NOTABLE AND NOT BAD, BUT….
Budweiser: The beer company offered one of its typical patriotic ads with a spot featuring “typical Americans,” but with the nation this divided, it’s harder than ever to deliver that “What unites us” message without evoking thoughts that undermine it.
Facebook: If ever a company might have benefited from a strong corporate image ad, it’s Facebook. A spot that told you ways different people use Facebook wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t that.
Bud Light Seltzer: A man’s inner voices fight a battle over drinking Bud Light Seltzer that looked a lot like a bit from an old Woody Allen movie. An amusing sight gag but a highly derivative idea.
Tide: Charlie Day had a stain on his shirt. Everything after that in a connected series of spots felt like a bit of a blur — including cameos by the Bud Light Knight and Wonder Woman — which were unexpected but not enough to redeem it.
P&G: The idea of celebrating a bunch of different brands an in interactive commercial was an interesting idea, but unless you’re a marketing student the experiment didn’t entirely work.
Sodastream: A funny punchline — that actually demonstrates what the product does — pays off this spot about finding water on Mars, with an appropriate cameo by Bill Nye the Science Guy. OK, but not a top-tier ad.
Pepsi: Using the Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black” was a nifty touch, but a fairly standard image spot.
Squarespace: There was a “Fargo” vibe to the spot featuring Winona Ryder in Winona, Minnesota, which only half paid off the gag.
Reese’s Take 5: They pushed the notion of illustrating clichés a little too far with the final image, which bordered on crude.
Cheetos: A guy uses having cheesy fingers to get out of various unpleasant things — including changing a baby — using MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This.” Put this one just outside the “winners” column.
New York Life: There was something serious about life — and life insurance — going on there, but it was difficult to follow what it was.
Hard Rock: Michael Bay (“Transformers”) directed an action-packed ad in which Jennifer Lopez was joined by a number of other celebs. The spot was certainly busy and energetic, but lacked much point. Sort of like the average Michael Bay movie, only shorter.
