Super Bowl Branding Bazaar: More Winners In Our Eyes

Cars.com: The online brand’s ad tapped into consumers’ primordial fears with the compelling story of a prodigious superman who could perform miraculous feats dauntlessly – but was afraid to buy a car, a process that made him “just as nervous as the rest of us.” Cars.com is there to hold our hands. Genius.

CBS: The Tiffany Network helped itself overall with a variety of house ads promoting its programming and its prestige. The head-slapping spot, which celebrated the trademark gesture of the Mark Harmon character on the industry-leading drama NCIS, was especially effective. So was the short but sweet cameo depicting David Letterman, Oprah Winfrey – and Jay Leno – sharing a bowl of chips while watching the Super Bowl.

Dodge Charger: Maybe this ad will be looked back upon as the moment that Chrysler began crawling out of its deep hole. After getting men to self-identify with enslaving demands by their female loved ones – “I will carry your lip balm”; “I will put my underwear in the clothes basket” – the “Man’s Last Stand” spot delivered the message that driving the unapologetically muscular Charger would be a great way to get back.

Dove: Ditto on effectively tapping into the fact that the Super Bowl’s serious viewership remains largely male. Dove scored big by getting males to resonate with the message of “man power,” then selling them on the notion that the time has come for men to have their own skin-care brand.

E*Trade: By now, the brand’s funny talking babies have become nearly iconic, so E*Trade smartly extended that advertising franchise with two spots. By far the best one showed the E*Trade baby cheating on his “girlfriend” with “that milkaholic Lindsay.” However, you do almost forget exactly what service E*Trade is advertising with these endearing skits.

Brett Favre: Arguably the best-known sports persona brand short of the disgraced Tiger Woods, the ageless quarterback helped remind viewers yet again that he’s in the midst of his now-annual “retirement” drama. And, oh yes – the idea that Favre will still be conducting his will-he-or-won’t-he shtick at 50 years old helped Hyundai remind car buyers of its industry-first 10-year warranty.

Hyundai: After using its Super Bowl presence last year to leverage its overall brand to a record-setting 2009 in the US market, Hyundai pivoted nicely to more traditional promotion of a single new vehicle: its new Sonata sedan. Through a number of spots, the still-rising Korean brand effectively communicated the various attributes of Sonata.

Monster.com: Its story of a fiddle-playing beaver was meant to explain how Monster.com could help even the most specific kind of talent find career success. Good show.

Skechers: Its twice-run spot had the feel of a Saturday-afternoon ad by a local retail chain. But the ad promoting Skechers new Shape-Ups line was intriguingly straightforward about its benefits, orthopedic and otherwise. And a testimonial comment by the likes of Joe Montana gave it a great tie-in to the Super Bowl.