The Best 2009 Super Bowl Car Commercials
While this year’s Super Bowl turned out better than 99% of prognosticators probably imagined, the commercials in between plays are always highly anticipated. Overall, it seemed crude humor ruled the day, but what about the car ads? We had a tough time liking any of them. The highest-rated car commercial on USA Today’s well-regarded Ad Meter was Audi’s, which hit No. 12. Unless of course you count Cars.com’s spot, which scored No. 6.
We’ll just stick to what we thought of the carmakers and their spots. Which ruled the big day? Check them out — with video — from worst to first below.
Worst
Toyota Venza: Are you Venza?
Ad Meter Rank: 48 out of 50
The first time we heard about this ad we thought it would be bad, and come game time we were proved right. It’s just really boring, showing once again that car companies are trying to make a vehicle something it’s not. Conceived as the wagon/SUV for the Boomer set, with a low step-in height and a cargo area big enough for antiques, the commercial instead shows an art-collecting 30-something who cares about style and gadgets more than function. That’s almost as bad as Ford’s Flex commercials showing young women hitting the clubs in what is essentially a minivan alternative. Don’t try and fool your customers.
Toyota Tundra: Killer Heat
Ad Meter Rank: NR
Believe it or not, trucks are selling again, and the timing of this commercial was not as bad as some might think. However, we’re getting a little tired of extreme-test commercials. It kind of worked the first time Toyota did it two years ago, but now, with a ring of fire trying to test the Tundra’s metal … we’re not that impressed.
Hyundai: Contract
Ad Meter Rank: 49 out of 50
This is the ad were Hyundai tries to explain that if you buy a new Hyundai and then lose your job, you can return it with no significant penalties. Besides being a snooze, we’re not sure it said that plainly enough because of the use of the word “income” versus “job” in the commercial.
Hyundai: Angry Bosses
Ad Meter Rank: NR
Car folks probably found this funnier than non-car folks, but it was still slightly amusing with the heavily accented Japanese and German executives fuming over the Hyundai Genesis’ win as North American Car of the Year.
Hyundai: edityourown.com
Ad Meter Rank: NR
Because this played before the kickoff, we’re not sure if it’s considered an official Super Bowl ad, but it had a healthy splash of aggressive driving of the new Hyundai Genesis coupe, terrific camera angles and a Smashing Pumpkins soundtrack. It felt worthy to us.
Winner
Audi: Chase
Ad Meter Rank: 12 out of 50
We’re not sure if viewers got the whole time-travel thing, or if the 1970s Mercedes and 1980s BMW not doing the trick came across at all. Also, how many A6 owners are evading masked men? Probably none, but Jason Statham knows how to drive an Audi in chase scenes, and he does a good job of pulling it all together.
*We also liked the Bridgestone ad with the moon buggy, but it kind of fell outside our parameters.
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The "I'm the toughest" pickup truck commercial is so played out and specifically how does a consumer relate to driving through a tunnel of fire!?
My favorite was the Hyundai one poking fun of the Japanese and German exec's!
Notice the US executives were absent.
I guess they don't have expectations of being the car of the year any time soon.
Toyota truck commercials always show a sense of desperation to compete with the Big 3 when they really do not have to. I imagine their next commercial wearing a pair of those "items" I've seen hanging from pickup trailer hitches nowadays.