Super Bowl Watchers Divided Over Quality Of Commercials
NEW YORK (KDKA/AP) - Nearly half of America's TVs were tuned in to the Super Bowl Sunday night. For some viewers, the game came second to the ads.
How did this year compare with others?
"None of them were really that great," said a woman in Market Square.
That seems to be the general consensus. But, local viewers did have their favorites.
"The Super Bowl babies. I thought that was a cute commercial because even if your team wasn't in the Super Bowl, it was kind of still represented there," said a Point Park student.
"I think it was that Mountain Dew puppy baby monkey commercial," a man added. "I loved it."
That one proved to be one of those love it or hate it situations.
"That puppy monkey commercial. I didn't think that was that funny," the student countered.
Most of the people we talked to seemed to go with the home team. Heinz ketchup and mustard. Even though it rated number two in USA Today, it rated number one in Market Square.
"I like the one with the hot dogs.," a man confirmed.
With all those ads to choose from, one man decided to go in a contrarian direction.
"I liked the game," he grumbled.
In case you missed any of them, here's a timeline of the commercials as they aired during the Super Bowl:
10:15 p.m.
For its fourth and final ad of the night, Anheuser-Busch bet that Americans still love being scolded by the British.
The ad showed actress Helen Mirren admonishing people who might think about drinking and driving. She called anyone who'd drive drunk "short sighted" ''utterly useless" and "oxygen wasting" - just in time for the trip home for anyone watching the game from a sports bar.
She then raised a bottle of Budweiser to drink.
Anheuser-Busch pulled out all the stops with celebrities this year. An earlier ad featured Amy Schumer, Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd.
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9:50 p.m.
Maybe it really does take guts to win the Super Bowl - at least if you're an advertiser hoping to stand out in the scrum.
First there was an ad about "opioid-induced constipation." Then another followed for a drug that treats abdominal pain and diarrhea.
The first ad featured a man eyeing prunes in a store window and envying another man who went in a public bathroom with ease. The latter ad was more cerebral; in it, a cartoon pile of pink intestines travels to a big football game, only to face a sudden urge to, well, go. With a drug called Xiafaxan, the idea is that pile of guts can cheer from the stands without unwanted interruptions.
While it may not have had the cachet of the lower bowel, fans of medical-condition ads will be happy to know that the Jublia toenail-fungus mascot also made an appearance in the fourth quarter.
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9:20 p.m.
For the second year in a row, an NFL-sponsored Super Bowl ad has focused on ending domestic violence. The NFL donated airtime for the spot from No More, an advocacy group that works to combat domestic violence and sexual assault.
The ad's timing may raise eyebrows. On Friday, Dallas police said they're launching a criminal investigation into a domestic-violence assault complaint filed against Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. The NFL said it has reached out to Manziel's family offering help.
Last year's ad followed the NFL's suspension (later overturned) of running back Ray Rice for punching his then-fiance in a casino elevator. That ad featured a woman pretending to order a pizza while calling the police with her attacker still in the house.
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8:30 p.m.
Remember that Puppymonkeybaby creature from the Mountain Dew Kickstart commercial back in the first quarter? It combined the head of a puppy, the torso of a monkey and the diaper-wearing bottom of a baby.
The nightmare creature already has its own parody Twitter account, which notes it is not "associated with whatever the hell that Puppy Monkey Baby was supposed to be advertising." It lists its location as "Hell," so it likely is not run by PepsiCo's social media team.
"I am a crime against nature. Why would someone create me just to sell soda? Please let me die," it tweeted.
The account had nearly 3,000 followers as of 8:20 p.m.
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8:20 p.m.
How many Cokes does the Hulk need to quench his thirst? Apparently a dainty mini-can will do the trick.
The surprise ad featured the green superhero leaping off buildings and chasing Ant-Man (played by Paul Rudd) through city streets for a mini-Coke.
The ad reflects Coke's rejiggered strategy of focusing on smaller cans and bottles. The idea is that they're marketed as more premium products than 20-ounce bottles - and fetch more money per ounce.
Coke says the focus on smaller sizes also dovetails with the trend of Americans cutting back on soda, as sugary drinks coming under fire from health advocates.
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8:15 p.m.
Super Bowl viewers now know more than many might want to know about "opioid-induced constipation."
The ad showed a man suffering from the condition, envying another man who emerges from a public restroom after just having gone, then eyeing prunes in a store window. A snail is shown to illustrate how slowed down and wound up his insides feel.
A voiceover notes that "OIC" is a "different type of constipation" related to use of pain medication. The ad flashes the URL for a website by pharmaceutical makers AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo.
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7:50 p.m.
Yet more political campaign spending. Anheuser-Busch spent millions of dollars for an ad touting its "Bud Light Party." It's one of four ads the brewer is running this year - one in each quarter.
The "Bud Light Party" ad in the second quarter played on the election season, featuring Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen as candidates. The two comedians try to bring people together by promoting things everyone can agree on, like actor Paul Rudd and beer.
Anheuser-Busch's ad during the first quarter was for Michelob Ultra - that was the one that featured athletes breathing deeply. Two more to come.
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7:25 p.m.
Complaints are popping up on Twitter from people saying they're having trouble streaming the game on Apple TV.
When asked about the problem, an Apple TV representative pointed to a tweet by CBS Sports' Help Team responding to a customer complaint.
The tweet said: "We are aware of stream issues for Apple TV. Our team is diligently working on a fix. Thank you for your patience."
The account had replied to many customer complaints with a similar line by 7:25 p.m.
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7: 15 p.m.
The world just met a frightening creature out of a nightmare called the Puppymonkeybaby.
PepsiCo introduced the hybrid animal with an ad for its Mountain Dew Kickstart.
The ad plays off the idea that Kickstart is "three awesome things combined" - "Dew," juice and caffeine. Likewise, the ad features a dancing creature that is a mashup of a puppy, a monkey and a baby.
Once you remember that Kickstart is marketed toward younger men, the ad might make a little more sense. According to its website, the drinks are 5 percent juice, with a 12-ounce can containing 60 calories.
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7: p.m.
Taco Bell has been trying to build buzz for its newest menu item, which it says will be unveiled in a Super Bowl ad. But close watchers of the chain have already guessed it will be a "Quesalupa."
Several websites have noted that the creation - which features a cheese-stuffed shell - was tested in Toledo last year.
Maybe stuffing cheese into new places is a corporate directive by parent company Yum Brands. Yum also owns Pizza Hut, which is famous for its "Stuffed Crust" pizza.
Without confirming anything, Taco Bell has only said that its new mystery item will be its "biggest launch to date." But Nomura analyst Mark Kalinowski notes it would take "quite a bit" for the Quesalupa to outperform the chain's Doritos Locos .
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6:30 p.m.
Does Quicken Loans remember the financial crisis? The game hasn't started, but its ad has already ruffled feathers on Twitter.
The ad touts the simplicity of getting Quicken's "Rocket Mortgage" on a mobile phone - a jarring reminder to some of the housing bubble and subsequent financial crisis. The ad was released early online, and is set to air during the first quarter.
A narrator paints a scenario where a "tidal wave of ownership floods the country with new homeowners, who now must own other things." Then she asks, "Isn't that the power of America itself?"
It's one of those ads where convenience blends seamlessly into unabashed consumerism that struck some viewers as tone-deaf after the housing bubble.
The spot ends with the words "Push Button Get Mortgage" flashing on the screen.
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5:00 p.m.
Watch out for celebrities, cute animals and humor. Super Bowl advertisers are turning to a mix of tried-and-true crowd pleasers for the game's 50th anniversary.
With a 30-second spot costing an estimate $5 million, many advertisers are skipping the crass humor to play it relatively safe.
Uplifting messages and "cause advertising" also give this year's ads a more grown-up feel. Budweiser features British actress Helen Mirren telling people why drunken driving is a bad idea. SunTrust urges people to let go of financial stress. Colgate Palmolive tells people to "Save Water."
Many companies also released ads online early in hopes of generating extra buzz. But there are still a few surprises left, with Taco Bell, Chrysler and Coke yet to release their ads.
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