Superbowl Commercials-Cheers and Jeers

Superbowl Commercials-Cheers and Jeers

Sarah Calnan, Senior Staff Writer

The 2015 Super Bowl did not disappoint! The Patriots brought home the win; and the game had a fourth quarter that kept people on the edge of their seats. Adding to the super bowl fun was the surplus of commercials filling the spaces in between the game- some of which were hilarious, some heartwarming, and some just disappointing.

Many will recall the “Brady Bunch” commercial run by Snickers. Marcia is complaining to her parents that Peter broke her nose; and, she is now too upset to go to the school dance. Marcia is played by Danny Trejo, an actor well known for his role in “Sons of Anarchy”. In the commercial he appears aggressive, calling for revenge on Peter through violence. Marcia’s parents tell her to ‘eat a snickers’ because she gets angry when she is hungry. After consuming the treat she returns to herself, right as her sister Jan starts whining about the fact that everything is always about Marcia. Jan is played by Steve Buscemi, who captures Jan’s insecurity and jealousy perfectly. This commercial filled many houses with laughter as people enjoyed the combination of the classic Brady Bunch with modern actors filling in for the beloved Brady sisters.

One of the most heartwarming ads was run by Budweiser. In the commercial a puppy finds himself away from his home, with his owner and his owner’s horses (the Budweiser Clydesdales) missing him dearly. The puppy comes close to finally returning home when he is confronted by a wolf. With nowhere to turn, the puppy seems doomed- when suddenly, the Budweiser Clydesdales kick themselves out of their stalls and run to the puppy’s rescue, scaring away the wolf and bringing their friend home. This commercial touched upon friendship and loyalty in an endearing and adorable way, sparking much “aww-ing” from viewers nationwide.

There was one commercial that received a large amount of criticism. Run by Nationwide, this commercial was narrated by children who had died from ‘preventable accidents’. These children stated things they would never experience because of their untimely deaths, and people were shocked by the seriousness of the content. Nationwide stated that their goal was to raise awareness to the fact that many children die because of preventable accidents each year; however, people were unhappy with the idea that the company was using fear and the death of children to promote the sales of their insurance. Many parents went online to chastise the company, saying that the commercial went too far in the way it approached the topic.

The Super Bowl commercials caused reactions ranging from laughter to tears and many were posted online to be watched again and further discussed. Though the favorites and least favorites vary from person to person, most will agree that this year’s advertisements left people with plenty to talk about!