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Good game, bad commercials mark Super Bowl XLIX

Written by George Anderson

Last year's Super Bowl combined a game in which one team ran away from the other with commercials weaker than any in recent memory. This year's big game was a nail-biter, going down to the last seconds, but the 30-second spots advertisers paid millions to place were even more dreadful than the Seahawk's play-calling on the team's last down from scrimmage.

The 2015 version of America's biggest game involved a number of ads about dads and there was plenty of forced sentimentality. Speaking as a father and someone who has been mocked by family members for tearing up during Disney movies, most of the attempts failed to move me.

[Image: Budweiser spot]

According to USA Today's Ad Meter (7,000 people rated spots on a scale of one to 10), here are the top spots of Super Bowl XLIX:

  1. Budweiser "Lost Dog" - 8.1
  2. Always "Like a Girl" - 7.1
  3. Fiat "Blue Pill" - 6.9
  4. Microsoft "Braylon" - 6.7
  5. Dorito's "Middle Seat" - 6.7
  6. Dodge "Wisdom" - 6.64
  7. Toyota "My Bold Dad" - 6.59
  8. Coca-Cola "Make It Happy" - 6.50
  9. Nissan "With Dad" - 6.47
  10. Doritos "When Pigs Fly" - 6.45

Advertising Age ranked spots on a one- to four-star basis. Those earning the most stars included:

  1. Always "Like a Girl" - 4 stars
  2. Budweiser "Brewed the Hard Way" - 4 stars
  3. Loctite "Positive Feelings" - 4 stars
  4. NoMore.org "No More" - 4 stars
  5. Budweiser "Lost Dog" - 3-1/2 stars
  6. Avocados from Mexico "First Draft Ever" - 3-1/2 stars
  7. BMW - "Newfangled Idea" - 3-1/2 stars
  8. Dove Men+Care "Real Strength" - 3-1/2 stars
  9. McDonald's "Pay With Lovin'" - 3-1/2 stars
  10. Snickers "The Brady Bunch" - 3-1/2 stars
  11. Supercell "Revenge" - 3-1/2 stars

Here's my personal list of effective spots, stretched to nine:

  1. Loctite "Positive Feelings"
  2. Always "Like a Girl"
  3. Fiat "Blue Pill"
  4. Snickers "The Brady Bunch"
  5. NoMore.org "No More" (Hard to call this a favorite, but it is disturbingly memorable)
  6. Avocados from Mexico "First Draft Ever"
  7. Supercell "Revenge"
  8. Dove Men+Care "Real Strength"
  9. Budweiser "Lost Dog"

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