Super Bowl LI’s commercials generally disappointed. However, these ones stuck out to me:
n “Daughter” by Audi: Of course, “Daughter” spoke to me as an almost-graduate. The ad shows a young girl in what appears to be a derby race with her father narrating the competition, speaking about how difficult it will be for him to tell his daughter, one day, that her grandfather is “worth” more than her grandmother or that any boy she competes with, regardless of her experience or education, will always have an upper hand. But then the daughter wins the race, and Audi announces that it pays women and men equally for equal work. I’m a sucker for political messages. Sorry; not sorry.
n “Justin Timberlake and Christopher Walken” by Bai: When I first saw Walken appear on the screen, I thought, “Him again?” It seems like he’s in every commercial. When he started talking, I immediately realized he was saying the lyrics to “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC, and as a former and current fan of the boy band, my ears shot up. Little did I know that Justin Timberlake would also be featured. It was a funny commercial with some good nostalgia worked in.
n “Cleaner of your dreams” by Mr. Clean: This one seriously took me by surprise. I don’t use Mr. Clean, but this commercial made me want to. I laughed hardest at this one, for sure. Not much else needs to be said. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. You’ll thank me.
n “Yearbooks” by Honda: A great commercial. Celebrities, including Tina Fey, Steve Carrell and Jimmy Kimell, talk through their school yearbook photos. It was cute to see them telling little snippets of how they got to where they are. “Here’s to chasing dreams and the amazing places they lead,” the voiceover says while advertising the new Honda CR-V. Maybe it’s a little bit of pandering, but I don’t care.
n Halftime show by Lady Gaga: Not a commercial, I know, but a break from the game, nonetheless. Gaga amazed. She hasn’t performed live like that in years, and she didn’t miss a beat. Her singing was beautiful, her dancing was on point and she played at least one song from each of her albums. She rocked it.
