Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Why COVID Is Spreading Again This Summer

7 hours ago

Amid Threats From Trump, Sen. Adam Schiff Forms Legal Defense Fund

10 hours ago

Israel to Place $500 Million, US-Funded Order for Boeing Aerial Refueling Tankers

11 hours ago

Hurricane Erin Threatens North Carolina’s Outer Banks With Storm Surge

11 hours ago

Israel Approves Settlement Plan to ‘Erase’ Idea of Palestinian State

11 hours ago

Tech Stocks Pressure Wall Street as Caution Sets in Ahead of Fed Meet

12 hours ago

Most Americans Believe Countries Should Recognize Palestinian State, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

12 hours ago

Gabbard Revokes Security Clearances of 37 Current, Former US Intelligence Members

1 day ago

Trump Escalates Attacks Against the Smithsonian Institution

1 day ago

California Republicans File Suit Seeking to Block Newsom Redistricting Plan

1 day ago
WATCH: The Best and Worst of Super Bowl Ads
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
February 3, 2020

Share

NEW YORK — Boston accents got poked. “Groundhog Day” got – surprise – resurrected, complete with Bill Murray. Google pulled out tears, and Cheetos and Doritos danced.
All to the tune of $5.6 million for 30 seconds — to reach 100 million people with your product.
During advertising’s biggest night, Super Bowl Sunday, marketers battled it out to bolster their brands. Some got it exactly right. Some didn’t. Here’s your Monday morning quarterbacking rundown.

Best

Hyundai 
The automaker released its ad early, but it still drew fans during the game. Boston-affiliated celebrities including actor Chris Evans, John Krasinski, Saturday Night Live alum Rachel Dratch and former Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz discussed a Hyundai feature that lets car owners park remotely with exaggerated accents that make “Smart Park” sound like “smaht pahk.”

Jeep
Super Bowl Sunday was on Groundhog Day, so someone had to do it. Fiat Chrysler painstakingly recreated the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day,” including the town square and other locales, with original actors Bill Murray, Brian Doyle Murray and Stephen Tobolowsky. The twist: instead of a Chevrolet truck, Murray uses a Jeep Gladiator truck. FCA Group marketing chief Olivier Francois said the ad worked to demonstrate the versatility of the Jeep truck since Murray does something different every day.

Google 
Google’s 90-second ad stood out by not using humor or celebrities. It features a man reminiscing about his wife, using the Google Assistant feature to pull up old photos of her and past vacations. The ad is set to an instrumental version of “Say Something” by Great Big World. “It’s so hard to write earnestly and not make it cheesy,” said Julia Neumann, executive creative director at ad agency TBWA(backslash)Chiat(backslash)Day in New York. “This was really, really well done.”

Cheetos
Cheetos used nostalgia effectively, appropriating the 30 year old MC Hammer classic “U Can’t Touch This” — still an earworm after all these years. The snack-food ad features a man with bright orange Cheetos dust on his hands who uses it as an excuse not to move furniture and perform office tasks. Hammer himself — “Hammer pants” and all — also kept popping up to utter his iconic catchphrase.

Doritos
The brand added a silly danceoff to “Old Town Road,” the smash hit of the summer by Lil Nas X. In the Western-themed ad, Lil Nas faced off with grizzled character actor Sam Elliott with silly, sometimes CGI-enhanced dances moves at the “Cool Ranch.” Billy Cyrus, who features in the song’s remix, also made a cameo.

Planters
Planters teased its Super Bowl ad nearly two weeks before the game, releasing a teaser that showed its Mr. Peanut mascot seemingly being killed. The “death” of Mr. Peanut went viral on Twitter. But when Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash, the marketing stunt suddenly seemed insensitive, so Planters paused its pre-game advertising. The actual Super Bowl ad was relatively inoffensive, with a baby Mr. Peanut appearing at the funeral. “Baby Nut” comparisons to “Baby Yoda” and “Baby Groot” sprung up online.

Worst

Avocados From Mexico 
Avocados from Mexico have carved out a niche with humorous ads featuring avocados, but they may have veered a little too far into “random” territory with this effort featuring a home shopping network with fake products such as a baby carrier-like device for avocados. “I thought the Avocados from Mexico spot felt like a random and gratuitous use of celebrity,” said Steve Merino, chief creative officer of Aloysius, Butler & Clark in Wilmington, Delaware. “Not only did it not make sense to have Molly Ringwald as your spokesperson, it was also a bit of a distraction.”

Pop Tarts
Kellogg’s went for quirky but ended up with a bland spot that isn’t likely to be remembered. In a pseudo infomercial, Jonathan Van Ness of “Queer Eye” describes the new Pop Tarts pretzel snack. The idea is that Pop Tarts adds pizazz to pretzels, but the ad itself failed to have much spark.

Squarespace 
Winona Ryder went back to Winona, Minnesota — which she is named after — to create a website for the town. But nothing much happened in the ad, which shows Ryder in a snowdrift on her laptop being confronted by a “Fargo”-like cop. There’s a more involved marketing campaign with Ryder, but the Super Bowl ad didn’t communicate much.

Hard Rock International 
Hard Rock International went all in on its first Super Bowl ad, maybe too much so. It enlisted Michael Bay for a frenetic commercial showing a frenzied heist caper involving Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez, DJ Khaled, Pitbull, and Steven Van Zandt — but some found it hard to follow.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

International Rapper Derrick ‘Aesop’ McElroy Who Called Fresno Home Dies at 51

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration to Vet Immigration Applications for ‘Anti-Americanism’

DON'T MISS

Texas Republicans Approve Trump-Backed Congressional Map to Protect Party’s Majority

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Authorities Seek Suspect in Casino Assault

DON'T MISS

Poll: California Dems Favor Newsom Over Harris in 2028 Matchup

DON'T MISS

‘Moral Conflict’ Drives Dem Doubts About Newsom’s Redistricting Plan

DON'T MISS

Fresno Animal Center at Critical Capacity After Receiving Over 100 Dogs

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Two SoCal Men in Homicide Investigation

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Investigating Fatal Stabbing of 31-Year-Old Man

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Sheriff Adds Goshen Teen to Most Wanted List

UP NEXT

Trump Administration to Vet Immigration Applications for ‘Anti-Americanism’

UP NEXT

Texas Republicans Approve Trump-Backed Congressional Map to Protect Party’s Majority

UP NEXT

Poll: California Dems Favor Newsom Over Harris in 2028 Matchup

UP NEXT

Why COVID Is Spreading Again This Summer

UP NEXT

US Budget Deficit Forecast $1 Trillion Higher Over Next Decade, Watchdog Says

UP NEXT

Texas Republicans Set to Approve Trump-Backed Congressional Map to Protect Party’s Majority

UP NEXT

Trump Buys More Than $100 Million in Bonds in Office, Disclosure Shows

UP NEXT

Trump Calls Netanyahu a ‘War Hero’ and Adds: ‘I Guess I Am Too’

UP NEXT

Israel to Place $500 Million, US-Funded Order for Boeing Aerial Refueling Tankers

UP NEXT

Hurricane Erin Threatens North Carolina’s Outer Banks With Storm Surge

Fresno County Authorities Seek Suspect in Casino Assault

4 hours ago

Poll: California Dems Favor Newsom Over Harris in 2028 Matchup

4 hours ago

‘Moral Conflict’ Drives Dem Doubts About Newsom’s Redistricting Plan

4 hours ago

Fresno Animal Center at Critical Capacity After Receiving Over 100 Dogs

5 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Two SoCal Men in Homicide Investigation

5 hours ago

Fresno Police Investigating Fatal Stabbing of 31-Year-Old Man

5 hours ago

Tulare County Sheriff Adds Goshen Teen to Most Wanted List

6 hours ago

Lemoore Union Elementary Reaches Settlement Over Disability Discrimination Allegations

6 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Why Is Pismo’s Manager in ICE Detention?

7 hours ago

Why COVID Is Spreading Again This Summer

7 hours ago

International Rapper Derrick ‘Aesop’ McElroy Who Called Fresno Home Dies at 51

When he wasn’t touring Asia, Europe, or across the U.S., Derrick “Aesop” McElroy was busy making a name for himself and fo...

3 hours ago

Derrick 'Aesop' McElroy
3 hours ago

International Rapper Derrick ‘Aesop’ McElroy Who Called Fresno Home Dies at 51

A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalization ceremony in New York City, U.S., September 17, 2021. (Reuters File)
3 hours ago

Trump Administration to Vet Immigration Applications for ‘Anti-Americanism’

State Representative Matt Morgan (R-TX) holds a map of the new proposed congressional districts in Texas, during a legislative session as Democratic lawmakers, who left the state to deny Republicans the opportunity to redraw the state's 38 congressional districts, begin returning to the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, U.S. August 20, 2025. (Reuters/Sergio Flores)
4 hours ago

Texas Republicans Approve Trump-Backed Congressional Map to Protect Party’s Majority

Fresno County authorities are searching for Robert Rios, 27, of Auberry, wanted for assault, burglary and drug possession following a June 6 domestic disturbance at Mono Wind Casino. (Fresno County SO)
4 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Seek Suspect in Casino Assault

4 hours ago

Poll: California Dems Favor Newsom Over Harris in 2028 Matchup

Gov. Gavin Newsom at Election Rigging Response News Conference
4 hours ago

‘Moral Conflict’ Drives Dem Doubts About Newsom’s Redistricting Plan

The Fresno Animal Center is over capacity after taking in more than 100 animals in recent days, leaving dozens of dogs at risk of euthanasia unless the community steps up to adopt or foster, officials said. (Shutterstock)
5 hours ago

Fresno Animal Center at Critical Capacity After Receiving Over 100 Dogs

Fresno police arrested Krishan Kumar (left), 24, and Vishal Vishal, 31, in connection with the July 21 shooting death of Kuvar Kumar. (Fresno PD)
5 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Two SoCal Men in Homicide Investigation

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend