The Patriots won Super Bowl LIII last night over the Rams, but the NFL "won the night" by finishing first in USA Today's Ad Meter with its commercial celebrating its 100th season, according to Erik Brady of USA TODAY. That is a "first for the NFL, which finished second in last year's Ad Meter" for its "Dirty Dancing" parody featuring Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. and QB Eli Manning. Amazon, which "won last year's crown, finished second this time, in both cases for ads featuring Alexa and a bevy of celebrities." The NFL's two-minute "ode to itself" during the game was a "tour de force starring an assemblage of many of the greats of NFL history." The NFL 100 spot was directed by Peter Berg, who also directed an "emotional commercial for Verizon," which finished fifth in Ad Meter voting. Microsoft came in third for its "heart-tugging ad about its Xbox Adaptive Controller for kids with limited mobility who play video games." Hyundai's commercial "starring Jason Bateman as an elevator operator" came in fourth (USATODAY.com, 2/4).
WINNER WINNER: YAHOO SPORTS' Jack Baer wrote it "would have been tough" for the NFL to "fall short given the star power it had on hand." The commercial began with "what every NFL fan wants: a speech from Roger Goodell" in an L.A. banquet room full of current stars and Pro Football HOFers. The spot included Deion Sanders "picking off a Joe Montana pass meant for Jerry Rice." It also featured Todd Gurley "hitting Barry Sanders with a lateral pass," and Tom Brady "unloading Super Bowl rings into the hands of Baker Mayfield" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/3). NBCSPORTS.com's Peter King notes with the spot being taped in the middle of the playoffs, NFL CMO Tim Ellis "had some faux banquet rooms, with tight shots, built with the same décor as the L.A. venue." Mayfield "flew to Boston and did his piece with Brady there," while Patrick Mahomes flew to Orlando and did his piece with Russell Wilson there, making a throw that was "'caught' on the L.A. set" by Beckham. Drew Brees and Alvin Kamara deserve "extra credit" for doing their piece in New Orleans a "couple of days after the bitter loss in the NFC title game." Ellis said of new league agency 72andSunny, L.A., "We said we wanted a big ad to kick off the NFL’s 100th season, and they said they could get this ready for next fall. I said no, that’s the Super Bowl spot. We want it for the Super Bowl" (NBCSPORTS.com, 2/4). Adweek Editorial Dir James Cooper said this is the NFL "trying to recapture some of the humor and history behind the league." It was a "remarkable storm of cameos." Cooper: "This is the one ad that I watched over and over again" ("Today," NBC, 2/4).
KEEPING IT 100: AD AGE's Angela Doland writes the "fun ad" from Berg "united 44 NFL players, past and present, in a scene of comic mayhem set at a fancy banquet." The spot "seemed to be a fan favorite, and the NFL is in need of good PR; it's been criticized from both left and right over the way it handled players protesting racial inequality." This ad was an "entertaining way to generate some love and remind people of the league's legacy" (ADAGE.com, 2/4). In N.Y., Scott Chiusano writes the NFL 100 ad was "one of the few highlights of the first two hours of the broadcast, game or otherwise" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/4). YAHOO SPORTS' Liz Roscher wrote of the league's spot, "This is a phrase that isn't said very much, but it has to be said: the NFL got this one exactly right" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/3).
