Super Bowl commercials 2014: Watch, and vote in our poll!
Yes, it's time for some Monday morning quarterbacking ... about which high-priced commercials produced for Super Bowl XLVIII worked, and which didn't. Such is the anticipation among what is one of the largest TV audiences of the year, that many advertisers posted their ads online in advance, or even teaser ads for the ads, to build buzz before Sunday's broadcast.
Click through our gallery of commercials by clicking on the NEXT button in the upper right, to re-view your favorites or to catch the ones you missed; at this end of this gallery, take our poll and tell us which you think wins as this year's most memorable Super Bowl commercial.
Jaguar: "Rendezvous" (Above)
Jaguar goes all-out in its first-ever Super Bowl commercial. Directed by Tom Hooper (an Oscar-winner for "The King's Speech"), the ad stars three actors who have turned up in super-villain roles: Ben Kingsley (the Mandarin in "Iron Man 3"), Tom Hiddleston (Loki in the "Thor" movies), and Mark Strong (Lord Blackwood in the Robert Downey Jr. "Sherlock Holmes").
Viewers are also directed to a web site, britishvillains.com, which exclaims, "It's good to be bad." Good to keep in mind as you get behind the wheel of what the automaker calls "a new British villain": the F-TYPE R Coupe. [Agency: Spark 44]
Chrysler: "America's Pride"
Bob Dylan stars in a commercial that bleeds Detroit pride in showing Americans making cars. I'm not sure what American watchmakers and brewers will feel, however, about Dylan's offer that Switzerland and Germany can have those markets.
Cars
K900 Luxury Sedan: "The Truth"
"Kia will introduce you to a new reality," courtesy of Laurence Fishburne, reprising his "Matrix" character, Morpheus. Is is better than GE's lame attempt a year ago to bring Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith into hospital emergency rooms? [Agency: David&Goliath]
Like the people eating chocolate and peanut butter who bump into each other, two brands are brought together in this ad for Toyota's Highlander, in which Terry Crews discovers a broken-down bus is filled with ... Muppets! Can the former NFL player and "Everybody Hates Chris" actor, who appeared in some hyperactive Old Spice commercials, keep up?
And by the way, did you know that the Muppets are coming out with a new movie? You do now! [Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi]
Who let this dog out? Compromise breeds discontent as two dog lovers realize there is only one place to go - as long as you're going there in an Audi A3. Featuring a guest appearance by singer Sarah McLachlan. [Agency: Venables Bell & Partners]
Not just one, but TWO commercials, aired back-to-back, featuring comedian Rob Riggle and actor-director James Franco. They promise things that have never, ever been done before in a Super Bowl commercial. Does that include the tiger? [Agency: Wunderman]
Passion
Axe Peace: "Make Love, Not War"
Even despots are capable of coy displays of affection, if on a grander scale than most. [Agency: BBH London]
SodaStream: "Sorry, Coke and Pepsi" (Uncensored)
Fox banned SodaStream's commercial, starring Scarlett Johansson (the DIY carbonated beverage company's first celebrity spokesperson), because it called out by name two competitors. That apparently is a no-no. So SodaStream promised an edited version of their ad for broadcast, but the company will be getting extra viral mileage out of posting its original "uncensored" version online.
Chevy Silverado: "Romance"
A man, a truck, an eligible bachelor, and lots of innuendo. No, this isn't a GoDaddy ad.
Technology
TurboTax: "No Worries"
Technology takes the anxiety out of modern life -- like filing your 1040 -- leaving you free to fly with the birds. Voiceover by John C. Reilly ("Stepbrothers"). [Agency: Initiative]
TurboTax: "Love Hurts"
Fans of every team other than Seattle or Denver may feel like they're on the sidelines this Super Bowl day. But it must still be more fun than watching the girl of your dreams dance with Sean. [Agency: Wieden & Kennedy]
iPad: "Your Verse"
The photography and editing of this ad about how people use iPads to capture the beauty of the world -- abetted by narration taken from a Robin Williams speech on the beauty of poetry in "Dead Poets Society," and a music track ("Awareness") by Hanan Townshend -- would surely win the "Ad That Most Looks Like a Terrence Malick Film Award."
And why not? After all, "Awareness" was used in the soundtrack of Malick's "To the Wonder." [Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab]
Beats Music: "The Right Music"
Ellen DeGeneres stars in Beats Music's first-ever Super Bowl ad, in a fairy tale in which bears and wolves are no threat when dance music is involved. [Agency: R/GA]
Intuit has been pushing to a website, smallbusinessbiggame.com, asking people to vote for which small business ad will appear during the Big Game. The winner: GoldieBlox of Oakland, Calif.
SquareSpace offers small business solutions to building a web site, because it's a jungle of web space-building advertisements out there.
Doritos
Five finalists have been chosen in the "Crash the Super Bowl" contest, which was opened to voting at doritos.com. Two user-generated spots were selected to be aired in the Super Bowl (consumers will choose one, marketing team selects the other). The winners not only got Big Game exposure, but also the opportunity to work on the set of the next "Avengers" movie.
The two spots that aired were:
"Cowboy Kid" (Above)
Despite the lackluster box-office performance of "The Lone Ranger" last summer, the spirit of the Western hero rides again.
"Time Machine"
Wish-fulfillment on a grand (read: cardboard box) scale.
Anheuser-Busch
The exclusive beer advertiser on the Super Bowl is airing five ads, including three for Bud Light, tied together here:
Bud Light: "Up For Whatever"
Budweiser: "Puppy Love"
Cute puppies and Clydesdales, of course -- what did you expect from a Budweiser Super Bowl ad? Whatever it is they're doing, it works, as evidenced by the 25 million views on Youtube it received in just two days. [Agency: Anomoly]
Budweiser: "A Hero's Welcome"
Returning service members get the star treatment they deserve. [Agency: Anomoly]
You can also watch a documentary about the making of the ad.
Automotive
Volkswagen: "Wings"
The automaker set a high bar for itself (and every other advertiser) with its 2012 ad featuring a young Darth Vader-wannabe. This year VW celebrates the longevity of its cars - and its magical effect upon German engineers. [Agency: Argonaut/Deutsch]
Hyundai Genesis: "Dad's Sixth Sense"
You can count on Dad to save the day in any number of situations, but what about when you're behind the wheel of the 2015 Hyundai Genesis? (Thank Heaven for "Sensory Surround Safety" features!) Underscoring the point is Bruno Mars' "Count on Me." [Agency: Innocean]
Hyundai Elantra: "Nice"
Comic actor Johnny Galecki ("The Big Bang Theory"), driving a Hyundai Elantra, can't quite make it to first with a woman driving her own Elantra.
Mazda: "Dare the Impossible"
What do martial arts expert Bruce Lee, architect Frank Lloyd Wright and baseball player Jackie Robinson have in common? They are all featured in Mazda's new ad. [Agency: Berlin Cameron United]
Pop
Coke: "Going All the Way"
Super Bowl ads are so meticulously designed and executed that flubs are rare to spot. But the first thought that runs through your mind when watching this Coke commercial featuring a young football player may be, "Why isn't HE wearing the red jersey, if the ad is promoting COKE?" Ah, it all becomes clear by the end. [Agency: Wieden & Kennedy]
Pepsi: "There Since the First Halftime"
An origin story for the football tradition of halftime -- thanks to pretty girls and cold refreshment. [Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day]
Pepsi: "Halftime America"
The sleepy town of Milligan, Neb., pop. 300-ish, finds itself the center of a Pepsi Halftime Show, featuring singer Lee Brice, a marching band, fireworks, and free Pepsi machines. [Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day]"America the Beautiful" is sung in English -- and in Spanish, Hebrew, Mandarin, Tagalog, Hindi, Senegalese-French, Keres and Arabic. [Agency: Wieden & Kennedy]
Treats
Nestle: Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups
Peanut Butter and Chocolate seek professional help in their relationship (though Peanut Butter seems a tad resistant).
Skipping their traditional Butterfinger mascot Bart Simpson, Nestle is using real people to push their new Peanut Butter Cups. How do you feel about that? [Agency: Dailey]
The makers of this commercial are trying to go all Bond villain on us. It's candy! [Agency: BBDO]
"Comedy Central" host Stephen Colbert, whose video dancing to Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" went mad viral, teams up with Wonderful Pistachios for the first of a series of ads, which follows last year's Super Bowl spot featuring Korean singer Psy dancing "Gangnam Style" with a bunch of pistachios. Colbert's spot is split into two (like a pistachio shell), above and below. [Agency: FireStation]
Audience Participation
H&M: David Beckham
Visitors to H&M's website are being asked to vote on which version of a commercial featuring David Beckham should be aired on the Super Bowl: "Covered" or "Uncovered." Guess which won.
In a spot promoting a partnership among BofA, U2 and Red (which has enlisted companies to join in combating HIV/AIDS), U2 performs "Invisible." The song will be free to download from iTunes during the game and the following 24 hours, and Bank of America will donate $1 for each download during that time up to $2 million. [Agency: Hill Holliday / Mad Agency]
Radio Shack: "The Phone Call"
"The '80s called - they want their store back." Lots of fun cameos by '80s icons like Chucky the murderous doll, Mary Lou Retton and the California Raisins. The chain is on a binge of slimming down its in-store stock, but the sight of a retail space stripped to the bare walls just brings to mind that Radio Shack is expected to slim down its number of stores by 450-550 this year. Bring back the '80s!
Radio Shack is also engaging customers with a 24-hour sweepstakes via Twitter - #InWithTheNew. Full details at RadioShack.com/DIT. [Agency: GSD&M]
Reaction Shots
Dannon's Oikos Yogurt: "The Spill"
"Full House" stars Dave Coulier, Bob Saget and John Stamos are reunited just in the time ... for the Big Game.
Race car driver Danica Patrick returns for another Super Bowl appearance for GoDaddy, but the web company's usual commercial cast of bodacious females is this year replaced with swarms of bulked-up male body builders. [Agency: Deutsch]
Let's give a hand to the guy who bought a car from CarMax - everyone else is.
Heinz Ketchup: "Hum"
We were anticipating Heinz's first Super Bowl ad in a long, long time.
T Mobile
T Mobile: "No Contract"
Quarterback Tim Tebow may be a free agent, but while not having a contract may hamper an NFL player, it shouldn't be a hindrance to someone who just wants to live life to the fullest.
Two ads starring Tebow show just what you can do if you're not spending your time throwing a ball around on the gridiron. [Agency: Publicis and Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners]
Tykes
Cheerios: "Gracie"
Last year Cheerios produced a heartwarming commercial about a little girl concerned about her daddy's diet - and earned the wrath of Internet haters who were aghast that a cereal ad would feature a bi-racial family. Well, that family is back in another heartwarming ad. Hope you're enjoying the game, haters! [Agency; Saatchi & Saatchi]
Maserati Ghibli: "Strike"
Quvenzhane Wallis, the young Oscar-nominated actress from "Beasts of the Southern Wild," is featured in this stunning ad from Maserati. [Agency: Wieden & Kennedy]
"We knew that being clever was more important than being the biggest kid in the neighborhood.
As long as we keep our heads down, as long as we work hard,
trust what we feel in our guts, our hearts,
Then we're ready.
We wait until they get sleepy, wait until they get so big they can barely move,
and then walk out of the shadows,
quietly walk out of the dark - and strike."
MetLife: "National Anthem"
Schroeder tickles the ivories at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (yes, not New York! ) for the start of Super Bowl XLVIII, while Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and the rest of the "Peanuts" gang brave the cold.
Trailer Park
Paramount: "Transformers: Age of Extinction"
Yep, the giant robots are back, with a "Lord of the Rings" fetish.
Spidey is back!
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