In the end, the Super Bowl featured a veteran who made a strong comeback to edge out an upstart rookie.
That's how Richter7 staffers saw the big game's advertisements, with Coca-Cola's "Vending Machine" ad earning top honors Monday at the agency's Ad Bowl XII review of Super Bowl spots.
In a return to Super Bowl advertising after sitting out a few years, Coca-Cola had a winning entry that used computer-generated images to depict what "really" happens inside a machine during a Coke purchase. It narrowly beat Kevin Federline, whose "Life Comes At You Fast" spot for Nationwide showed him adjusting to life as a fast-food grunt manning a fry machine.
Other ads earning high scores Monday were both for Bud Light: A language course taught by Carlos Mencia and a spot featuring an ax-carrying hitchhiker. A full dozen registered the lowest score.
"Well, they haven't set a high-water mark, that's for sure," said Scott Rockwood, chief executive officer for Salt Lake-based ad agency Richter7. "I think there were fewer bad spots than in years past, but I also think there weren't as many standout spots. For example, Budweiser had a whole collection of nice ones, but as a group they were not as good as those in previous years. I don't think any of these spots are going to go down in the annals of great Super Bowl spots."
Peggy Lander, partner and executive vice president of client services, noted that staffers had very different responses to some of the ads.
"There was a lot at the top and a whole bunch at the bottom and not very much in the middle. Either people loved them or hated them, and I had the same emotion as I was watching. Some I just loved, and some I thought were bad," Lander said.
"I don't think there was any one ad that stood out among the rest. Some years, it's just that 'that is the ad' and everybody gets to work the next morning and that's the one everybody loves. This year, there were varied opinions on what was the best ad."
Rockwood put the Coke ad No. 2 on his list of favorites. "It reminds me of Coke of ages past, and it's been a long time since I've seen Coke come up and do something I thought was really outstanding, but I think they did it with that spot," he said.
"The one I liked the best from a marketing perspective was the GM 'Robot Nightmare' spot. I just thought that was a really nice spot. It wasn't that funny, so I'm not surprised it didn't rise to the top on the people poll, but I think it was very well done."
Indeed, during one of America's biggest party nights, humor often carries the day. Mars' spot featuring two men accidentally kissing after munching down opposite ends of a Snickers bar generated both cheers and boos.
"Things that are funny are always going to score really well, and I think the Bud Light hitchhiker spot was definitely up there in the funny ones. And I thought the Snickers was actually pretty funny, too, although it didn't make me want a Snickers," Rockwood said.
Lander was partial to Sierra Mist's "Beard Combover" and Emerald Nuts' use of Robert Goulet causing afternoon office mayhem.
"They weren't my favorite, but I liked both of the Coke ads," she said. "I think they did a great job using new technology, which is very appealing to a younger audience. They could emotionally attach to that. After 10 years of not being in a Super Bowl, they had a fresh idea."
New this year were ads dreamed up by amateurs featuring General Motors and Doritos products. Rockwood found the ads "nice but not great" and wonders if they will begin a long-term trend. And Lander found some real stinkers — a costly mistake for companies spending up to $2.6 million for a 30-second spot.
"I think there were quite a few bombs," she said, noting Garmin's "GPS versus Map" as one example. "I think if you're going to spend $3 million, and you're only going to have one shot at it, you'd better make sure it's a really good ad. And I think a few of them missed the mark, definitely."
Richter7 wasn't alone in critiquing the Super Bowl ads. Among other results:
MediaCurves.com's poll of 600 Americans put the Blockbuster "Mouse" ad at the top.
Based on audience activity, TiVo said Bud Light's "Language Course" was the winner.
USA Today's Ad Meter, using responses from 238 volunteers in two cities, gave the top position to Budweiser's "Crabs Worship Bud Ice Chest."
E-mail: bwallace@desnews.com