I also thought the ad for GoDaddy.com that directs viewers to its Web site with the promise of a sexy striptease was clever (“You won’t see it on TV. It’s on GoDaddy.com!”). It played right into the current media mindset: TV Dull. Computer Cool.
There were two that truly stood out, though I don’t think either one warrants repeated viewing and I am certain both will be forgotten (or considered an annoyance) by Valentine’s Day. The Planters Cashews spot in which a drab woman has men stumbling over themselves to be near her because of her choice in nuts was engaging, if somewhat stupid. The Pepsi spot with Justin Timberlake in which he is pulled around by women sucking Pepsi through straws was eye-catching but way too repetitive. (That said, the great cameo by Andy Samberg, Timberlake’s co-star in the Dick in a Box video, was a highlight of the night.) Overall it felt like an ad that would have been considered dynamic a few years ago.
It is worth noting that Timberlake, the man who ruined television during the Super Bowl XXXVIII half time show by tearing Janet Jackson’s clothing and revealing one of her nipples to a horrified nation, restored a tradition from that very same disgraceful Super Bowl telecast: Commercials in which men suffer blows to their testicles for the merriment of the masses. (Justin’s boys took a few hits when he was repeatedly pulled into a mailbox.)
The duds were too numerous to mention, but I’ll close with two: The Garmin GPS commercial that depicts Napoleon using the device to navigate his way through Paris, which didn’t bother to explain what the product was, and the revolting CareerBuilder.com spot in which a woman’s heart burst out of her chest and waved an “I Quit” sign. Ugh!
By Ed Martin
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