The 2017 Super Bowl Commercials - Which Were the Best?

From 84 Lumber's "The Entire Journey"

In as much as the Super Bowl has become an American tradition, so has the sport
of watching and rating the commercials.  Today, consumers are more savvy and aware of the money spent to produce the spots and the cost to run them ($5 million for a 30-second spot this year) and so, have become an active part of the conversation.

Our Northeast Ohio American Marketing Association chapter holds an “Ad Review” luncheon the day after the Super Bowl to select the best commercial. Like a Sweet 16 bracket, similar ads are pitted against each other; the winning spot advances to the next round until we have the final two, and then, the winner.  Here’s how this year’s match-ups fared:

From AMA NEO luncheon

Round One
Sprint (Fake Your Death) vs. TurboTax (Humpty Hospital) – Winner: TurboTax
Buick (Cam Newton) vs. Mr. Clean (Cleaner of Your Dreams) – Winner: Buick
Tide (Bradshaw’s Stain) vs. Bai (#BaiBaiBai) – Winner: Bai
Skittles (Romance) vs. Snickers (Live??) – Winner: Snickers
Budweiser (Born the Hard Way) vs. Bud Light (Spuds Ghost) – Winner: Budweiser
Michelin (I Need You) vs. Kia (Melissa McCarthy) – Winner: Kia
Honda (Yearbooks) vs. T-Mobile (NSFWireless) – Winner: T-Mobile
Audi (#DriveProgress – Daughter) vs. 84Lumber (The Journey Begins) – Winner: Audi

Round Two
TurboTax vs. Buick – Winner: Buick
Bai vs. Snickers – Winner: Bai
Budweiser vs. Kia – Winner: Kia
T-Mobile vs. Audi – Winner: Audi

Semi-Finals
Buick vs. Bai – Winner: Bai
Kia vs. Audi – Winner: Audi

Final Round:
BAI VS. AUDI

My vote between the final two was for Bai. I felt it did the best job of communicating the product, a healthy drink alternative, to its target audience in a commercial which could be used beyond just the Super Bowl.  It was also the #1 Super Bowl commercial selection of our AMA group of close to 100 marketers.

Which commercials do you think were the best during the Super Bowl?  What are your thoughts about so many commercials having political overtones?  Do you think it is good for a company to speak up, or do you think they should stay out of the political arena?

Please let me know your thoughts.  Feel free to comment here, or respond to me on twitter, @KaseyCrabtree.

An early adopter of social media, Kasey Crabtree has been with Shamrock for over 5 years as an Account Manager and Social Media Specialist.  She has been on the board of the Cleveland chapter of the AMA for the past four years and is currently the VP of Culture and Community, until she steps into the role of President-Elect in July 2017. In her free time she enjoys concerts, visiting her home town of Chicago and collecting cowboy boots.