Overprotective dads lead to Prius car chases and a Mustang driver is left out in the cold.
There will be more to the Super Bowl than four quarters of gridiron action when millions of viewers gather this weekend to view it. Super Bowl commercials, which are often a highlight of the game, feature companies that splurge their most talented talent and largest budgets to grab viewers’ attention.
The year 2014 is no exception. Expect plenty of ads from a variety of automakers, including Hyundai and Audi. Porsche will also be promoting their vehicles. It’s a great time to look back at the most memorable spots from recent years.
Honda: “A new truck to love”
What happens when there is an in-bed sound system and more than 12 singing sheep? Honda’s 2016 Ridgeline advertisement “A New Truck to Love” showed us exactly what it was like. The clip features a group sheep singing Queen’s “Somebody to Love” together. This ad spot was viewed over 7 million times by Honda YouTube subscribers.
Hyundai: “Unpleasant Moments”
This list will prove Hyundai has a knack of making funny Super Bowl ads. The automaker joined forces with Jason Bateman in 2019 to show that shopping for a new vehicle can really be frustrating. What is worse than shopping for a new car? Root canals, awkward coming-of-age conversations and vegan dinner parties are just some of the many problems that can be caused by new-car shopping. The commercial did not promote a particular vehicle but Hyundai’s Shopper Assurance program, which promised a gentler, more pleasant experience.
VW: “The Force”
The power of the Dark Side was paired with the 2012 Passat by VW in 2011. The video shows a young boy trying to use The Force on the fridge, sink and dog. He then comes across his dad’s Passat and the rest is Super Bowl history.
Hyundai: “First Date”
Imagine how scared this father feels when his teenage daughter takes her for a drive in his new Hyundai Genesis. Hart has a trump card. He can use the Hyundai’s Blue Link telematics to track Hart’s daughter’s location and keep tabs with their date using the Car Finder feature. This ad is almost every teenage boy’s nightmare and won USA Today the coveted “Ad Meter” award at the 2016 Super Bowl.
Bridgestone: “Reply All”
The Super Bowl’s most hilarious Super Bowl ads of 2011 were not even produced by an automaker. Bridgestone’s “Reply All,” ad campaign, featured a hilarious ad that showed the horrors of sending an email to all members of a particular thread. According to AdWeek it was inspired by an error-reply-all email sent by the spot’s creative director.
Toyota: “The Longest Chase”
Although the Prius might not appear like a good getaway vehicle, bank robbers were able to get behind the wheel of this hybrid in “The Longest Chase” 2016. It was Super Bowl commercial gold. The four thieves became a global sensation, appearing in music videos and news reports after they evaded police and made their way onto the highway. It was intended to showcase the car’s 58-mile-per-gallon highway speed… but don’t run from police in real life.
Chevrolet: “Happy Grad”
General Motors invited filmmakers to submit ads for their Super Bowl XLVI ads. This one by Zach Borst (26 years old) got a lot of laughs. This is a classic example of dramatic irony. A recent graduate was excited to see the gift his parents gave him: A brand new yellow Chevy Camaro coupe. But, it’s not what his parents actually bought him for college. You can see his disappointment when he finally figures it out in the video.
Hyundai: “Ryanville”
Ryanville is a place that anyone would love to call home. This 2016 Super Bowl spot was populated exclusively by men who look like Ryan Reynolds. It highlighted the Hyundai Elantra’s automatic stopping power when drivers are distracted by the scenery.
Chevrolet: “Soap”
The 2004 commercial features unhappy children holding soap bars in their mouths. Why? Wait until the end, when a child sees the new Chevy SSR – that weird power-hardtop truck-slash-convertible – and starts a sentence with, “Holy” before the SSR’s exhaust note covers up his next word. Ad Age described the spot as “perfectly constructed, perfectly cast, and even photo-composed.”
Ford: “Green Light”
Convertibles can be difficult to sell in winter. Who wants to drive top-down when there is snow and ice? Ford used this incongruity in its favor, using a Super Bowl commercial in 2005 to promote the Mustang convertible. This clip shows what happens to convertible fans when they get too excited about their new car and drive top-down in freezing weather for too long. Although the gag took some time to come up, it’s a fun way to showcase the Mustang without a top.
Kia: “Walken Closet”
During the 2016 Super Bowl ad spot Kia referred to its new Optima sedan “the most exciting pair of socks in the world” as an attempt to get rid of boring and boring socks (sedans). The slogan sounds better when Christopher Walken says it.
Audi: “Green Police”
The irony! Audi’s Super Bowl 2010 spot “Green Police” gave us a dramatic, funny look at green living to the tunes of Cheap Trick’s The Dream Police soundtrack, while touting the efficiency and fuel economy of the A3 TDI (Clean Diesel). We now know that VW’s clean diesel idea is not real. It’s still a hilarious commercial.
General Motors: “Robot”
Although the “Robot” clip is funny at the end it has some very tragic moments. Ostensibly intended to show the attention-to-detail GM intended with its new five-year/100,000-mile warranties, it follows the story of an industrial robot who daydreams of making a mistake and, out of shame, jumping off a bridge. Robert Gebbia, the then executive director of The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, stated The Washington Post, “It wasn’t appropriate to use depression or suicide as a means to sell cars.” We want to know if you find this ad humorous or exploitative.
Acura: “Transactions”
Acura had been releasing Super Bowl ads to promote its new sports car long before it hit the market in 2015. The spot entitled “Transactions” was created by Jerry Seinfeld, comedian and avid car collector. Seinfeld is seen trying to seduce the owner of the first spot to reserve a new car by offering cash, the Soup Nazi characters, and even a dancing, holographic monkey.
Kia: “Hero’s Journey”
Melissa McCarthy set out in 2017 to save the planet. She couldn’t have done it without the help of the new Niro Hybrid SUV… without getting into trouble.