So the US ad fest (with a bit of sport thrown in) Superbowl Sunday has been and gone, and the advertising blogs of the world have chosen their picks of the best and worst. As you know, we at the Reel like to be a bit different. You can check out the latest international on the website if you want to see our faves (Coca Cola ‘It’s Mine’ step into the light) and check out YouTube if you want the tut (bad Salesgenie, bad). You can even hold your horses until our fabbo February edition comes out, featuring 10 of the best with an expert editorial (not us, in case you were wondering, but Strawberry Frog’s virtuoso Phil Conway). Because of this we thought we wouldn’t bore you with the normal ad-talk and instead pass comment on the cheeky thirty-seconders slotted in between the beverage, tech and finance commercial overload – the movie trailers.
As well as telling us which fizzy-pop is hot to trot, the ad-breaks during the Superbowl give us a good indication of popcorn fodder hitting our cineplexes in the upcoming months. This year brands got in on the act too, with Will Ferrell’s new creation Jackie Moon (from the upcoming Semi-Pro) talking of his love for Bud Light. We have to say we preferred Ricky Bobby’s Big Red commercial from Talledega Nights, but for Ferrell fans the spot seemed to be a big hit, with blog entries sprouting up all over the place.
A much better example of custom-made Superbowl cinematic was on display with Pixar’s trail for their approaching Wall-E. Harking back to the good ol’ Luxo Junior, the spot features the movie’s titular hero having troubles with a hoover. Again demonstrating that they could make a tin of beans endearing, Pixar manage to get the audience to fall in love with the Johnny-5-alike in a matter of seconds. Even sweeter is the fact that Toy Story’s Buzz and Woody have adopted the pose of many a Yank during the game – slouched in front of the TV surrounded by snacks.
Other future treats presented were Lord of the Rings wannabe Price Caspian (bring on the Dawn Treader, that’s what we say), Robert Downey Jr sliding on metal tights for Iron Man (bring on Obadiah Stane, that’s what we say) and Wanted (just bring it on, that’s what we .. oh never mind). Playing in front of 97.5 million viewers and costing an estimated $2.7million per 30-seconds, the trails are bound for summer blockbustering. It’s also interesting to see a few more cross-over/custom made spots appearing – no doubt hoping that targeted approach would mark the movies out from the usual cinematic trailer cut-downs. As interesting for the future-blockbusters that were missing as for the ones that were shown (The Dark Night notable in its absence – whether for the tragic loss of Heath Ledger or a choice to focus on the excellent viral campaign), Superbowl XLII made sure the cinephiles were given something to treat them between the plays.
