I was surprisingly hopeful as the Super Bowl 2015 ads rolled on and on. No slapping and shoving women, no half-clad women on display.
However, toward the end we had to look at models in Victoria Secrets’ underwear and one ad showed things flying through the windows and knocking people over.
Older people fared a little better this year. I was upset to see Betty White slammed to the ground in a Snickers ad a several years ago. A Dodge ad featured words of wisdom from people age 100 and older. It was refreshing. However, a Fiat ad, using a European setting, showed a senior losing his Viagra pill, which accidentally rolled out the window, down the roof, and into the gas tank to pep up the car.
As I’ve written before, football is a brutal game. Add to that violence the violence from movie and TV show trailers, plus violent Super Bowl ads, and you have a discouraging evening of “entertainment.” It’s especially inappropriate for children. Although the ads overall were less violent, seeing ad after ad of violent movies and TV programs still gave the Super Bowl an overpoweringly violent tone.
Although fewer sexist ads were featured, most of the ads were about men. There were lots of ads about dads. Racing dads who want to show their sons the need for speed – Nissan. Crying dads who drop their military-bound daughters off at the airport – Toyota. Affectionate dads that hug and kiss – Dove.
Any about mothers? No.
A few ads about women were nonsexist. The NFL had a public service announcement on domestic violence. It showed an apartment where pictures and other items were askew, and a woman calling 9-1-1 and pretending to be ordering pizza.
Another ad, by Always, showed older women and boys doing something "like a girl," then showed how girls do things well, such as throwing a ball and running.
Best ads
Nationwide: Although it received a substantial amount of criticism, the ad showed a child who said he was dead and couldn’t enjoy ordinary things in life. It highlighted ways children are killed – drowning in bathtubs, eating chemicals under the sink, or being hit by a falling television, for example – as accident prevention education for parents.
Avocados from Mexico: This was the first time fresh product was advertised on the Super Bowl.
Worst ads
T-Mobile: Kim Kardashian takes a bunch of photos of herself as she promotes data rollover.
Doritos: A guy in an airplane acts weird so regular people won’t sit by him, but he’s happy to sit next to the "hot girl" coming down the aisle before he realizes she’s carrying a baby.
Silliest ads
eSurance: A woman is visiting her pharmacist named Greg, only it's not Greg, it's Bryan-Cranston in a hazmat suit.
Snickers: Danny Trejo plays Marcia Brady, slamming his axe in front of Mike and Carol. Steve Buscemi comes in at the end to play Jan. The theme is people aren’t themselves due to crippling hunger until they remember Snickers.
Skittles: In an imaginary town, every dispute is settled “in the usual way” with an arm-wrestling match. Everybody’s developed massive right biceps, even the dogs.
I could go on and on.
These ads cost $45 million. It’s too bad that they continue to receive so much attention and are such poor quality.
