Super Bowl Advertising 2.0
# 2. CareerBuilder.com
www.careerbuilder.com
CareerBuilder.com earns high marks for putting together one of the most comprehensive campaigns of the evening. Using a premise that somehow melds three of the most popular shows on TV (Lost, Survivor, and The Office) it cohesively follows a group of office workers through three spots, with easy-to-identify-with, over-the-top scenarios like "The promotion pit" and "Performance review."
For those looking to follow up on their tagline of "do more than just survive the workweek," the URL for CareerBuilder.com is clearly displayed at the end of each spot. Upon reaching the website, users can view the commercials, try the interactive "age-o-matic" application, and do something unexpected and good for the world.
On the micro site, a banner ad takes you to an eBay charity auction for the props used in the commercials. Proceeds benefit Millennium Promise, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to end extreme poverty. They have celebrity support from the likes of Angelina Jolie (something we learned about through a video on the site).
# 1. Snickers
www.afterthekiss.com
Snickers promised a satisfying ending-and they delivered-so it's only right that they end up at the top of our list. The sight of two unkempt auto mechanics working their way through the same Snickers bar until they end up lip-locked is enough to make anyone squirm. But like Chicago fans that couldn't help but watch Rex Grossman sling another floating pass into the rain, we couldn't resist visiting the URL for the cliffhanger.
Once on the site, users view the original spot or select from three alternative endings. They can share the videos with friends and can vote on their favorite ending. The highest-rated version of the commercial will appear on FOX during the Daytona 500 (how did FOX slip that one by the CBS brass?). To completely tie the spots into the Super Bowl itself, the website features video footage of Bears and Colts players watching and reacting to the spots.
Honorable mentions: Emerald Nuts and Garmin GPS
www.emeraldnuts.com and www.garmin.com
Robert Goulet made the Emerald Nuts ads entertaining and a complementary website featured the commercials, behind-the-scenes footage, ring tones, and the chance to "Goulet a friend."
Garmin GPS systems clearly went for water-cooler shock value by featuring a silver space alien battling a mutant map. A music video and extended commercial awaited those that reached the web's destination.
The Biggest Losers
Budweiser and Bud.TV
While Budweiser put out great commercials again this year, they missed a giant opportunity to cross-promote platforms and businesses. This seems to be a classic case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. Within the trades, Bud.TV has made headlines for being an incubator of a new breed of branded broadband content that will support the Bud brand. Although Budweiser commercials were present from the beginning of the game till the end, the only real mention of Bud.TV was an interstitial bump towards the end of the game. Bud commercial spots didn't integrate the Bud.TV URL at all. To make things worse, the Bud.TV site requires an annoying registration before you can view content. To their credit, this registration seems to be required by law to restrict underage drinkers from using the site.