The Super Bowl is undoubtedly the biggest stage for advertisement. In the past, corporate brands such as Bud Light, GoDaddy.com, and Pepsi have consistently owned the commercial stage during the big game. But the staple jaw droppers where benched by some unlikely contenders. When ad rates are going for $5 million per 30 seconds, companies have no choice but to bring out their best.
In one of the best ads, Amazon‘s star studded commercial was filled with humor and a number of well placed cameos. When the corporate Alexa (an artificial intelligence module that helps your find information based of verbal commands) loses her voice, CEO Jeff Bezos asks his staff if the replacements were ready to step in. They seem hilariously unsure, but they do have back-ups. A number of celebrities serve as the replacements and the crazy ensues. The commercial wins by enlisting hip-hop femcee Cardi B, Pitch Perfect’s Rebel Wilson and British Chef Gordon Ramsey the Alexa customers.
When asked to play country music, “Bodak Yellow” comes on as a surprise. The song pauses for a second, then continues. Rebel Wilson is Alexa’s voice when asked to set the mood. The actress appears in a bubble bath while Keith Sweat‘s “Nobody” as background music. Alexa’s voice comes back at the end of the ad to assume her position.
The NFL displayed an ad featuring the dance moves of Eli Manning and Odell Beckham, Jr., in a Dirty Dancing spoof. The ad ends with Beckham jumping into his quarterback’s hands to spread his arms and leads like an Eagle. No pun intended.
In Mountain Dew’s ad, Morgan Freeman and Peter Dinklage face off in a Hip-Hop battle of Fire and Ice. The actors take the voices of Missy Elliot and Busta Rhymes, who both appear in motion portraits in the commercial. It was perceived to be one of the most enjoyable ads during the Super Bowl.
At the end of the night, the Philadelphia Eagles were crowned Super Bowl champions and Amazon were winners of the 30th USA TODAY Ad Meter contest.
The championship parade is schedule for Wednesday, February 7th.
