Red Stripe Ref Makes the Official Call on ‘That’ Super Bowl Car Commercial

Red Stripe Ref Makes Official Call on VW Ad

Jamaican beer brand Red Stripe may not name the brand in question, but anyone who follows advertising knows how Volkswagen’s official Super Bowl ad ‘Get Happy’ has stirred up controversy. The ad features a a white office guy (from Minnesota, Land of a “Towsend” Lakes) speaking with a distinctive Jamaican accent, eventually winning over his glum co-workers with his ‘no worries’ attitude.

In an article on the Mercury News, VW spokesman, Scott Vazin said critics have it all wrong, “If you look at the whole intent of the commercial for us, it’s about making people happy. The idea is to put a smile on your face. It’s simple and human and humorous.”

The clip was just one in a series posted to Red Stripe’s YouTube, Twitter and Facebook during and just after the game, with shout-outs to Beyonce’s half-time show, and the winning coach Harbaugh.

[via Meme Machine]

JamaicaUSA

Oreo, Audi and Tide Light-Up Twitter with Zingers During Super Bowl Blackout

Oreos - Tide - Super Bowl Blackout Response

It’s not a surprise that the social media teams of major brands were on high alert during Sunday’s Super Bowl. With investments in 30 second advertising spots running in the neighbourhood of $4 million during the broadcast, it was paramount that reaction to ads be tracked (and possibly responded to) in real-time.

When a blackout affected half the stadium in the third quarter, delaying the game was delayed for 34 minutes, a few savvy social media teams jumped into the fray with some witty, well-timed tweets.

Audi poked fun at fellow German automaker Mercedes-Benz, title sponsor of the New Orleans Superdome, posting, “Sending some LEDs to the @MBUSA Superdome right now…”. Over 9,000 retweets followed.

Tide responded with, “We can’t get your #blackout, but we can get your stains out. #SuperBowl #TidePower”, linking to an image associated with their Stain Saver campaign.

Probably the best response came from Oreo, “Power out?” Oreo posted to Twitter. “No problem. You can still dunk in the dark.”, with a link to an image of an Oreo lit up in a spotlight. The tweet went on to be retweeted 10,000 times within the next hour.

While the three brands mentioned here all invested heavily in their traditional spots, these off-handed remarks captured significant attention with those of us engaged with Twitter as a second screen experience.

[via Advertising Age]

Boy Gathers Super Kid Dream Team for Rematch in Hyundai’s Super Bowl Spot

Hyundai Super Bowl Ad 'Team'

In Hyundai’s Super Bowl spot a young boy recruits his mother and her seven-passenger Sante Fe to recruit a dream team of super kids for a rematch against a group of larger boys.

The TV spot is supported by ‘Find Your 7‘, a social experience in which participants assemble a Super Bowl dream team from their Facebook friends, assigning them to a seat in a virtual Sante Fe. A winner will be drawn and will receive airfare, accommodations and tickets for seven people to the 2014 Super Bowl in East Rutherford, NJ.

The ad ‘Team’ was created by INNOCEAN USA, and directed by Jim Jenkins for O Positive.

USA

Paul Rudd and Seth Rogan Pitch Ideas for Samsung Mobile Super Bowl Ad Teaser

Samsung Mobile USA Super Bowl 2013 El Plato Supremo

If you scratch your head when you see Sunday’s Super Bowl referenced as the Big Game in some ads, you may have dandruff or not realize the tight restriction on trademarked terms. Fact is, the Super Bowl is a trademarked term, and while it can be mentioned in news and conversation about the game, its use for commercial purposes is tightly restricted to authorized advertisers.

In a new Samsung Mobile teaser, actors Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd are pitching ideas for Samsung’s ‘Big Game’ ad to a marketing guy, played by Breaking Bad’s Bob Odenkirk. They find out that that while they can say ‘super’ they can’t say ‘bowl’ with it. They can say San Francisco and Baltimore, but they can’t say 49ers or Ravens, which are trademarks of their individual teams.

The two settle on creating an ad for ‘The Big Plate featuring the San Francisco 50 minus oners and the Baltimore Blackbirds’.

The ‘El Plato Supremeo’ teaser was created 72 and Sunny, and directed by Jon Favreau.

USA

Willem Dafoe Stars as the Devil in Mercedes-Benz Super Bowl Spot

Mercedes Benz Super Bowl 2013 'Soul'

Actor Willem Dafoe has the distinctive look and gravely voice that seem a natural fit to play the devil. In Mercedes-Benz’ Super Bowl a young man in a diner stares through the window as a billboard for the all-new CLA is being mounted across the street. A black-clad Dafoe materializes on the other table to the opening percussion of the Rolling Stones ‘Sympathy for the Devil‘ and an Faustian offer that the young man can have the car and everything that goes with it.

The young man imagines himself arriving at a Hollywood premiere, posing with Kate Upton for the paparazzi and dancing Usher. Next, he’s on the highway to Vegas before being chased by crowds of young girls, then racing against a Formula One car.

But before the devil can get his signature on the contract, the last corner of the billboard is completed showing that the car’s price starts at an affordable $29,000.

The ad was created by Merkley + Partners, and directed by Dante Ariola for MJZ.

USA

Budweiser Seeks Name for Clydesdale Foal Featured in 2013 Super Bowl Ad

Budweiser Super Bowl Ad - Brotherhood

UPDATE FEB 4: AFter getting more than 6o,ooo suggestions, Budweiser revealed the foal would be named ‘Hope’.

The star of Budweiser’s tear-inducing 2013 Super Bowl ad titled ‘Brotherhood’ was still only 7 days old when the opening scene was filmed. Budweiser is asking their Twitter and Facebook followers to help name the latest addition to their iconic Clydesdale team, with the name revealed on the Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast.

Some of the names include Brew, Comet, Skywalker, Cheers, Suds, Clydus and Sprunky Brewster. As of this morning over 11,000 people had contributed names on the Facebook post.

The connection between Budweiser and the Clydedales began on April 7, 1933, when six-horse hitches of champion Clydesdales were given a gift from August A. Busch, Jr. and Adolphus Busch to their father to celebrate the repeal of prohibition. Since then, the horses have been featured in over 125 Budweiser TV commercials, including 22 in the Super Bowl alone. Brotherhood will be the 23rd appearance of the team.

USA

Volkswagen Taps Jimmy Cliff and Unhappy Viral Video Stars for Pre-Super Bowl Clip

Volkswagen Super Bowl - Jimmy Cliff

For this year’s Volkswagen pre-Super Bowl spot (we have pre-ads now?) Deutsch L.A. has tapped reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, star of the 1972 movie ‘The Harder They Come’. That movie was critical in helping expose the music of Jamaica to an international audience. Cliff is featured in the clip singing his updated version of the Patridge Family theme song ‘Come on Get Happy’.

Along side Cliff, are several people who were caught being very ‘unhappy’ on YouTube, including Debbie; the cat-crazy woman from the ‘eHarmony Video Bio’ (which was not a bio at all, but a marketing promotion for Dutch company Pretty Social), Ohio Republican candidate Phil Davison, who loses his mind in a campaign speech, Casey, the inconsolable Packers fan, Francis, the guy who destroys his xBox after being called fat, two scrapping mascots, and minor-league baseball manager Phillip Wellman, who went on a legendary base-throwing tirade.

Cliff’s version of Come on Get Happy, along with several ringtones are available for free download.

[via AgencySpy]

USAPull-Ups First Flush

Adriana Lima, Chuck Liddel & Motley Crue Kickstart Kia’s Super Bowl Ad

Kia Dream CarIt looks like Kia America is going for the dude market with their 2012 Super Bowl commercial (the extended version is embedded above).

In the ad, Mr. Sandman enters the bedroom of a sleeping couple. He lightly sprinkles dream dust to the woman and instantly she’s riding across grassy hills on white horse with a well groomed guy in a puffy shirt (basically a romance novel come to life). But as Mr Sandman rounds the bed, he trips on a pair of slippers delivers a overdose of golden dream dust to the unsuspecting sleeping man. The next thing you know all hell breaks loose as the man finds himself in a white Kia Optima. Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima drops the flag he speeds off (closed course, professional driver, blah blah blah) in front of a grandstand of cheering bikini-clad women as Motley Crue rock out on stage to ‘Kickstart My Heart’.

But no sir, it’s not over yet. The random awesomeness continues with a cowboy riding a bucking rhinoceros, lumberjacks sawing a truck-size sandwich and Chuck Liddel kicking a guy until he explodes. Soon the man and woman’s dreams cross paths in a more tranquil happy ending.

The ad was created by Kia’s ad agency David & Goliath and directed by Noam Murro of Biscuit Film Works.