Super Bowl Commercials 2011: Video And Commentary On Sunday's Ads

Darth Vader Super Bowl Commercial Star Is Six-Year-Old Heart Patient Max Page

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The best Super Bowl commercial of 2011 by most accounts — including our own — was Volkswagen’s mini Darth Vader ad, which featured a young boy attempting to use the force on various objects around the house. Here’s the video of it:

Totally cute, right? Well, it gets even cuter: The boy who plays little Darth is six-year-old Max Page, who is a heart patient at the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. Max was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot — a heart defect — at four months old. His doctor says his long-term prognosis is good. "He can essentially have normal activity and with careful care, a full life is a reasonable expectation.’’

Max’s mother said on the TODAY show that she is amazed by the positive reaction the VW commercials has received: “I can’t even keep up with the messages and the calls. It’s just overwhelming.” As of Monday morning, the commercial had more than 15.2 million views on YouTube.

Worst Super Bowl Commercials: Groupon, HomeAway, Pepsi Max Rate Low

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Playtime's over, wayward advertising agencies: We've dispensed with our exalting of 2011's best Super Bowl commercials, and now it's time to visit the other end of the barrel and decry the year's worst ads. Where most of our favorite commercials during Super Bowl 45 involved cars, nearly all the ones we hated concerned websites. Stop making the internet look bad, all of you! We're trying to work here!

In ascending order of terribility, the most abysmal ads of Super Bowl XLV:

1-3. Groupon.com. All of them.
Way to take a useful service that lots of people use and like and turn it into an after-party joke, using just a trio of laughably ill-conceived ads! Our staffers were torn between "confusing and reprehensible" when trying to categorize the campaign, which, believe it or not, was intended to highlight some of the charitable works Groupon's been doing, but instead ended up being the wrong kind of punchline. Here's the worst offender, featuring the plight of the Tibetan people and Timothy Hutton in his worst career move since The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery:




4. Homeaway.com, "Dept. of Detourism."

Our own Spencer Hall summed it up nicely: "If your Super Bowl 2011 commercial leaves the lingering taste of "maimed baby" in my mouth, can I gently suggest you've just swindled your client out of money and harmed their brand simultaneously?"

T-5. Pepsi Max. All of them.
Our Coca-Cola-loving brethren at SB Nation Atlanta pilloried these last night for their utter inability to measure up to the well-received Coke Dragon ad. All we have to add is this: Before yesterday, we had no idea what Pepsi Max was. Today, we have no idea what Pepsi Max is, but the idea vaguely repulses us. Excellent work, sirs.

Super Bowl Commercials 2011: Volkswagen Scores Big With Beetle, Literally

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The Volkswagen corporation had a pretty good day on Sunday. They had what many are calling the day's best ad in "The Force" and an excellent secondary ad for the 2011 Beetle.

There are a few things that really work in this ad. First and foremost, they do an excellent job making the beetle look like a car. They "shoot" the insect in angles that make it look like a real car commercial, and having he bug drift is a nice touch. But the biggest thing is that they only show the outline of the car at the end. I don't think I'm the only one who went online and tried to find more information on the 2011 Beetle after I saw this one.

But mostly, it was an escape, according to Trend Hunter.

Super Bowl Commercials 2011: VW's 'Darth Vader' Ad Among Night's Best

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Like every other red-blooded American, we paid just as much attention (if not more) to last night's Super Bowl commercials as to Super Bowl XLV itself. Which ads won the night in the SB Nation newsroom? Curiously, they all had to do with cars:

1. Volkswagen, "The Force."


The acclaim for this ad was so strong in the week leading up to the Super Bowl that, this being the internet, a vicious backlash is almost inevitable. If it's coming, however, it's not here yet. Even the truncated version that was broadcast during the game had grown men giggling and cooing. Top score to our Super Bowl winners: VW, Deutsch LA, and that pint-sized Darth Vader who stormed into America's hearts.

2. Chrysler, "Imported From Detroit" featuring Eminem


At least one of our editors had this one tagged as the year's best. He's not alone: This morning, the Chysler 200 is sitting pretty atop Google Trends.

3. Audi, "Release The Hounds."

We can't believe anything featuring Kenny G is this high on our list, but Kenny G as a psychological weapon is something we'd never considered. Bravo, Audi. Bonus points to Kenny himself for a cameo at the end.

4. VW, "Black Beetle."


The use of insects is always a tricky line to toe, particularly when they're not cutesy to begin with, but VW's use of an actual beetle to stand in for the car is an inspired touch.

5. Kia, "One Epic Ride."

Here's a high-budget, big-spectacle ad that somehow doesn't come off as obnoxious or pretentious in the least. Truly an astonishing feat.

Over to you, dear readers: What was your favorite ad of Super Bowl 45? One of these, or did we miss out on a sleeper? Cast your vote in the comments below.

Chrysler 200, Eminem Generate Buzz With 2011 Super Bowl Commercial

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The Super Bowl ad-war is about generating buzz and building a brand. In that regard, it's easy to figure out which commercials were successful in accomplishing the goal when the dust from Super Bowl XLV settled. A simple look at Google, and what the masses were searching for, showed the clear winner was the Chrysler 200 and its impressive commercial centered around Detroit and rapper Eminem.

The commercial worked, judging by Google Trends. Well after the Super Bowl ended, at around midnight on the West Coast, this is what the top-10 searched items were.

The Chrysler 200 and Chrysler Super Bowl commercial generated immediate buzz that was sustained throughout the game and for the rest of the night.

When Jon Bois described the commercial yesterday, he called it the best commercial of the Super Bowl while praising Eminem's role in it.

Eminem is emblematic of the city of Detroit. I'm not a profound Slim Shady apologist, and I'm outright annoyed by him sometimes, but this commercial? Absolutely killed it.

The people have spoken, and they agree. With the amount of searches for Chrysler -- not just to replay the commercial, but to find out more about the product, it appears -- the creative minds behind the Super Bowl commercial can pat themselves on the back. Mission accomplished and a job well done.

Super Bowl Commercials 2011: Janis Joplin Is Spinning Faster Than The Wheels On Those Mercedes

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Another automobile commercial during the Super Bowl, but with the ante raised a bit -- Mercedes brought out the voice of Janis Joplin singing her classic song, "Mercedes Benz," to narrate all the Mercedes of the nation escaping their garages and car ports (a nice touch) to head to a huge warehouse-like dealership.

But wait -- you took the wrong man's car. That's P. Diddy's Mercedes. And now he's out of bed and looking for his ride.

It's a good Super Bowl ad -- again going for nostalgia, with a song every one of us has belted out in a bar or during a long ride home. And humbling P. Diddy at the end was a nice touch; he's had a rough year, hasn't he? And now he's stranded in a corn field and can't find his silver Mercedes.

On a more interesting, historical note, I'm not sure Janis would have appreciated the use of her song in the ad. From the song's Wikipedia entry:

Joplin wrote "Mercedes Benz" together with the poets Michael McClure, Bob Neuwirth, and Joseph J. Murphy as a critical social commentary on how people relate happiness to money and material possessions. The song was originally written as something of a negative commentary about materialistic individuals who place too much value on items like a Mercedes-Benz. The song heavily reflects Joplin's view of what she saw as a materialistic world.

Follow along with this StoryStream for updates. If you're more interested in following the game itself, check out our Super Bowl hub for live score updates, commentary, and anything and everything else Super Bowl XLV-related. And finally, if you'd like to follow along with like-minded fans, check in with SB Nation's Packers blog, Acme Packing Company, and our Steelers blog, Behind The Steel Curtain.

Super Bowl Commercials 2011: Bud Light Dogs Ad Shows The Sad World Of Canine Slavery

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Bud Light's 2011 Super Bowl commercial campaign looks so much better than previous years, but remember: like your math scores the time you moved to a terrible school district, it's not because they've improved, but because the standards have come down so very far.

They do stay faithful to some things, though. They want you to believe that dogs not only love beer, but are willing to share it with you.

They also are fond of dogs doing ridiculous things, like DJ'ing your party. We all know that Shar-Peis are tone-deaf. The real natural DJs of the dog world are hunting hounds, showing a real lack of research by the Bud Light staff here.

This woman clearly looks drunk. This goes back to another Bud Light nostrum: everyone's an alcoholic who will do anything for Bud Light. Dogs are walking on their hind legs balancing beers on trays without opposable thumbs and no one's blinking because they all just crave sweet cheap American booze. This woman is disgusted with the Chihuahua leering at her, but is totally cool with the Bloodhound drawing her a Bud Light on his hind legs because whatever, just pour the beer man before my hands start shaking. Again.

(Let's not even discuss the bowtie.)

Super Bowl Commercials 2011: The NFL Tips Its Cap To Classic TV Shows, Or Vice Versa

Super Bowl commercials can succeed in many ways. One is to appeal to our nostalgic hearts. The NFL decided to run a commercial advertising the NFL during the NFL game, reaching the coveted demographic of people who are already watching the NFL, in order to CGI team paraphernalia to characters from Happy Days, Seinfeld, The Office, and others. Here's video:

Follow along with this StoryStream for updates. If you're more interested in following the game itself, check out our Super Bowl hub for live score updates, commentary, and anything and everything else Super Bowl XLV-related. And finally, if you'd like to follow along with like-minded fans, check in with SB Nation's Packers blog, Acme Packing Company, and our Steelers blog, Behind The Steel Curtain.

Super Bowl Commercials 2011: Test Baby Is Still A Baby, Baby

if your Super Bowl 2011 commercial leaves the lingering taste of "maimed baby" in my mouth, can I gently suggest you've just swindled your client out of money and harmed their brand simultaneously? Sure, you have a point here. Who doesn't occasionally hate babies? I have one in my house, and at times it really is like living with a late-stage alcoholic. He doesn't know where he is when he wakes up. He constantly soils himself. He vomits, cries frequently, and often has violent mood swings for no reason whatsoever. An obsession with bottles dominates every moment of his day.

Despite this all they can be quite charming, which is why semantically even a "TEST BABY" being smashed against a window like a fly against a windshield still kind of turns my stomach, especially when you take the slow, smearing slide the baby makes against the glass into account. Is it well-done? Certainly. Does the baby bear a certain resemblance to the equally doughy and indestructible Olympic wrestler Rulon Gardner? Why, now that you mention it, it certainly does.

Does it make for a genuinely repellent image that wipes out whatever may be in the rest of the ad, including the name of the business? Hell yes it does, since now all I'm thinking when I see HomeAway.com is "this company kills fake babies in nonsensically arranged fake hotel rooms for their company." Fake or not, I'm not sure that's something I'm comfortable with as a consumer or a half-assed annual commercial critic.

Super Bowl Commercials 2011: Eminem, Chrysler, Detroit, And The Ad Of The Year

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Eminem has now appeared in his second Super Bowl commercial of 2011. He starred in an ad which pitched both Chrysler and the city of Detroit, and the result, in my opinion, was the best commercial of Super Bowl XLV to date. Here's video. Judge for yourself:

Here's the transcript of the narration:

What does this city know about luxury? More than most. The hottest fires make the hardest steel. It's not the story you're reading in the papers. It's about luxury. We're from America. This is what we do. The Chrysler 200 has arrived. Imported from Detroit.

Eminem is emblematic of the city of Detroit. I'm not a profound Slim Shady apologist, and I'm outright annoyed by him sometimes, but this commercial? Absolutely killed it.

Follow along with this StoryStream for updates. If you're more interested in following the game itself, check out our Super Bowl hub for live score updates, commentary, and anything and everything else Super Bowl XLV-related. And finally, if you'd like to follow along with like-minded fans, check in with SB Nation's Packers blog, Acme Packing Company, and our Steelers blog, Behind The Steel Curtain.

Super Bowl 2011 Commercials: Justin Bieber And Other Words That Mean Nothing On The Internet

To make a commercial with Ozzy Osborne for the Super Bowl in the year 2011 is to embrace the hottest trends of 2002. In ad terms this is not good, but you can do nothing whatsoever in an ad for 28 seconds and then pop Justin Bieber’s face on for two seconds and consider it a success in 2011 since OMG JUSTIN BIEBER.

As for what’s going on in the ad? I have no clue.

There’s some muttering by Ozzy, and presumably your parents pay attention to that guy who used to have a reality series, and then some more Justin Bieber on the screen, and I’m not really sure what this commercial is really about until the very end when they have to flash “BEST BUY” on the screen just to let you know exactly what they’re pitching for whom here. And then, almost as a footnote, they slap Bieber on there because they know that no matter how bad and aimless an ad you make, Justin Bieber can make it all better.

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Super Bowl 2011 Commercials: Unleash The E*Trade Somewhat Racist Baby Ad!

E*Trade, despite its claim, is not in the business of web-based stock trading. It is firmly planted in the "make television audiences uncomfortable" industry. Their Super Bowl commercial demonstrated that they're not content with resting on their "talking baby" laurels. No, no, no. It is time... for RACIST TALKING BABY! Here's video:

Enzo probably does not appreciate the accent mocked at his expense. Make no mistake, y'all: mimicking a stereotypical accent is racist. Bummer, right? At least the talking baby isn't terribly creepy like it always is, right?

Follow along with this StoryStream for updates. If you're more interested in following the game itself, check out our Super Bowl hub for live score updates, commentary, and anything and everything else Super Bowl XLV-related. And finally, if you'd like to follow along with like-minded fans, check in with SB Nation's Packers blog, Acme Packing Company, and our Steelers blog, Behind The Steel Curtain.

Super Bowl Commercials 2011: The Movie Trailers By Category

I'd really like to recap every single one of the eighteen or so movie commercials being aired during the 2011 Super Bowl, but there are eighteen of them being advertised, and eighteen is a huge number of videos. So in order to consolidate them by category and number, let's just put them on a quadrant graph by trait and let you pick the ones you like.

Obviously we had to fudge a few of these to fit into tidy categories. Drive Angry is under "talking animals" because really, isn't Nicolas Cage classifiable as a talking animal now? Calling him human just doesn't do him justice anymore, and I mean that in the best possible way. Ditto for "The Eagle," because Channing Tatum and his movies fall into the "talking animal" category, too.

If you took out futures betting on "Aliens" over "Comic Book Heroes" for 2011, please cash your winning ticket at the next available window, please, since there seems to be a glut of them over there. Please note that Justin Bieber's over there. That is an accurate categorization, and we will not argue this point.

Super Bowl Commercials 2011: Roseanne Gets Clobbered In Snickers Ad

Roseanne isn't irrelevant, because we love her too damned much. We don't love her so much, though, that we don't want to see her leveled by a giant log. Snickers knew this, and the good people at Mars made it happen in their Super Bowl commercial. Richard Lewis of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" fame also makes an appearance. Here's video:

Here, Richard Lewis took a break from being a miserable, meandering middle-aged Los Angelan comic to bro out and eat candy bars with a gaggle of loggers. The highlight, though, was Roseanne Barr getting clobbered by a giant log. She sure doesn't seem as though she would be a very good logger in real life.

Follow along with this StoryStream for updates. If you're more interested in following the game itself, check out our Super Bowl hub for live score updates, commentary, and anything and everything else Super Bowl XLV-related. And finally, if you'd like to follow along with like-minded fans, check in with SB Nation's Packers blog, Acme Packing Company, and our Steelers blog, Behind The Steel Curtain.

Super Bowl Commercials 2011: Bud and "Tiny Dancer" Tells Us One Important Thing

And what can one learn in the grand stream of 2011’s Super Bowl commercials from one tiny ad about a cowboy who just wants a beer and a song off Elton John’s 1971 classic Madman Across The Water?

Important questions! Is the cowboy’s choice of song supposed to be funny because it is so sentimental and from such an openly gay artist? Have we entered a post-post-ironic relationship with karoke-style singalongs? Does this ad signify a moment when we recognize someone else besides Sam Elliott playing a grizzled cowboy?

Answer: No, it just means that Elton John really needs cash. Again.

Super Bowl 2011 Commercials: The Unholy Triumverate Of Bud Light, Doritos, And PepsiMax

No Super Bowl is complete without the commercials presumably targeted to your houseplants, i.e. The Bud Light/Doritos/PepsiMax Holy Trinity of Subhuman Advertising. Super Bowl 2011 has its fair share, and is thus complete, but that's no reason to be happy because these commercials should make you weep, especially because Bud Light commercials now seem witty compared to their competition.

For instance, Bud Light commercials--like the one depicting a home improvement project made better by just adding a bucket of Bud Light, or the obvious product placement one--depend on you assuming people are alcoholics. This is fine: alcoholics are social, and easily pleased. Women are put upon in Bud Light ads, but not assaulted or harmed. Pets are side gags.

Now, there's Doritos ads. Men in these ads belong to one critical overlap between two key demographics. 

Men in Doritos ads seek to harm because they are both evil and mentally handicapped. Women stand by horrified; pets are not harmed, but that is not due to a lack of trying. Gluttony is assumed. It's a bit darker and dumber over here in Doritoland.

Finally, the lowest of the low--and that is quite an accomplishment in this peer group--are the Pepsi Max ads, where gluttonous, cruel, and subintelligent cretins slap each other like apes given powerful and unpleasant hallucinogens. People are harmed, pets aren't even around because these people have long since killed them due to neglect and/or confusing them with food.

HAHAHAH DOMESTIC ABUSE. Remember when Winston Churchill said that "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried." This is why he said that. Yes, Winston Churchill knew how bad these ads were without the use of a time machine. You'd be amazed what powers being drunk on hatin' Nazis and Pol Roger champagne can give a man. 

Eminem Shills Lipton In Super Bowl 2011 Commercial; Is Allowed To Say 'Damn', Apparently

Did we just witness history? It's the Super Bowl, it's the year 2011, and we just saw Eminem cuss. He said "damn" on network television, and he was cussing about, of all things, Lipton iced tea. Here is video:

Firstly, we'd like to offer congratulations to Marshall P. Eminem, Esq. for remaining relevant -- it's tough for a rapper to do that for 12 years, and possibly unprecedented for a rapper of his popularity. Anyway, you can say "damn" on network television during hours children might be watching. That isn't new. Commercials, though, try to scale back on the offensive content, especially if they're shilling something as commonplace and all-ages as iced tea. I'm glad that iced tea didn't disappoint you, Marshall.

Follow along with this StoryStream for updates. If you're more interested in following the game itself, check out our Super Bowl hub for live score updates, commentary, and anything and everything else Super Bowl XLV-related. And finally, if you'd like to follow along with like-minded fans, check in with SB Nation's Packers blog, Acme Packing Company, and our Steelers blog, Behind The Steel Curtain.

Super Bowl Commercials 2011: Audi's Ad, Featuring Kenny G And Rich People

It appears as though we have our first notable commercial of the 2011 Super Bowl. Audi advertised its automobiles with a "break out of the confines of old luxury" motif.

Essentially, a prison full of old-money rich people sit in their luxurious cells, when some prisoners spark a jailbreak. Here's video of the commercial:

The rich folks are nearly thwarted when Kenny G music is blared through the prison's PA system. In case you're curious, the song is "Songbird" and you are lame for wondering. Don't worry, I was just as lame.

Follow along with this StoryStream for updates. If you're more interested in following the game itself, check out our Super Bowl hub for live score updates, commentary, and anything and everything else Super Bowl XLV-related. And finally, if you'd like to follow along with like-minded fans, check in with SB Nation's Packers blog, Acme Packing Company, and our Steelers blog, Behind The Steel Curtain.

Super Bowl 2011 Commercials: Groupon And Liz Hurley Are Both Confusing And Reprehensible

Hahaha, Groupon’s trio of Super Bowl 2011 commercials, we get it. It’s very funny that you know celebrity activism is tired. This was a funnier joke when Faith No More made fun of it twenty-five years ago. That song is now the theme of Dirty Jobs, and no one knows it has a very off-color joke about Rock Hudson. Life is wonderful that way sometimes.

So if I am to watch Liz Hurley conflate the loss of Brazilian rain forest, there are some comments to be made.

You’ve now made me very confused, Groupon. Is Liz Hurley’s personal hair endangered? More importantly, is it like the Rainforest itself? Is there a tiny ponytailed Sean Connery traipsing its glens, and hollows, warning us of the miracle cures we’re destroying it every day? And Timothy Hutton, I mean, we’re just talking about whales and trees in the others, sure, but joking about actual Tibetans? Living, breathing Tibetans?

I’m comfortable with that, but I’m also not a good person, and am looking forward to a Groupon campaign for roadside assistance using Egypt as a pivot. “Hey, there’s people dying in the streets in Cairo, but don’t be caught dead without Triple A roadside you can share with your friends via Groupon!” Ha, that’d be droll! These ads are reprehensible. Burn it.

Super Bowl Commercials 2011: Video And Commentary On Sunday's Ads

Super Bowl XLV is now minutes away from kickoff, which means we're in for football interspersed with a series of stay-at-home film festivals -- or, in other words, commercials. Some ads -- such as Volkswagen's mini-Darth Vader commercial -- have already been released to popular acclaim, but most have yet to be seen by the public in full capacity.

Here at SB Nation, we'll be watching the game along with you, and posting video of some of the notable commercials. So in case the Steelers and Packers don't provide you with enough fun, we're here to pick up the slack.

Follow along with this StoryStream for updates. If you're more interested in following the game itself, check out our Super Bowl hub for live score updates, commentary, and anything and everything else Super Bowl XLV-related. And finally, if you'd like to follow along with like-minded fans, check in with SB Nation's Packers blog, Acme Packing Company, and our Steelers blog, Behind The Steel Curtain.