ISO50

Ha! That made me smile. That’s really good.

Yes. Bravo Google.

That’s a really good point Andrew. And on top of that, how many of your average Super Bowl viewers were sober enough to read along and follow the story by that point in the game?

Me personally, I missed the spot during the game (due to inebriation) but very much like the commercial.

Google has had a series of these on hulu for awhile. ‘parisian love’ is new i though, i think.

It seems like in my limited time of actually paying attention to superbowl ads, they’ve become more outrageous but not necessarily more clever. The Google ad was the most clever (and maybe the lowest budget, from the looks of it). They did a great job of doing the most with the least.

Like last year, I actually thought the funniest ads were for Denny’s, although it’s a lost cause because their food is so gross even a free grand slam couldn’t entice me.

Scott –

Yeah. Part of me died too when I heard that. Another part of me died when I heard Beirut on a GMC commercial. I’m like half dead at this point.

I agree, definitely the only ad that made an impact for me. Although Andrew, you bring up a really good point, in a room of 12 or so people, I think my girlfriend and I were the only ones who seemed to get it.

The Google ad works because, like a Salinger story, it gives only details and requires the reader to figure the untold story. And while Google doesn’t need to advertise, a subtle [ironic] Superbowl ad is a show of strength.

[As a kid I used to laugh at TV ads for the electric company- not the TV show, either.]

Now, I admit: I spent most of my younger years renouncing the use of independent music to sell products and chastised my once-favorite bands for “selling out,” but I was beyond pumped to hear Grizzly Bear and Arcade Fire the other night. Do you honestly think that it’s going to make the music any better if they keep a lid on it and only allow those of us who are “in the know” to enjoy it? I do agree that you run the risk of driving a good band/song intro the ground by overuse (like Scott’s Phoenix example), but that doesn’t last forever and eventually their 15 minutes will be over and they’ll probably continue making great music the way they did before they were in a VW commercial. When it’s all said and done, a great band gets rewarded for putting out great music and the viewer gets exposed to bands that they might not have heard otherwise. I would infinitely rather hear “Two Weeks” or “Wake Up” or even “1901” 10,000 more times than have a lousy band like the Black Eyed Peas playing every commercial break trying to sell me a new car or a cell phone plan.