"Weego" was the star of Budweiser's Super Bowl rescue dog ad.
"Weego" was the star of Budweiser's Super Bowl rescue dog ad.
Updated: Monday, 06 Feb 2012, 10:57 AM CST
Published : Monday, 06 Feb 2012, 7:19 AM CST
(EndPlay Staff Reports) - This year's Super Bowl was certainly one for the books. But the commercials? They've gone to the dogs.
Man's best friend was featured in a handful of spots this year, advertising everything from beer to sneakers to cars to snack chips. Other ads included standbys including celebrity-studded spoofs and scantily-clad ladies.
Here's a rundown of some of the hits and misses from this year's Super Bowl commercials:
THE BEST
1. Matthew Broderick's Honda CRV commercial : The automaker's current ad campaign encourages consumers to enjoy life, and an ad spoofing "Ferris Beuller's Day Off" fits in perfectly with the overall scheme.
2. The Dog Strikes Back : Everyone remembers the Vader kid commercial from the 2011 Super Bowl and Volkswagen did it again with a sweet ad featuring a dog who wants to get in shape to chase a new Beetle. True fans of the force will appreciate the end of the commercial, cutting to a scene at an out-of-this-world cantina.
3. Budweiser's rescue dog ad : As The New York Times pointed out, Budweiser's Super Bowl ads this year lacked their typical "frat boy humor." One of their ads this time featured a cute rescue dog named "Weego," and directs fans to Bud Light's Facebook page where fans can "like" to help raise funds for other rescued pets.
4. David Beckham for H&M : The ladies of Twitter have spoken. Jennifer Emmert summed it up when she tweeted "Let's be honest, I'm still thinking about David Beckham in his undies, staring me down."
5. The King's Court : What do you get when you combine Elton John, Flava Flav and "The X Factor" winner Melanie Amarro? An ad for Pepsi, apparently.
THE WORST
1. Teleflora: Sexy model Adriana Lima told viewers that men who give flowers on Valentine's Day "shall receive." The New York Times said the ad was "smarmy," and the blogosphere agrees: Several YouTube commenters found the ad in bad taste.
2. Go Daddy : This advertisement featured racecar drive Danica Patrick and celeb trainer Jillian Michaels applying body paint to a model. The Times accused the ad of showing "exploited women in the guise of empowerment."
3. TaxACT : This software company's ad compared the relief of finishing your taxes to the relief one might get peeing in a pool. Does toilet humor sell taxes services? Only time will tell.
4. Century21 : Does Donald Trump have anything to do with a Century 21 agent? The real estate company's Super Bowl ad might convince you he does. YouTube comments criticize the choice of celebrity costar in the ad.
5. CareerBuilder : Once again the job search website brought in chimpanzee coworkers for its ad, despite pleas to stop from animal rights activists .