Super Bowl 44 leftovers anyone?

Don’t worry, there’s enough here for a few meals. Look at the linkaganza post to see who has what ad or how crazed Twitter got. Bottom line as it usually is when it comes to the ads: I’m right—you’re right. Neither view better than the other.

Skipping a review of every spot, here are the main things that jumped out at me:

– Overall trend? Yea sexism! Yea end of metrosexual 1.0! It’s been yanked off the shelves apparently in a massive advertising industry recall. Budweiser Book Club now comes equipped with dick jokes. (Autotune only available with white hipsters.)

– Best spot? Google imo, hands down. Here’s my full review from last December, but briefly, this series of search stories in the Google world are about as perfect a realization of the brand promise and function brought to life that I can think of.

– Overhyped spot? Tim Tebow’s Focus on Family ad. Much ado over nothing. The Mark Sanchez PSA for women and heart attack risk had the tone I thought the Tebow spot should’ve had. Instead, they managed to turn it into a Bud stunt ad. Way to advance the cause. A pro life cause that nobody I watched it with could tell was there.

– Best transgender switch? Doritos is now officially Bud Light and vices reversa. An ass shot.

– Most embarassing spot? Skechers Powerpoint. Joe Montana went from cool NFL Network diner guy to this?

– Online integration? Oh, was there some? For the most part, a big non-existent fucking joke. I think one Doritos spot actually held on the url at the end for, a second?

– Best missed opportunity? Toyota. Hands down. Generic voiceover with running shot? Do I have to do everything here? Much as I hate PR, this shit is Damage Control 101: Ceo. Front & Center. Contrite. Instead, people got a half-hearted 2010 Mea Culpa with low miles and priced to move. Twice.

– Best missed opportunity runner-up? Pepsi. Not necessarily during the game, but why not buy up time before and after Super Bowl week to at least appear as if you’re in the discussion, then drive people to the Pepsi Refresh Project off that.

– Improved diversity? Advertising’s answer: More black and Hispanic people in beer spots, apparently.

– Biggest disappointment? Hyundai’s Body Pass. Perceived value in terms of more cupholders and extended warranties have people crazy now. Having owned both, I loved what they were doing a few years ago with Think about it. But when I saw the literal execution that had all hands lifting a car, and it was cue groan.

– Biggest Surprise? Snickers. I wanted to not like it going in, but... I liked it a lot more than I expected, in no small part due to Betty White’s performance.

— Biggest joke? USA Today Ad Meter. Aka, the agency killer. You only have to compare its top results with any other ad site’s (Hulu, Spike or Yahoo), to see how different they all are. 250 people in San Diego, CA and McLean, VA can scale, let alone reconcile with the millions of views and results other sites get? Any brand which puts stock in this (or any single metric), is doing themselves and their agency a huge disservice.

Runner-up: KGB. For what they charge to how they get their info, if there’s another brand the FTC should look at, I can’t think of one.

– Tagjob? #sb44 was the official tag, but look at how many tags were used by how many blogs, each trying to make a name for themselves, with no one tag that could be agreed upon.

— CBS’ hypocritiphobia. Longer breakdown of Mancrunch here, but how does CBS still let the Ghost of Nipple Slips Past dictate how geriatric the halftime show is? Hurry, before they’re booked for a cruise ship, better sign Fleetwood Mac for next year while you still can.

More than that though, with scientists in near-miss orgies, violence and innuendo working overtime, how does the network even claim with a straight face that two guys kissing is inappropriate compared to what made it past censors?

Oh, and CBS needed more promos of its own shows. Way to piggy back on the NFL.

– Fans decide? Speaking of, let fans pick the network for the Super Bowl and which band plays next year.

Until Super Bowl XLV mah friends.