Super Bowl 43: Heineken Warrior

John Turturro returns in another spot for Heineken's Give Yourself a Good Name campaign. The Super Bowl commercials are really starting to pile up now...

The diction in this ad is much more enjoyable than the other one. My favorite line:

"This is not a beer. This is a sword. Wield it with honor... *huttuh!* Or cut yourself off."

That's one of the most clever ways I've ever seen the message "Drink responsibly" conveyed so discretely and in an entertaining way. Well done.

The name of the song is "Higher Than the End" by Twi the Humble Feather. The music brings it all together and gives the commercial a nice warm feeling.

Guru Grade: 7 / 10

Click to see the full credits
Credits:
Client: Heineken
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland
Executive Creative Director: Mark Fitzloff,
Susan Hoffman
Creative Director: Joe Staples
Copywriter: Jennie Hayes
Art Director: Jimm Lasser,
Max Erdenberger,
Matt Murphy
Agency Executive Producer: Ben Grylewicz
Agency Producer: Hayley Goggin
Production Company: Epoch Films
Director: Stacy Wall
Executive Producer: Mindy Goldberg,
Doug Halbert,
Charlie Cocuzza
Producer: Jeff McDougal
Editor: Tommy Harden
Post Production/Editorial Company: Whitehouse,
Joint Editorial
Post Producer: Justin Kumpata,
Patty Brebner
Audio Post Production: POP Sound
Audio Post Producer: Tim West
VFX: Ring of Fire,
Casey Conroy
VFX Executive Producer: John Myers
Online Editor/Flame Artist: Shelly Dutcher
Flame Artist: Trent Shumway,
Tony Graf
Music Artist: Twi the Humble Feather
Song: Higher Than The End
Album: Music for Spaceships and Forests

Beer Barrage

What good does it do for beer companies to advertise during the big game? Not too much. Most people will have already purchased their crunk juice by then. That's why these advertisers are getting a jump start and have released early ads that are designed to get you into the liquor store and stocked up on their product.

First up is an ad from Heineken starring John Turturro, entitled "Expedition Leader." Give yourself a good name.



Not bad. The philosophical circular logic is humorous and viewers will identify with the actor.
Guru Grade: 6.5 / 10

Next is a spot from Bud Light. It's about a dude who picks up a 6 pack and then encounters some interesting situations involving porn and high school acquantainces.



I wasn't feeling this one. Insert any brand at all and get the same result (but I guess that's true with most any beer commercials.) Frankly, it wasn't funny.
Guru Grade: 4.5 / 10

Last but not least is a little preview of Miller High Life's "1 Second ads" which are set to debut on Super Bowl Sunday. Click the link to watch 'em all.



I'm intrigued to see how these ultra-short ads will do. The general consensus is that they will be up and gone before anyone realizes what's going on, but we shall see...
Guru Grade: 6 / 10

Super Bowl 43 Commercials Preview

UPDATE: Click here for live Super Bowl 43 commercials coverage!

The Super Bowl is an extremely momentous occasion. It's the ultimate finale for the National Football League championship. Every year, a record amount of viewers tune in to see the two teams face off. Super Bowl Sunday has become a ritual for many Americans, providing a chance to show off new big screen TV's, take a gamble with the office pool, pig out (Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest U.S. food consumption day), and watch outrageous things happen during the halftime show. But there's one more aspect of the Super Bowl that attracts a great deal of attention-- the commercials, of course! It's the most important advertising day of the year. So to prepare you for the upcoming onslaught of high-profile ads, I have made a list of some things you should know and other stuff that you can expect.

• Date: February 1, 2009
• Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida
• Who's Playing: Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals
  
• Network: NBC
• Halftime Performance: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
  
• Cost of a 30-second ad: $3 million

That's right, $3,000,000. Nothing compared to the bailout but c'mon... that's $100,000 a second! The links below lead to pre-released Super Bowl commercials. Be sure to check them out.

• There will be an ad competition between Monster Worldwide (who have not aired a Super Bowl commercial for four years) and careerbuilder.com
• Five minutes of Anheuser-Busch. Budweiser, Bud Light, maybe even Bud Light Lime.
• Coke... (Coke 2) although Pepsi paid a premium to keep them out of the first half.
• Pedigree dog food will air their first ad ever in the Super Bowl.
• Bridgestone will sponsor the halftime show and will run two 30-second ads.
• Cash4Gold, unfortunately, bought a last second slot from NBC
  
• Cars.com has a 60-second ad in the second quarter.
• Doritos will have at least one 30-second ad.
• The E*Trade baby makes a comeback!
• Denny's has two spots
  
• GE, owner of NBC, will run a spot.
• GoDaddy: at least one 30-second ad.
• Hyundai will present two commercials for their Genesis Coupe.
• Castrol Motor oil
• Teleflora flower delivery
  
• The NFL will air one 60-second spot during halftime.
• PepsiCo Beverages are sure to make an appearance with their new branding.
• Audi has a 60-second ad inspired by classic Hollywood chase scenes
  
• Movie trailers: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Star Trek, Monsters vs. Aliens, and 2012
• Heineken
• SoBe
  
• PETA (not)
  

Last year's slew of ads were quite disappointing. Let's hope Super Bowl XLIII has some better prospects.

For a minute-by-minute update of the Super Bowl commercials, be sure to stop by here. I'll be updating live for the first time. So be sure to visit the TV Ad Guru and voice your opinion on the biggest ads of the year!

Heineken Walk-In Fridge

A funny look at the amusement of both sexes. This spot is by TBWA, Neboko. As foreign as it is, the content transcends language barriers and delivers a messege anyone can enjoy.

Guru Grade: 7 / 10