Hype Bowl 2014: Three Favorite Super Bowl Ads AKA “Fresh Three” (Video)

If there was ever a time to pay close attention to the super bowl commercials it was this year.  I mean, lets face it the game itself wasn’t all that riveting *coughcoughBLOWOUTcough*.  Anyhow, there was a grand total of 14 car and automotive themed commercials this year, which seems like a lot but I swear there was more last year.  Of those 14 I have chosen my top three ( as well as a few honorable mentions) which are listed below as well as a bit on each spot and why I thought they thought they deserved a spot in the fresh three.  So, without further adieu scroll down and enjoy!

 

Third Place: “British Villains ‘Rendezvous'” – Jaguar

I had been looking forward to this commercial since Jaguar started teasing it last year.  The idea that Jaguar would be calling on Brittan’s greatest film villains to promote the new F TYPE coupe was a brilliant idea.  Seriously, the Mandarin, Sinestro, and Loki pressed and dressed all in one commercial together? Awesome!  Gratuitous visuals of the F TYPE coupe didn’t hurt either.  So, if I loved it so much why did it get third?  Well I’ll put it to you this way.  Its not because this commercial did anything bad (excuse the pun).  It will all make sense when you see second and third place, so lets move on shall we?

Second Place: “Strike” – Maseratti

Usually in the days, even weeks leading up to the big game most of the bigger Automotive media outlets have previews or leaks of upcoming Super Bowl ads from OEMs.  However, NO ONE saw this spot coming which really was the whole point of the ad (you will know what I am talking about if you’ve watched it).  Much like the monologue (read by youngest ever Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis) suggests, this was all about waiting until any opposition has gotten too over-confident and lethargic to notice and then “striking” when its least suspected.  That is what Maserati did when they used this spot to announce to the world that the Ghibli has officially arrived and is hunting for all the M5’s and E classes on American streets.  The only nitpick is that they isn’t too much of the actual Ghibli shown.  Although they attempt to remedy that with bolting a microphone on the back of the Ghibli to capture its beautiful exhaust sound!  This commercial was so captivating, it even inspired Jaguar to take a jab at them as you can see below:

Did you know that #ghibli means hot air? Seems appropriate. CC: @Maserati_HQ #GoodToBeBad

— Jaguar USA (@JaguarUSA) February 3, 2014

While that shot is well played (and technically corrected) by Jaguar, the bottom line is the fact that they even felt the need to respond means Maserati won the hand.  I love the F TYPE coupe but I think this Ghibli spot edged it out just a bit.

First Place:  “Life” – Chevrolet

This commercial is only a minute long, and has no spoken dialogue (save for the song “Don’t Leave” by Ane Brun) yet this spot manages to tell a story that many people know too well: surviving cancer.  There is so much emotion, and this commercial hits so close to home that despite its minimal nature its almost overwhelming.  I have always thought that some of the best commercials are those that are about more than the car being advertised and this spot epitomizes that point beautifully.  Because of that, this is my favorite commercial during this year’s Hype Bowl.  By the way, this Tuesday is World Cancer Day a day in which we celebrate people who have survived cancer and those who offered support through their fight.  You can find out more about World Cancer Day by visiting Chevy.com/PurpleRoads and Cancer.org

There you have it! My top three favorite car commercials from this year’s Super Bowl.  Although despite only picking three there were a few more that I still liked or stood out to me and have earned an honorable mention.  To watch them just click their titles (bold in red text):

– “Big Game Ad” by Toyota because its hard to argue with the Muppets and Terry Crews! I miss the Muppets… Anyone remember Bip Bippadotta?

– “Need For Speed Super Bowl Spot” by DreamWorks Pictures.  While I have my doubts about the movie’s plot (or lack thereof) this trailer which comprises of nothing but engine sounds is pretty awesome!

– “Transformers: Age Of Extinction Super Bowl Spot” By Paramount Pictures because DINOBOTS!!!!

– “Wings” By Volkswagen.  Because watching the look of fear on a German Engineer’s face just before a rainbow shoots out of his butt is more entertaining than you’d might think.