2011 Superbowl Ads

The Superbowl was this past weekend, and although Green Bay brought home the gold, there's a wealth of laughs in the Superbowl commercials.

These 30 second to a minute spots sell for at least US$ 3 million, but regulars like Doritos, Budweiser and E-Trade come back every year with bigger and better ads aimed at your funny bone, and commercial time during the big game has become the Holy Grail of comedic and marketing genius.

My favourite this year is Volkswagen's Darth Vader commercial.

Spoiler alert! The idea is simple: kid dressed as Darth Vader tries out 'the force' but can't seem to work his jedi powers. Dad comes home in the new Volkswagen Passat, and just for kicks, humours the kid, who can't believe that he just used his mind to power the Passat. It's great; very very funny.

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Comic Sans Criminal

We've all been there - whether conjuring digital images on Microsoft Paint, writing emails to long-lost friends or grinding out 50-page thesis papers (gasp!) - at one point or another, we've all been guilty of misusing the Comic Sans font.

Hence, some clever fella with Internet access saw opportunity in this global misjudgment epidemic, and created Comic Sans Criminal, a tongue-in-cheek guide to using the correct use of typography, and more specifically, Comic Sans.

It's cleverly designed, colourful and very well typographied (duh!). A short little exercise than is fun for all, even if you're too hooked on the font to change your ways.

www.comicsanscriminal.com

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Betty White's comeback

Betty White has always been our favourite Golden Girl, and at 78, she's making a comeback, starting with this outrageous Superbowl ad for Snickers.

Here's how it works (spoiler alert):

A bunch of fellas are playing football in the park, and they're all really into it. It's a big serious game. And then there's Betty White. The poor old lady can barely move. She gets a pep talk and a Snickers bar (of course) and transforms into an energetic man, really to score some winning touchdowns. Then comes the tagline: "You're not you when you're hungry".

Now if that ain't true, I don't know what is.

Watch it here:

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Boom De Ah Da

Probably one of my favourite commercials in recent years. Not only does this Discovery Channel have a super catchy jingle (Boom de ah da, boom de ah da, boom de ah da, boom de ah da), it's also got the educational channel's presenters and stars singing along and about what they love. Mike Rowe, the host of Dirty Jobs, crawls in a sewer while singing: "I love real dirty things", and Man Vs. Wild's Bear Grylls does his part with: "I love arachnids", while holding up a big, scary-looking tarantula.

Funny, heart-warming, personal and 100% Discovery Channel.

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No Soup For You!

Seinfeld is a beloved American comedy that ran in the 90s, starring Jerry Seinfeld and his gang of oddball friends.

Jerry is the main character. A comedian living in the Big Apple, Jerry arrives at the oddest situations for the strangest reasons. Then there's George, a lazy, cheapskate and self-centred bald man whose desire to remain lazy, cheapskate and self-involved ensues stomach-crunching hilarity. There's also Jerry's next door neughbour Kramer. He's always coming up with hairbrained ideas and he always makes a grand (clumsy) entrance. Elaine is Jerry's ex-girlfriend who goes through her fair share of love life and work struggles, always due to some irreverent detail that she can't get over.

One of the most memorable Seinfeld episodes ever has to be the soup nazi episode. A soup cafe opened up in the neighbourhood and the food is amazing. The only problem is that the chef is a tyrant, and in order to get your soup, you have to follow a strict procedure when ordering, if not it's "no soup for you!".

Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2lfZg-apSA

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