Groupon Trivializes Deforestation With Female Deforestation

So here's the spot Groupon got into the Super Bowl. It features Elizabeth Hurley talking about "one of nature's most lush ecosystems," the Brazilian rain forest. But not for long. After what appears to be heartfelt support for the plight of the rain forest, a quick cut takes us to a salon where we heara rip, a woman scream and Hurley dressed in a bathrobe telling us not all deforestation is bad. Ha, ha, fucking ha!

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Mercedes Doesn't Impress With Diddy

There's been some significant chat about the appearance of Diddy in the Merdedes Benz Super Bowl commercial but we don't see what the big deal is all about. So a bunch of old Mercedes Benz's "wake up" and make their way to a hanger where this year's new models are ready to strut their stuff. So what.

Yea, it's mildly humorous to see Diddy wake up to notice his own Mercedes has come to life and sped away with all the others and again at the end when, in his bathrobe, he's looking around for his car in a sea of early model vehicles. But something's missing. The spot just feels mundane and plain. There's really nothing at all special about it.

The only reason this commercial will get even the tiniest bit of notoriety at all is because Diddy is in it. Apart from that, it's just run of the mill banality.

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GoGranny Takes on GoDaddy

In what could have been a hilarious take on the GoDaddy commercials if only it were three and a half minutes shorter, this video from Network Solutions featuring Cloris Leachman is a yawner. Leachman can be funny but this dreck just goes on and on and on. And then at the end we are subjected to what seems like some kind of pro-women cause group rant from BlogHer Co-Founder Lida Stone.

Yawn. We'll take the GoDaddy Girls over this crap any day of the week. Even if they are a bunch of bimbos with fake boobs and absolutely no need for a domain registrar.

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Super Bowl Predictions According to Ad Age...and Brokaw

According to Ad Age:

Almost two-thirds of Super Bowl viewers age 18-34 will be using a smartphone, while watching the game this Sunday.

- 59% will be sending emails or texts about the game.
- 18% will be checking out ads online from their phones.
- 18% will visit advertiser websites--including this infamous one.
- 32% will be posting comments about the game or the ads on a social network.

According to Cleveland-based ad agency Brokaw:

- 6% will make an inappropriate Ben Roethlisberger joke in front of mixed company.
- 45% will avoid that "mystery dip" by saying they're "stuffed," then secretly double-fist Cool Ranch in the corner.
- 21% will make small talk about the blizzard in Chicago to fill the uncomfortable silence following the new Go Daddy spot.
- 37% will be surprised and somewhat saddened to learn that another aging rock band isn't performing at this year's halftime show.

And there you have it.

Is $3 Million for a Super Bowl Spot Worth it?

This pre-Super Bowl guest post comes from John Follis, president of Follis Advertising LLC.

Last year, Pepsi did something it hadn't done in 23 years. It chose not to run a Super Bowl spot. Instead, it took the $20 million that it spent on the previous year's game and spent it on a social media driven contest. With a blend of philanthropy, guerrilla branding, and PR the Pepsi Refresh contest invited people to submit their ideas and compete for votes to win grants ranging from $5,000 to $250,000.

Was it successful? Did it help increase sales? "The Pepsi Refresh Project was not a sales driven program" said Shiv Singh, head of digital for PepsiCo beverages America, "It was designed to build brand awareness...cultivate a long term relationship with consumers...(and) build brand health. We look at brand equity, brand health and sales - and we have seen movement in all of them."

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Kia Optima Super Bowl Commercial is Epic

Uh, oh. There's winding mountain roads in this car commercial. That doesn't bode well in our book but let's not get hung up on the details just yet. From David & Goliath comes this epic commercial for the Kia Optima. In the spot, we see people from across space and time - everyone from police to villains to aliens to ancient chiefs - who attempt to keep the Optima for themselves. It's actually quite the sweet looking ride. SO we guess we can see why people might go to great lengths to snag one for themselves.

Additionally, Kia will launch One Epic Contest, an online contest which incorporates elements of the TV spot, including the ad's ancient civilization environment in which the game is based.

The contest will give away five 2011 Optimas. Five questions pertaining to the content of the ad will be revealed along with a final question to be unveiled during the Super Bowl.

As car commercial go, we think this is a good one.

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Preview Chevrolet's Super Bowl Ads Here

So we've viewed all the ads Chevrolet is going to air this Sunday and, generally, we like them. Our favorite is Miss Evelyn. Touting the Camaro, the ad begins with two guys talking about how they have a great idea for the commercial. It begins in the desert and then moves to the city and then to the suburbs. As the two discuss the concept, the ad changes as they come up with new ideas. Of course, there's a hot chick. A hot chick who turns out to be a hot teacher.

Other ads highlight the various features of Chevrolet cars such as the cars mobile app that start, lock and unlock the car from a distance and the real time Facebook status update in the Chevrolet Cruze.

An ad for the Silverado highlights the vehicles apparent ability to drive itself and take care of an accident-prone child. A couple more center on the importance of innovation and its the brand's history. View them all below.

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Military Get Their Own Private Super Bowl Ad

To remind overseas military of their right to vote, the Department of Defense Federal Voting Assistance Program, with help from Mullen, will air a commercial on the American Forces Network during the Super Bowl. As many as one million military will see the ad.

Traditionally, the military, while able to view the Super Bowl, are not able to view the ads the rest of us see during the game. Rather, they are subjected to a bunch of, shall we say, less creative PSAs.

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VW Employs Star Wars Theme for Passat Super Bowl Ad

We have to agree with AdFreak on this one. We like this new VW commercial for the 2012 Passat which will appear in the Super bowl. The ad takes on a Star Wars theme with a kid dressed like Darth Vadar attempting over and over again to exert The Force on object around his house.

When the boy's Dad arrives home in a brand new VW Passat, the boy goes to work trying his hardest to get that car to react. Suddenly, it does. The boy is very, very surprised. Then we see the dad clicking the remote starter in the kitchen.

From Deutsch LA, the ad is called The Force and we think it will garner some positive reaction during and after the game. Of course, the fact we're already a Passat owner might sway our opinion just a wee bit.

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Young Adults Really, Really Want to See Your Super Bowl Ad

In its second annual Super Bowl survey, San Francisco advertising agency Venables Bell & Partners found America's love for Super Bowl advertising is alive and well, especially among 18-34 year olds.

The study claims young adults look forward to watching the ads more than spending time with their friends and family, the half-time show and the national anthem, in that order. Of the 64 percent of young adults that would opt to watch the game with commercials versus commercial-free, 25 percent of that group would pay a $.99 subscription fee to watch the ads during the game.

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