12/18/24
February 04, 2013
Clydesdale Wins Super Bowl Ad Meter: Anheuser-Busch climbed back into the saddle with the Super Bowl's top commercial -- a heart-tugging tale of the bond between a trainer and the Budweiser Clydesdale he raised -- in USA Today's Ad Meter. Procter & Gamble's Tide detergent pulled off a close No. 2 with an ad about an image of football legend Joe Montana miraculously appearing in a salsa stain.
Montana Stain was my favorite of the night. The Paul Harvey ad got the most attention in my house because of the voice of God narration, but the kids thought it was cheesy. I told them about Harvey, who used the same cadence and passion to sell Posturepedic adjustable beds.
posted by rcade at 09:02 AM on February 04, 2013
I enjoyed the silly Samsung commercial.
posted by NoMich at 09:38 AM on February 04, 2013
The Tide ad didn't mention whether or not you'd actually be able to lay your hands on any of the product, given the recent epidemic of Tide heists.
Paul Harvey thought he was the unshakable mountaintop of radio until he had to put his neatly prepared script aside and ad lib his way through the quicksand the day the Pope was shot during his broadcast. First he was incoherent, then he sounded like Ralph Kramden trying to explain himself to an angry Alice.
posted by beaverboard at 10:18 AM on February 04, 2013
Were there any non-white families in that Dodge Paul Harvey ad? FMM the Star Trek Into Darkness ad was best.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:38 AM on February 04, 2013
Were there any non-white families in that Dodge Paul Harvey ad?
None that I can recall, but to spin that around a bit, it's worth noting that as of yesterday's Ravens win with the Oz in the corner office, a team with either an African-American head coach or GM has been in the last seven Super Bowls. And has won five of them.
posted by beaverboard at 11:49 AM on February 04, 2013
I think there was a Hispanic mother and son.
posted by rcade at 12:26 PM on February 04, 2013
I think there was a Hispanic mother and son.
Yeah, they were manning a roadside or farmer's market stand or something. There was also an older male African-American guy sitting on the tailgate of a truck at one point.
posted by LionIndex at 01:17 PM on February 04, 2013
Obligatory Mawkish Beer-Horse beat Overblown Patriotism From Italian-Owned Auto Company?
posted by etagloh at 04:39 PM on February 04, 2013
I like the Audi commercial where the kid goes to prom and leaves smiling with a black eye after grabbing the queen. As the article says, when sexual assult goes well.
posted by Debo270 at 09:35 AM on February 06, 2013
The Dodge/Farmer ad is probably the one that will make the all-time best list in the future. My wife was at a Super Bowl party and everyone went dead quiet after about 10 seconds of the commercial.
From the last couple of years only "Halftime in America" and "Imported from Detroit" have had as much positive review or hype after they aired.
In summary, auto commericals are best when they invoke imagery instead of information, feelings instead of function.
posted by grum@work at 12:21 PM on February 06, 2013
I kinda liked the one with the blonde chick riding the sabyn...oh wait was that a porn thing...either way it's my favorite...
posted by Folkways at 01:13 PM on February 06, 2013
I lost both of my old cats this past year - an 18 year old and a 19 year old. Never cried so much in my life. Among the songs that wreck me when I hear them now is "Landslide." So, yeah, story of loving an animal + "Landslide" pretty much ruins me for the rest of the day.
posted by Joey Michaels at 02:41 PM on February 06, 2013
Never cried so much in my life.
As my mother once said about our old dog, "I've put relatives in the ground with fewer tears". We've got another old dog on our hands who's starting to have health problems and I'm looking for a vet who does suicide pacts.
posted by yerfatma at 02:58 PM on February 06, 2013
I lost both of my old cats this past year
Joey, we lost all 4 of ours over a space of about 3 or 4 years. When the last of them had to be put down, we were devastated and thought we'd never get over it. About 4 months ago the sister-in-law of one of my wife's colleagues was dying of cancer and we agreed to care for her 3. While they'll never really replace our original 4, they are still a joy. If you can do it, help out a local shelter and adopt some new friends.
I didn't watch enough of the Super Bowl to really appreciate the commercials. My wife loved the one about the Clydesdale, but then she's always loved horses. The Audi commercial was cute, but I would really rather know more about the automobile and less about how my sex life will improve by owning one. At my age, sex sells me nothing except poignant memories.
posted by Howard_T at 05:01 PM on February 06, 2013
The Budweiser Clydesdale commercial was the first time I've ever seen a large group of women approve of Budweiser.
posted by Bonkers at 07:17 PM on February 06, 2013
I lost both of my old cats this past year
We've got another old dog on our hands
I don't know if I have it in me to go through another dog bereavement. Yet I can't stay away from the love and here I am ticking off the years with a shelter adoptee I got at 10 months old who has somehow become a 9 yr old in the blink of an eye, desperately wishing I could slow down the march of time. It ain't happening.
And for reasons unknown, instead of waiting for the dread of parting to increase with age as it has done in the past with other beloved pets, at this moment, I'm looking at heading in the opposite direction: adding to the pack by adopting an 11 yr old who really needs something good to happen in her life for a change.
No use in trying to make sense of it. Or trying to explain it to folks who aren't critter people.
posted by beaverboard at 09:20 PM on February 06, 2013
adding to the pack by adopting an 11 yr old
We wound up adopting a 10 year old beagle we were fostering and it's been one of the best experiences* of my life, which is why my dad sent this recently, as it describes Lacey pretty well: "an independent lady who likes her alone time". While that's true, she's also been my Zen instructor since arriving.
* Except times like that exact second where, knowing I was up here with an English muffin, she yipped for me to come down and carry her up the stairs (while she's recovered from her ACL injury a year and half ago, she got used to being carried when there's more that a few stairs) so she could beg properly.
posted by yerfatma at 08:44 AM on February 07, 2013
she got used to being carried when there's more that a few stairs
Amazing how well pets can train us humans.
posted by Howard_T at 02:51 PM on February 07, 2013
She recently figured out that humans' hearts melt when she reaches out with a front paw. So now she does that about 1,000x a day.
posted by yerfatma at 03:29 PM on February 07, 2013
The expression on the face of my dog (who looks a a bit like a military working dog) while watching her dinner being mixed:
"That's my fuckin' bowl of food, and they think they're gonna walk it down the hall with an armed escort and put it in Bin Laden's bedroom but it ain't gettin' that far."
The expression on the face of my dog while watching her people graze on snack items at the kitchen counter:
"Oh, dear me. It's been so long since I've had real food. Can't you see the toll it's taken? If you won't help, who will? I don't know who to turn to. I only have two real friends in this world: Sally Struthers and Marlo Thomas. Won't you please help? Won't you...please?"
Cue the dulcet, compassionate voiceover: "To help this dog in need please call 1-800-MYFOOD2 or text NACHO OSCAR from your mobile phone".
posted by beaverboard at 04:11 PM on February 07, 2013
The happier news for us is that after our old kitties died, we got involved with a program that fosters kitties for other families. Within six months, we'd adopted three and weren't allowed to be foster parents anymore. We have three lovely adult cats now - one of whom will very patiently sit with me while I watch football.
Yeah, they don't replace the old cats, but love is not a finite thing.
posted by Joey Michaels at 05:21 PM on February 08, 2013
Clydesdale Wins Super Bowl Ad Meter
I presume the ad meter measures "which commercial was most likely to give you diabetes?"