I think the advertisements for some of the movies (Logan, latest Pirates installment) were successful in that these are mainstream major releases and that’s exactly the audience they played for…I’m just impressed that the latest Fast & Furious has a chase with a submarine!
Losers? There really weren’t a whole lot of duds—I’d say that I did think the Snickers 'live' advertisement just fell flat after a lot of hype and pre-advertising (and expense). I thought the Buick ad was actually OK, but was kind of derivative and a self-depreciating campaign which just isn’t my favorite. This was the first Super Bowl that KFC advertised, and if “Colonel vs. Colonel” is the apex of its creative potential, they might want to go back to the sidelines.
The truth is that a lot of the ads will be losers in terms of probably not justifying a $5m price tag, plus production, pre-advertising, etc. costs. With about 70 or so ad slots and only a handful really standing out, most probably could have spent the money more effectively elsewhere. There were a lot of cell phones, cars, fast food, etc… but honestly, can most people remember them? And if they don’t stand out on the broadcast, they probably won’t get the viral bump over the next few days.