Shutdown Corner - NFL

Shutdown Corner

Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:08 am EST

Top five Super Bowl commercials: From Timberlake to 'The Godfather'

By Jamie Mottram

I'm no advertising expert, nor am I a Super Bowl commercials aficionado of any sort. I'm just a guy who likes football and is vaguely aware that Apple's "1984" ad is kind of a big deal, MJ and Bird playing H-O-R-S-E appears to have happened a million years ago and a jorts-clad Cindy Crawford forcefully ushered me into young manhood.

Oh, and I watched every commercial break of the Giants' historic upset in the hopes of providing you with the five best ads out of this year's Super Bowl-sized buffet of crass commercialism. (Note: Anything for Salesgenie.com's "business" or starring "comedian" Carlos Mencia need not apply.)

Each 30-second spot cost $2.7 million, but you can watch the most entertaining ones for free right down below, or hit Yahoo! Video to see the rest. You can also tell me what a know-nothing I am by sharing your picks and pans via the comments.

Honorable mentions: Doritos -- "Mouse Trap," Budweiser -- "Beer Wagon Team," Bud Light -- "Wine Tasting Party," E-Trade -- "Baby," GMC Yukon -- "Hybrid Inspiration," Planters -- "Unibrow," Vitamin Water -- "Shaq Jockey," NFL -- "Chester Pitts" and Coke -- "Political Party"

5. Pepsi -- "Magnetic Attraction"

4. Bud Light -- "Will Ferrell" 

3. Tide to Go -- "Screaming Stain"

2. FedEx -- "Pigeon Carriers"

1. Audi -- "The Godfather"

Related: Super Bowl XLII

digg delicious
more

10391 Comments

Post a Comment
  1. Sluggo
    1. Posted by Sluggo Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:55 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    I thought the Timberlake was pretty good - nice little cameo by the SNL guy in long hair. This one made me laught. Will Farrell is just tired. Same old c*)p over and over. The FedEx pigeons were a over the top - wasn't funny. The Audi one - well, I've driven an Audi and they ain't that good.
  2. T Stewart
    2. Posted by T Stewart Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:17 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Yeah, your right, the Giants won, but there was a lot of penalties not called on them that should have. Giants, you still stink :)
  3. Brave Sir Robin
    3. Posted by Brave Sir Robin Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:39 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    I would definitely put the Doritos in the top 5, probably number one, and remove the Audi commercial. I'd also knock out the JT Pepsi commercial and put in the bud light ad that ends with "we make sandwich, I am meat!"
  4. Sluggo
    4. Posted by Sluggo Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:55 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Well, Jojo, thank you for your concern - but in this game, the referees let the players actually play. It's called "staying out of the way". The Pats weren't cheated, they just didn't play as well as they hoped. They expected (hoped) thier exalted offense would run all over the field. They didn't. The expected (wished) the Giants would lay down. They didn't. Quite simply - your Pats don't have a running game and they have an old defense. Thier top two guys retired once, then came back to play "for one more ring". The Giants do stink, but they won. A better game would have been Pats-Packers.
  5. TerrorAlert
    5. Posted by TerrorAlert Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:49 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    well, I've driven an Audi and they ain't that good.
  6. Aaron K
    6. Posted by Aaron K Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:40 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    "Screaming Stain" was good, but wasn't anyone else impressed by the Stewie/Underdog/Charlie Brown Coke commercial? That one was hands-down the best for me...
  7. Cameron
    7. Posted by Cameron Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:20 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    i thought the e*trade commercials with the baby were in the top 5. other then the car itself i thought the audi commercial was horrible.
  8. Ryan O
    8. Posted by Ryan O Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:43 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    You guys are whiny babies...the Pats have benefited from bogus calls and controversial play (tuck rule, illegal contact...anyone?) for years. This business about them taping other teams just makes the whole deal stink a little bit more. From the classless 4th and long conversions for TDs against Joe Gibbs to the way that Belicheck can't stay on a field when his team loses...they deserved to lose. I feel bad for Junior Seau because he deserves a ring but oh well.
  9. Beck
    9. Posted by Beck Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:40 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Haha, responding to Joanna about the "cheating penalties." Uhh, did you watch the superbowl a couple years ago with the Steelers vs Seahawks? That was the worst officiated game. Don't make up excuses, there were a couple calls uncalled for both sides. Bottom line, your Oline collapsed, Brady got pressured and he wasn't his normal self. No excuses, you didn't win, take it like a true fan. Hell, up until this year (I'm a Browns fan) I've accepted losing. Anyway, I agree with Justin Timberlake one as the funniest, but what about the first pepsi commercial, with "What is Love," that was funny
  10. louie b
    10. Posted by louie b Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:57 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    ok who ever said the giants stink who the superbowl champs not the PATS
  11. louie b
    11. Posted by louie b Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:57 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    oh and they should of put the bud lights where the guy shot flames out of his mouth
  12. DesL
    12. Posted by DesL Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:58 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    i like the victoria secret commerical ahahah
  13. xcrnr687
    13. Posted by xcrnr687 Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:52 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    hey JoAnne.....i think you should cry about it, yeah losers always like the excuse that the refs cheated the team...give me a break, its the pats fault that they couldnt score more than 7 points each half...perfect....hahaha not this year....maybe they should have cheated, then they might have won...
    and for all the eli haters out there you can shut up now cause he just led his team with 2 minutes left to score the winning touchdown and oh yeah.....the super bowl.
    sorry tom better luck next year, and seau haha nice try but youll never your ring...especially not by joining the 2nd best team in the league.
  14. Kris
    14. Posted by Kris Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:20 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    I agree about the Stewie/Underdog/Charlie Brown Coke one - who thought to put those three together?
  15. Dewaynek
    15. Posted by Dewaynek Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:38 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Yo, the e-trade commercials were by far the best and funniest..when the baby threw up..comical
  16. jordan u
    16. Posted by jordan u Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:25 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    This is for JoAnne from Chicago........Two words for you....."Spy Gate"
    The Patriots and their spoiled, cry-baby fans are the last people that should be complaining about "cheating" right now. Oh and by the way..... The Patriots were penalized 5 times for a total of 35 Yards. The Giants were penalized 4 times for 36 Yards. I would say that that is as even as it's going to get. Right? If "THE BEST TEAM IN HISTORY" can't overcome a measly 35 Yards in penalties to win the game then they DON'T deserve to win and they are NOT the best team in history! The reason the Patriots lost is because the Patriots didn't play as well as the Giants did. Period.
  17. Sluggo
    17. Posted by Sluggo Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:55 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    "Better game" comment - don't get me wrong, it was a great game. A Pats-Packers game would have been just a good, but more scoring, a bit more shooting-from-the-hip (Favre) - although I feel the Pats would have probably won that - so part of me is glad the Giants were the NFC Champs.
  18. Philip B
    18. Posted by Philip B Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:14 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    You pats fans can't complain about the refs in this game. Yeah maybe there were a few calls missed, but thats in every game. There were definitely some games in the season that the pats got some BIG help from the refs. The bottom line is...the pats couldn't protect brady. Sacked and pressured multiple times. Now that isn't the refs fault is it?
  19. altub89
    19. Posted by altub89 Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:51 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    You can say what ever you want. Giants won !!!! They are the champions!!!
  20. Sluggo
    20. Posted by Sluggo Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:55 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Kris - good call on the Coke one with the floats. That was good. Nice to see Charlie Brown finally gets the Coke. That was a good one too.
  21. Phishy
    21. Posted by Phishy Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:51 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Cry!! Cry, Patriot fans!!!!
    Wahahahahhahahahahah!!!!!
    Your tears are like sweet rain from above!
    Let the BOO HOOing officially commence!!!
  22. ajporubcan
    22. Posted by ajporubcan Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:26 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Etrade's baby commercials were easily the best two spots in a rather disappointing crop of Super Bowl ads. Can't go wrong with simple humor.
  23. MichaelG
    23. Posted by MichaelG Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:28 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    The Budweiser Clydesdale in training camp was the best hands down.
  24. darg_ace
    24. Posted by darg_ace Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:36 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    I mean this super bowl was kinda wierd and also the cermercials were stupid.I thought the New England Patriots were going to win because they were doing pretty good on the downs.
  25. darg_ace
    25. Posted by darg_ace Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:36 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    I mean this super bowl was kinda wierd and also the cermercials were stupid.I thought the New England Patriots were going to win because they were doing pretty good on the downs.

Shutdown Corner

Add to My Yahoo! RSS

MJD

Shutdown Corner is an NFL blog edited by Matthew J. Darnell. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

Contributors:
Chris Chase, Doug Farrar, Blair Johnson, Kevin Sullivan, Kerry Rhodes,

Teams

Customize to follow news and rumors on your favorite teams. [ Sign in ]

Related Photo Gallery

More NFL Photos »

Y! Sports Blogs

Shutdown Corner Recent Readers

(provided by MyBlogLog)