Advertisers paid $3.5 million for a 30-second ad in the Super Bowl. This year, many of the ads were released online in the days and even weeks ahead of the big game, including some of the more buzz-producing spots, such as the Matthew Broderick Ferris Bueller tribute ad and the vampire party ad for Audi.
Here are some of the commercials your listeners may be talking about today:
Doritos -- As they did last year, Doritos had some of the funniest ads of this year's Super Bowl. They included:
A man is bribed by his dog with Doritos to keep his mouth shut about seeing the dog burying the ID tags of the family's missing cat.
A grandmother slingshots a baby in a bouncy swing at its bratty older brother who was taunting him with Doritos. The baby grabs the bag and slingshots back to the grandma, and the two start eating the chips.
Audi -- A vampire is traveling in his Audi to a party in the woods to meet up with his fellow vamps, bringing some blood to share at the festivities. But he inadvertently kills them -- and then himself -- with the bright light from his LED headlights, all of them disappearing in puffs of smoke.
Coca Cola -- Coca Cola had a series of ads starring their computer-animated polar bears as they watched the Super Bowl. They included:
A polar bear trying to hold a Coke while crossing his fingers and toes.
A polar bear slipping and sliding on the ice and colliding with his fellow bears as he tries to catch a slippery Coke that was thrown to him.
A polar bear getting up, walking away, letting out a frustrated bellow, and then returning to his spot in front of the TV as he grabs a Coke.
Honda -- Perhaps the ad that got the most pre-game buzz was the Honda CR-V spot starring Matthew Broderick in a tribute to his character from the 1986 movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Broderick begins his day lying on the phone about being sick because he doesn't want to go to work, and a series of scenes follow reminiscent of the movie, such as Broderick singing in a parade, all while the film's iconic music plays.
Acura -- Another ad that got a lot of pre-game attention was Jerry Seinfeld's spot for Acura, in which he tries to get the spot for the first NSX from the guy who's just ahead of him on the list. He offers things like money, the Soup Nazi from his iconic TV show, a speedboat, and in-person jokes at the man's home. Just as he succeeds with an offer of access to zip lines across Manhattan, Jay Leno shows up with a jet-pack flying squirrel suit and the guy gives the Number One NSX spot to him instead.
Chevy Silverado -- A scene of post-2012 apocalypse is broken up by a man and his dog in a Chevy Silverado driving through the flaming ruins. They meet up with a handful of other survivors -- all of whom made it through alive because of their Silverados.
Skechers -- A French bulldog named Quigley wearing Skechers running shoes enters a greyhound race and wins, moonwalking backward across the finish line.
M&Ms -- A female M&M interrupts her intellectual conversation to inform two giggling men that she's brown because that's the color of her shell, not because she's naked. But a red M&M who spots her thinks she's naked too, is happy it's that kind of party, and strips off his red shell coating and starts dancing naked.
Volkswagen -- A portly dog who can't fit through his doggy door when he wants to run after a passing VW starts working out, doing things like running on a treadmill and swimming in the pool, as well as refusing food treats thrown to him. The next time the VW drives by, he's skinny enough to fit through the door and runs alongside the car. The camera then pulls back to show aliens in a bar watching the ad and one saying it's better than last year's VW spot in a which a boy dressed like Darth Vader believed he was able to start his dad's car with the power of the force. The alien then grabs his throat, unable to breathe, and Darth Vader is shown with his hands aimed at him. Once the alien apologizes, Darth Vader leaves him alone and walks away with a flourish of his black cape.
Bridgestone -- The tire maker had a couple of ads in which in which a football and a basketball were made of tire material. Troy Aikman and Deion Sanders are shown playing with the tire football in the first ad, while Tim Duncan and Steve Nash dribble the tire basketball in the second.
Chevy Camaro -- A graduating student is given a small refrigerator for college by his parents, but they give it to him on the sidewalk in front of a Camaro, which he believes is the real present. He and his friends all start cheering and celebrating as his surprised parents look on and wonder if they should tell him the truth, until the real owner gets in the Camaro and drives it away.
Cars.com -- A man buying a car keeps getting interrupted in his conversation with the dealer by a singing image of himself on his shoulder, which he calls his "confidence," bolstered by using Cars.com for information. Confidence keeps singing, "Let's get that car!"
Kia Optima -- The Sandman drops too much sand on a sleeping man who then dreams he's driving a fast Kia Optima while heavy metal band Motley Crue plays and he drives past stands full of cheering women in bikinis, a man riding a bucking rhino, a huge submarine sandwich being cut and ultimate fighters battling in a ring.
Bud Light -- A man shows off his rescue dog named "Weego" at a party, who responds to hearing, "Here Weego!" or "Here we go" by getting a Bud Light for whoever said it. He keeps doing it throughout the party until a whole group arrives and says "Here were go!" After looking puzzled for a second, Weego rolls on over to the group on the side of a keg of Bud Light.
Hyundai -- A man driving his Hyundai is talking to his boss in the passenger's seat when the older man suddenly slumps down and doesn't respond. The driver sharply brakes and starts repeatedly, which works to jump-start the older man back to consciousness.
Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt -- One of several spots featuring celebrities was the ad for Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt. In it, actor John Stamos is teasing a woman who's supposed to his girlfriend/wife with a spoon of yogurt, putting it up to her mouth, but then pulling it away and smiling as she tries to eat it. After he does this a couple of times, she grabs his wrist and tries to eat the yogurt. But as he again pulls it away, set to put it in his own mouth, she headbutts him off his chair and then picks up the yogurt and starts eating.
Chrysler -- A halftime ad from Clint Eastwood featured the gravelly-voiced actor saying it's halftime for America, and touting the recovery of Detroit and its car industry as he called on Americans to work as one on the nation's comeback. It was filmed in an inspirational style, and almost had the feel of a political ad.
David Beckham Bodywear for H&M-- Soccer star and Mr. Posh Spice David Beckham posed wearing just underwear briefs in a spot for his line of bodywear for H&M. The beefcake video showing the minimally-dressed Beckham was done in black and white and lingered on his many tattoos.
Century 21 -- The ad touting the "smarter, faster, bolder" Century 21 features Donald Trump, Deion Sanders and Apolo Ohno as examples of people it's smarter, bolder and faster than.
'USA TODAY' AD METER
USA Today's Ad Meter tracked the real-time votes of online viewers on its website to the Super Bowl ads. As of early this morning, the Doritos ad with the slingshot baby was in first place. The top 10, at the same time, were:
Slingshot Doritos baby
Bud Light's Weego dog
The dog who bribed his owner with Doritos to not tell about disappeared cat.
M&M's red M&M who strips and dances.
Skechers French bulldog Mr. Quigley who wins greyhound race
VW's dog loses weight to chase car, followed by Darth Vader not liking the ad outshining last year's
Kia Optima's man who gets too much sand from the Sandman.
Chevy Silverado's apocalypse survival
Audi's vampire party
Matthew Broderick's day off for Honda
Demi Moore was reportedly rushed to the hospital on Monday night and is now seeking professional treatment to improve her health.
TMZ.com reported that paramedics responded to a 911 call from Moore's L.A. home and determined she needed to be hospitalized. Sources told the website that substance abuse was the root of the problem.
Sources told the website that Moore has since been placed in a facility to seek treatment for substance abuse, although a specific substance was not identified.
After news of the hospitalization broke, Moore's rep released a statement saying, "Because of the stresses in her life right now, Demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health. She looks forward to getting well and is grateful for the support of her family and friends."
Everybody is weighing in on Steven Tyler's 'performance' of the Star Spangled Banner yesterday at Gillette Stadium. It seems the majority of folks were not impressed and only a handful were pleased. My take is this: we got the performance we desrved from an 'elder statesman' of rock. It was an eye-opener for for many. To hear a familiar voice without the crutch of a big fat band behind him or even the soothing and enhancing effect of voice processing can be troubling for the feint of heart. If you need to point a finger at someone...point it at the guy (or gal) who had the decision making power to put him up there to begin with. That person should have realized that he was out of his depth and even though he is a huge name and local New England personality, he can sing that song acapella about as good as I can...and that's not very good.
Slick Willie Shaw and Jacob "Hops" Tucker of the Harlem Globetrotters stopped in the 92.9 StarFM studio Wednesday to visit with Bud! The Globetrotters perform in Springfield on Jan. 19 at the JQH Arena. Listen Thursday 1/12 to win free tickets on StarFM...listen at 7:20a, 10:20a, 2:20a and 5:20p for the Globetrotters Theme Song "Sweet Georgia Brown". Caller seven at 447-9290 wins a pair of tickets from StarFM! Good Luck!!
Odd how we hear news these days. Used to be, the phone would ring and a relative would pass news, good or bad, and their would be a real 'human' connection down the phone line.
These days we often hear news on Facebook. Our friends post updates of goings on and whereabouts and we can quickly catch up, albeit without that extra special 'voice' connection and an actual conversation.
Such was the case this morning when a Facebook friend request came in from a woman named Lisa. She looked vaguely familiar which led me click on her profile and investigate further. That was when I saw the picture of my Uncle Jim Towne of Port Jervis, NY.
He was a shadow of the man I had known briefly in my youth as my family stopped for visits en route to various postings, but there was no mistaking his million watt smile. He could light up a room.
Sadly, the posting from my long lost cousin Lisa was to announce the passing of her father. I had a rush of childhood memories of visiting their house in Port with the laundry chute from the top floor that went 'right into the washer' and the pocket doors that 'disappeared into the walls'. As a 6 or 7 year old those things where unfamiliar and very cool and stayed with me when I thought of them from time to time over the years.
My Uncle Jim was a lifelong surveyor with a penchant for maps...nobody know how to get into the city from Port Jervis better than he did. Anyone who knew him would immediately comment on his love for his family. His three children and his wife were the world to him and he never missed a chance to let them know.
Hey there! Bud here with a BIG WARM HUG for you. It's very timely considering the cold and icy conditions we woke up to this morning here in the Ozarks.
So..who am I?
I'm the 'new kid in town', the CFA (come from away), the grizzled radio verteran who is living the WKRP theme song...town to town...up and down the dial.
Well actully its not quite that sad. For the last couple years I've been the mid-morning host on Q-92 Montreal and before that I hosted the number two morning show in Honolulu, Hawaii for about 15 years.
After betting the farm on a gig in my homesick wifes hometown of Montreal, I was caught in an 'ownership change and a 'change of direction' and had to drop back and punt.
Which leads me to the beautiful Ozarks! I grew up all over the U.S. ( Air Force brat) and was familiar with the east and the west but never the mid-west so this is a first for me and I'm very much looking forward to exploring southwest Missouri, If you have any suggestions on 'must see' or 'must try' places please pass them along. My email is budr@star929.fm.
Odd how we hear news these days. Used to be, the phone would ring and a relative would pass news, good or bad, and their would be a real 'human' connection down the phone line. 
