Even if you hated football, the Super Bowl used to be something to look forward to. After all, it's an excuse to round up your friends, put out a sweet spread of snacks and get so drunk you miss work the next day.
Beyond the game, the chips and dips and the drinking, there was always an entertainment provided to the rest of us one that, thanks to the dear ol' Internet, has now been ruined.
Killing The Anticipation
For the last few weeks, wherever I look online it's been nothing but Super Bowl ad here and there and everywhere. It happens every year, sure, but not in such a deluge and, to my mind, not as early.
We wrote about Volkswagen's Star Wars barking dogs commercial two weeks ago. Autoblog and blogs like it have written about Super Bowl car spots almost non-stop for the last two weeks (which makes sense, as so many of them are from car companies).
The excitement leading up to getting hit with a completely ingenious commercial is gone before Sunday even arrived.
More Eyeballs On The Internet
Sports
Even the teaser for what was believed to be the Samsung Galaxy S III has been ruined because of the Internet social media. The collective voices of the Web have already figured out that Samsung's Super Bowl teaser is for the Galaxy Note. No new phone to be surprised by on game day.
So much for the hype and tease.
The fact is, the Internet has billions of potential viewers that span the globe, not just the U.S. When compared to the 111 million people who watch the Super Bowl but might not fully engage with the ad (via social networks, contests, websites, etc.), going Internet first makes a lot of business sense.
After all, advertisers don't care about which team wins the Super Bowl. They care about your money and getting more bang for their buck. With Super Bowl ads costing $3 million for a 30 second spot during the game, you better believe that ad will live online where it can collect views prior-to, during and after the Super Bowl, and have the chance to spread virally.
In fact, I'm almost glad that all the best Super Bowl ads have already leaked or been posted online. Now I don't even need to bother looking at any actual football. Better for me!
Here's the ones I consider the best of the bunch.
(Disclosure: These commercials were picked by Raymond Wong and are not endorsements or sponsors for DVICE.)
1. Honda CR-V
Matthew Brodderick reprises his Ferris Bueller character to take a day off from acting to hit up the town in his 2012 CR-V. It's a long ass commercial, but man, is it worth every second.
2. Doritos
A neglected girlfriend seeking to get her Dorito-eating boyfriend's attention steals his bags of chips and heads into the bedroom. Well, you can see for yourself what happens next...
3. Chevy
A young lad graduates from college and thinks his parents bought him a new car. As he celebrates with friends, his parents holding back from their kid's joy, a neighbor hops in a drives the car away. Kid got punked, his parents only bought him a mini-fridge!
4. Pepsi Max
Can't a Coca Cola Zero guy just go into a supermarket and buy a Pepsi Max if he wants to? Nope. Watch as this cashier turns the Coke guy's attempt at a discrete purchase into a Regis Philbin-check-handing-confetti-bursting-everywhere spectacle.
5. Volkswagen
No little Darth Vader this year, but Volkswagen is back with another Star Wars collab featuring an adorable dog who's too pudgy to get out through the dog hole and chase after the new Beetle. Be sure to watch until the very end for a Mos Eisley Cantina appearance.
6. Coca Cola
One superstitious polar bear discovers the joy of having a buddy to watch the game with him. Friend's aren't just good for chitchat, they're good for helping you grab a soda. Who needs robots?
7. Kia Optima
Apparently, if a fairy sneaks into your bedroom and sprinkles fantasy powder all over you, you either want a prince on a horse to rescue you or you race around a track in a Kia Optima while Adriana Lima parades around in a scantily-clad outfit. Hey, they got our attention!
8. Cars.com
Just imagine for a second if your conscience had a voice of its own and was physically a creepy extension of your body. It would be like this.
9. GoDaddy
Half-naked chicks coaxing two young gents into getting their own domains from GoDaddy and then getting their businesses up and running in the cloud. GoDaddy always knows how to bring on the tease.
10. Toyota Camry
Re-invented is the name of the game in this commercial. Chicks in bikinis, dudes stripped down to boxers, a guy eating a pizza curtain? What's not to love?
