Good and Strange

Super Bowl Sunday is considered the Big Game for football players and advertisers. During this year’s program, each 30-second spot was sold for a reported $5 million. Shocking, right? Actually, a Super Bowl spot is the most cost-efficient spot an advertiser can buy. With about 112 million viewers, these ads are reaching each person for about 4 cents.

It’s not a secret that advertising firms bring out their best and most extreme ideas for the Super Bowl. You’d think we’ve seen everything there is to see, but each year we’re surprised by big celebrities and outrageous talking animals.

Here are some of the most memorable commercials from this year (both good and… strange):

Doritos – Ultrasound

This seemed to be a favorite around the AMPs office. It was the winner of Doritos’ Crash the Super Bowl contest, where fan-made commercials compete for this prestigious spot. A clever concept was executed tastefully.

T-Mobile – Drop The Balls

T-Mobile made the best use of pop culture this year. This spot played off of the awkward announcement of Miss Universe by Steve Harvey, but spun it to combat claims made by T-Mobile’s competitor. T-Mobile also aired a commercial featuring Drake and his popular song “Hotline Bling,” which also received praise.

Kickstart – Puppymonkeybaby

This was undoubtedly the strangest commercial of the year. It featured a borderline-scary creature with the head of a pug, the body of a monkey and the legs of a baby. Viewers are still having nightmares about it.

Buick – The Big Game Meets The Big Day

This ad caught the eye of both football fans and romantics alike. The ad is set at a wedding, but pulls in a reference to a catch made by Giants’ wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The cameo by OBJ himself was a clever nod.

Hyundai – First Date

Kevin Hart starred in one of the first ads of the night, playing a dad watching over his daughter’s date. The hilarity of Kevin Hart mixed well with the display of the car’s features.