities for discussion and a call to action.

It was hard to find a reliable site to view all of these commercials. The best one I found…that doesn’t crash is http://www.ispot.tv/events/2015-super-bowl-commercials-all

First for my list of Honorable Mentions (no particular order)

  • Go Daddy: For a socially responsible commercial highlighting hardworking small business owners…on national TV…during #SB49…without Danica or any risqué scenes…did I mention this was GoDaddy?!?! Almost made my top ten list!!
  • Doritos: Middle Seat – for using the expected humor to sell Doritos. The look on his face when discovering the beautiful gal had a crying baby!
  • Doritos: Pigs Can Fly – for highlighting childhood geniuses with making the pig fly!
  • Toyota: How Great I Am – for showing off “capabilities” and of course for using Muhammad Ali as a motivator.
  • BMW: New Fangled Idea – with Katie Couric and Bryant Gumble for incorporating invention of the Internet. Can you twerk comment almost got the commercial yanked from my list.
  • Budweiser: Lost Dog – for evoking our eternal passion for lost dogs. Go support the local animal shelter or animal rescue organization. Also, Budweiser on a family-friendly top-ten list. Why not?
  • Loctite: Positive Feelings – for a fun, light and enjoyable commercial about…glue.
  • Mercedes Benz: Fable – for incorporating a popular fairy-tale into a commercial with a fun spin to the Tortoise and the Hare.

My TOP 10 Super Bowl 2015 Commercials

#10 Nationwide. Can’t believe I’m listing this as a top 10. This commercial upset me. I tweeted: @MaxxWellSaid Can promise I’ll NEVER buy @nationwide #SB49 #SuperBowlCommercialDissapointments

#9 Coca-Cola: Big Game – for incorporating HAPPINESS into the Internet!

#8 Microsoft: Estella’s Brilliant Bus – for demonstrating the importance grassroots efforts by passionate people to impact and change their communities…one child at a time.

#7 Dodge: Wisdom – for incorporating the elderly into a commercial and #SB49 in a very empowering and endearing way. Was he really driving that car?

#6 McDonald’s – Just a really cool and fun commercial about alternate ways McDonald’s will randomly select people to pay for their meals leading up to Valentine’s Day. I’m not a huge McDonald’s fan and I don’t like marketing ploys…but this is good. It helps us think about ways to be creative. S/O to my friend Greg Barnes who posted “McDonald’s: Killing you slowly…with love.”

#5 Toyota: My Bold Dad – for placing responsible AND engaged fatherhood on prime-time television during a media event that rivals all others in male viewership.

#4 Nissan: With Dad – for, again, placing responsible AND engaged fatherhood on primetime television! Better job than Toyota…well done.

#3 Always: Like A Girl – for highlighting the importance of building self-esteem in girls. Well done.

#2 Dove: Real Strength – for…yeap, you guessed it…PLACING RESPONSIBLE AND ENGAGED FATHERHOOD ON PRIMETIME TELEVISION!!!! Real strength. Real Men. Would have made top of my list if Dove would have been omitted the unnecessary tag line…that subtle logo impression could have handled. My tweet about this commercial implied the target audience was actually WOMEN rather than men. Watch it and let me know your opinion about the target audience.

And my number one pick for 2015 Super Bowl Commercials is…

#1 Stop Domestic Violence! Joyful Heart Foundation – 911 Pizza Delivery

I tweeted: #StopDomesticViolence with an order of breadsticks. #SB49

I knew when I tweeted that I would make some people upset…and I did. First, I thought it was a great commercial and excellent approach at raising awareness to domestic violence AND educating the general public about options to call for help during these horrific events. However, I didn’t and still don’t believe that the people who needed to get that message got it. The Super Bowl party I was at was all about the commercials. Rules were clear…when commercials come on, every will be quiet!! Who cared about the game (until the last two minutes I guess). By the time this commercial came on we were tired of the long, deep, and gloomy commercials. This commercial certainly required a long attention span and quiet room. It got neither from us. It was the best commercial and makes the number one spot on my list, but the placement and timing of the ad were horrible. The creators of the ad is NFL’s own ad firm. This commercial, with NFL’s domestic violence issues, should have received an appropriate prime placement.

Well, there you have it…my top 10 list. My first ever. Check out my twitter feed for more of my “in the moment” thoughts/remarks during the game.

Hope you enjoyed this list. Share. Comment. Discuss.