By Lydia Yeshitla ’17, Section Editor

Whether you watched the Super Bowl LI to see the Falcons and the Patriots go head-to head-in the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, or because of Lady Gaga’s electrifying performance, the commercials were sure to give all audiences a reason to have their eyes glued on the television screen. While it’s now sunk in that the Patriots have won the Super Bowl, the  winners and losers in the advertisement game should be established as well. With only 30 to 60 seconds, companies are faced with the task of capturing the attention of about 100 million viewers during the Super Bowl LI. Certain brands succeeded in appealing to viewers by using practical jokes or poignant messages, while others utterly failed to do so.

The Worst Commercials of the Super Bowl:

GoDaddy: Notorious for running controversial ads filled with sexist remarks, GoDaddy played it safe this time. Even though GoDaddy continued to disappoint audience members, they did so for a different reason: the outdatedness of their jokes. Although they attempted to incorporate as many internet trends as they could, GoDaddy failed to keep up with the times. Their subtle references to the 2014 Ice Bucket Challenge and Rick Roll, the Sneezing Panda that made headlines in 2010, unintentionally served as flashbacks to internet crazes from years past.

Turbotax: Using the famous Humpty Dumpty from the English nursery rhyme, Turbotax wanted to bring entertainment to filing taxes. However, the yellow liquid oozing out of Humpty Dumpty’s mouth and the slime all over him only made audiences like myself lose our appetite. Giulia Socolof ‘19 states her concerns with the commercial’s use of Humpty Dumpty: “I feel offended that Turbotax has the audacity to turn Humpty Dumpty, my favorite nursery rhyme character, into a tax filer!” By attempting to make tax filing seem somewhat entertaining, Turbotax ruined one of America’s favorite storybook figures.

NFL: You would think the committee behind the football extravaganza would create an unforgettable commercial. One could say the NFL did do just that, but for the wrong reasons. Although the NFL did incorporate football stars–such as Joe Namath and Michael Irvin–they decided to follow the theme of unoriginality by choosing the corny slogan “You’re the Inspiration.” There seemed to lack a sense of inspiration in the ad, however, as the NFL seemed to have reused their idea from their commercial that aired the previous year which also incorporated babies dressed up as football players. It’s quite upsetting when NFL, the host of the Super Bowl, fails to put any effort into their commercial. Aislin Black ‘17 remarked disappointedly, “Seeing a baby with a mustache and flashy earrings pretending to be Michael Irvin was not something I found cute, but instead creepy.” The NFL didn’t only fail to create a unique commercial, but they also happened to have frightened some viewers.

Mr. Clean: In the commercial titled “Cleaner of Your Dreams,” Mr. Clean was transformed from being portrayed as an all-purpose cleaner to a sex symbol, and it only gets worse from there. As Mr. Clean scrubs around the house, the housewife is watching him lustfully. The undertones within the ad suggest that if men decide to clean their house more often, they will suddenly be irresistible–this insinuation throughout the ad quickly became a topic of debate.

The Best Commercials of the Super Bowl:

Tide: America’s leading laundry detergent company finally made a comeback after its four-year break from making any Super Bowl ads. Tide, unlike the NFL, felt the need to top their Super Bowl ads from the previous years by going in a completely different direction. For the past four years, the company made clear that it would rather not play an ad if it is not worthy of capturing the attention of every one of its viewers. This year, Tide’s commercial did not fail to keep viewers concerned as to how Rob Gronkowski, the tight end for the New England Patriots, would find a clean shirt.

Bai: Amidst the anticipation in the second quarter played Bai’s unforgettable commercial. Thanks to Justin Timberlake’s performance of “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC, buyers will always know how to pronounce Bai. The commercial not only made me sing along to an old song, but it also brought me a new craving for the antioxidant-infused beverage. The commercial was so great a success that it even got #BaiBaiBai trending on Twitter.

Audi: Similar to Bai, Audi used a hashtag for viewers to remember, but this one conveyed a deeper message. As the father in the commercial anxiously questions whether he should tell his daughter about her inability to win a race due to her gender, the daughter ends up surprising him by defeating her male counterparts. Audi closed its ad by instilling the message of equal pay for equal work. By ending the commercial with the hashtag #DriveProgress, the German car company demonstrated its commitment to social justice.

Kia: Melissa McCarthy stars in Kia’s commercial titled “Hero’s Journey,” in which she is on a mission to save the whales. Kia’s message to protect the environment was fitting in today’s world as the effects of climate change are becoming more and more visible. By using a Kia EcoHybrid as a means of transportation, McCarthy travels to various locations in an attempt to save the planet. Kia uses brilliant comedy to heighten the audience’s awareness on the magnitude of issues regarding deforestation and melting polar ice caps facing our Earth.

What makes a great Super Bowl Ad? Building a story and transmitting a message while still leveraging current trends. Based on my list, the companies that made successful ads did so because they were able to create memorable phrases, while also triggering an emotional response from the audience. Interactive commercials that urge viewers to perform an action–from advocating for equal pay to protecting the environment–cultivate engagement and social awareness, and therefore made the top of my list. Overall, the Super Bowl LI was one for the books, being the first ever Super Bowl in history to result in overtime, so naturally, the commercials in between the big game had a lot of pressure on them.