Super Bowl 50 turned out to be something of a mixed bag. There were precious few highlight reel worthy plays. And the halftime show was something of a letdown. The commercial breaks, though, were strong enough to keep people glued to the set.
Unruly Analytics may have the best arbiter of success: Social media shares. The company has put together a list of the Super Bowl’s Top 10 Ads, ranked by the number of shares on Facebook and “the blogosphere” (though the company doesn’t full explain the full parameters of that term).
Because some companies offer two versions of their ads online, that allowed a pair of Super Bowl commercials to actually rank twice in Unruly’s list – once for the spot that aired on TV, and again for the extended version.
Here are this year’s winners – and for the first time in four years, Budweiser wasn’t number 1 on the list.
1) Doritos, “Ultrasound” – A father taunts his unborn child with corn chips during an ultrasound, much to the mother-to-be’s chagrin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko7GuDOv4BM
2) T-Mobile (TMUS), “Restricted Bling” (Extended Version) – Lawyers request a number of changes as Drake puts together his viral “Hotline Bling” music video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMWzX0RC7f4
3) Budweiser (BUD), “#GiveADamn” – In its anti-drunk driving PSA, Budweiser enlists Helen Mirren (who describes herself as “a notorious frank and uncensored British lady”) to scold and shame anyone who gets behind the wheel when they shouldn’t.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb2VXVmUga4
4) Pokemon, “#Pokemon” – Children are inspired by athletes and others to, well, play more video games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8G98fF08lI
5) Heinz, “Wiener Stampede” (Extended Version)– What’s better than 30 seconds of dachshunds running in slow motion while wearing hot dog costumes? A full minute of that, of course.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNN9nL2vppM
6) Hyundai (HYMTF), “First Date” – Kevin Hart gives overprotective fathers everywhere a reason to consider buying a Genesis, which includes a “car finder” feature, letting you locate your vehicle – and whatever happens to be in it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R_483zeVF8
7) Mountain Dew (PEP), “#PuppyMonkeyBaby” – It’s potentially nightmare-inducing and certainly one of the most baffling Super Bowl commercials of all time, but it did its job – and got people talking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql7uY36-LwA
8) T-Mobile, “Restricted Bling” (30 Second Spot) – A shortened version of Drake, his turtleneck and the lawyers…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDIeNrcGxvQ
9) T-Mobile, “Drop The Balls” – Steve Harvey good naturedly mocks his Miss Universe misstep as T-Mobile continues its assault on Verizon (VZ).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI8YZdejPKg
10) Heinz, “Wiener Stampeded” (30 Second Spot) – Not only are the dachshunds wearing hot dog suits, their onscreen owners are dress as condiments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOlfhBT8i9I
Of course, this list just represents what caused the most chatter online — not which ads were actually the best. Undoubtedly, that’s a question people will be debating in offices around the country today.