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    The Week

    The 5 buzziest Super Bowl commercials (so far)

    By The Week's Editorial Staff | The Week – Wed, Feb 1, 2012

    After Honda's Ferris Bueller-inspired commercial found viral goodwill, a slew of companies preview their ads online several days before Sunday's big game

    Matthew Broderick kicked off the annual Super-Bowl ad obsession early when he slipped back into his iconic character from Ferris Bueller's Day Off for a Honda commercial that paid homage to the 1986 comedy. But Honda isn't the only corporation getting a jump on Super Bowl buzz. Several companies (each of which shelled out a reported $3.5 million for 30-seconds of airtime on Sunday night) have already released their ads online, several days ahead of the big game. Here, a look at 5 that are generating the most talk:

    1. "The Dog Strikes Back" — Volkswagen
    Earlier this month, hearts melted when Volkswagen (responsible for last year's impossibly cute ad, "The Force") unveiled a game-day ad in which a chorus of mutts barked the Star Wars theme song, and now the automaker is previewing its second planned Super Bowl commercial: Yet another brilliant Star Wars-themed commercial. It not only features "an adorably chubby pooch," says Lanford Beard at Entertainment Weekly, "but also a final-act twist worthy of 'I am your father!'" Still, says Sean O'Connell at Cinema Blend, it's hard to top last year's "Mini Darth Vader" effort. Watch for yourself:


    2. Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno — Acura
    Matthew Broderick isn't the only celebrity peddler this year. Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno pop up in an Acura commercial, in which they compete to be the first in line to get the company's new Acura NSX. "In case you're keeping score," says Keith Shaw at IT World, "'90s Seinfeld nostalgia just topped '80s Ferris Bueller nostalgia in the Super Bowl ad preview sweepstakes." After all, any ad that makes Jay Leno come off as funny "has to be on the top of your list for genius." Hands down, says Hannah Elliott at Forbes, the ad is "the coolest one yet." Check it out:


    3. David Beckham in his underwear — H&M
    Soccer superstar David Beckham hocks a new H&M underwear line in a black-and-white ad that pans up and down the 36-year-old's impressively chiseled physique as he dons various models of boxers and briefs. A nearly naked Beckham? It's "everything we hoped for," says Ellie Krupnick at The Huffington Post. The ad is sure to appeal to the 58 percent of women who admit to watching the Super Bowl purely for the commercials, says Lauren Sher at ABC News. But will the "dudes and bros" watching on game day "be inspired to replenish their skivvies supply"? asks Beard. Here's the clip:

     

    SEE MORE: America's Super Bowl feast: By the numbers

     

    4. Will Arnett — Hulu Plus
    Three years ago, Alec Baldwin filmed a memorable Super Bowl ad for Hulu in which he insinuated that everyone on TV was an alien. This year, it's Arrested Development's Will Arnett who's the extraterrestrial. The idea, according to Ad Age, is that the aliens/TV actors are "using TV to turn human brains into 'mushymush,'" with Hulu Plus as their secret weapon. (Hulu is also introducing a corresponding Twitter hashtag, #mushymush.) I'm only "mildly amused" by this near-complete rehash of Baldwin's 2009 ad, says Steve Hall at Ad Rants. See for yourself:

     

    SEE MORE: The 6 best Super Bowl commercials: A video roundup

     

    5. Vampires — Audi
    The Twilight and True Blood-inspired vampire moment in pop culture isn't over yet… at least not if Audi has anything to do with it. In an ad for the new Audi S7 that celebrates the car's powerful LED headlights, a group of vampires partying in the woods at night are turned into dust when one late partygoer drives up to the outdoor gathering with his headlights on. Very clever, says Top Speed. It "could be this year's version of 'Little Darth Vader.'" But while these LED light are cool, says Jennifer Geiger at The Chicago Tribune, "we can think of more exciting things to promote about the car: Its 420-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 comes to mind." See for yourself:

     

    SEE MORE: The child molesting glam rocker who almost profited from the Super Bowl

     

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    11 comments

    • JohnQ
      JohnQ  •  Dallas, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      rotton there is no way to see anything
    • Sblowmeh
      Sblowmeh  •  Denver, Colorado  •  3 mths ago
      I haven't heard about any of these yet, #1 should be Ferris. You're out of touch with society, nobody is talking about these commercials.
    • MadHatter of Wall Street
      MadHatter of Wall Street  •  3 mths ago
      How about the providing the viewing public with the NEVER TO BE SEEN COMMERCIALS on Super bowl Sunday, the game play will be faster and eliminate drinking to numb oneself from watching all the STUPID AD's, and if i see that WEE wee wee pig Geico ,ill make one of my own and Borrow Conan Obriens Masterbating Bear, or the Flatulent hot dog..
      • Terry Bradshaw
        Terry Bradshaw 3 mths ago
        Take a time machine back to Jan 1979 1 PM PST that Super Bowl Sunday NBC Sports, Curt Gowdy, John Brodie, Merlin Olsen, Pittsburgh/Dallas, great game to the end. Need I say more?
    • Terry Bradshaw
      Terry Bradshaw  •  Irvine, California  •  3 mths ago
      How many times do I got to explain myself on this one until, as the old saying goes, I'm blue in the face. I mean, here we go again with the G D Super Bowl Commercial, Halftime Show, and anything else I can think of. Back in the day I remember a certain Super Bowl when it was about the game, not the farking shet I just mentioned. That Super Bowl, Super Bowl XIII Dallas/Pittsburgh to determine the team of the decade, back when you look forward to a championship game, back when the pregame was only 2 hrs and the game actually had a daytime start. That's right, 1:00 PM PST. We are not the other 3 sports, It's played on Sunday, Move the Super Bowl back to a Day Game, While we're on the subject, let's talk about the AFC/NFC Championship games, move the start times for those games back to 9:30 AM PST and 1:00 PM PST. That includes all NFL playoff games, the NFL was much better back in the Pete Rozelle days. Godell needs to take a page out of his book
    • Melanie S
      Melanie S  •  Washington, District of Columbia  •  3 mths ago
      They shouldn't be leaking these commercials out before the game. It is a long tradition and a lot of people look forward to the Superbowl Commercials this ruins the fun. Then again they haven't been all that funny in the last 5 years or so most of them are pretty lame. Unlike the game that should be one hell of a show...........GO PATS!!!!
    • menina
      menina  •  Columbus, Georgia  •  3 mths ago
      Plainly said, there's nothing or anyone that could compete with little darth Vader. good writers/ideas are desperately eeded.
    • menina
      menina  •  Columbus, Georgia  •  3 mths ago
      On a separate, germaine matter. I wonder if Madona obtained authorization from MGM to copy the scene when Cleopatra makes her triumphal entrance into Rome to join Julious Caesar, from their Cleopatra movie. It's dentical with a couple of minor changes, the soldiers instead of the slaves pulling her float. and her less than spectacular costume. Other than her narcicism and deluded idea that she's beautiful. how could she think that she could be a Liz Taylor even if a bad one. this woman needs to see a psychologist, however, and for the sake of fairness. I must say, that as oposed to her usual vulgar, cheap shows. this was fairly clean.
    • menina
      menina  •  Columbus, Georgia  •  3 mths ago
      even super bowl commercials reflect our hard times. things must be worse than we thought when two brands have to share airtime.. i.e. Chevy and twinkies-- Which, by the way, I thought was the best. How can something as American as Twinkie be in danger of going under. For heaven's sake, let kids be kids and let them have a twinkie once in a while. Once in a while won't make them obese, sugar junkies or derail the health foods trend. Mind you: once in a while...
    • menina
      menina  •  Columbus, Georgia  •  3 mths ago
      when will movie/commercial producers learn that it's nearly impossible to surpass the original. It was deja vu. same story music. AS a teenager, ferris buller was darling, funny and cute. eventhough Broderic did a great job. TNot only was the commercial awful, it was anachronistic as well.
    • Mudfoxx
      Mudfoxx  •  Hampshire, Illinois  •  3 mths ago
      Watch for yourself! Check it out! Here's the clip!.......Need I say more.
    • Yankee Doodle
      Yankee Doodle  •  San Francisco, California  •  3 mths ago
      I thought all of these were weak. The Ferris commercial is the best I've seen so far.
     Post a comment

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