So, another Super Bowl is now in the books, and another collection of Super Bowl ads has aired. Next time there is a 35-minute delay resulting from a power outage, my vote is to watch more ads instead of watch and listen to sportscasters filling space with lame jokes about cell phone chargers causing the problem. We all know it was Beyonce’s fault. But, had the 49ers won, given their rapid comeback after the lights returned, conspiracy theorists probably would have had even more of a hay day. Back to the ads, one of the big picture takeaways for me was an apparent response by the automakers to Martha’s recent observation that most auto ads are boring. They really stepped it up this year, as our takes indicate.

Here are some of our overall favorites, viewable again from the convenient YouTube AdBlitz of the “2013 Big Game Commercials“:

  • I really liked the visual power of the Sodastream Effect advertisement, illustrating how the world could change if folks self-carbonated, and I’m hardly a tree-hugger (it reminded me a bit of Jason Voiovich’s recent guest post about how we’ll be making certain products in our homes some day with 3-D printers) — check out the ad from Sodastream that didn’t air during the Super Bowl, complete with use of the Coke and Pepsi logos, here. And, while I liked the VW ad’s shout out to Minnesota, it didn’t speak to me like prior VW commercials.
  • Martha liked the Dodge “God Made a Farmer” commercial, and the Audi “Prom” ad;
  • Brent liked the Dodge “God Made a Farmer” commercial too;
  • Catlan liked Go Daddy’s “Big Idea” commercial;
  • Tiffany liked Bud Light’s “Very Superstitious” commercial with the voodoo dolls;
  • Brad liked Doritos “Goat for Sale” commercial;
  • Derek reluctantly admits to liking the Go Daddy make-out commercial; and
  • Anjali liked Samsung’s “Next Big Thing” commercial;

And, from a few of our guest bloggers,

  • Aaron Keller says: “Chrysler with both their ads, in particular the Ram Tough “God Made Farmers” ad: amazingly well done” — more from Aaron here at the CapsuleScape blog;
  • Mark Prus says: “In a pool of weak sisters, the Budweiser Clydesdale ad stood out. Budweiser knows how to tell a story when they advertise the Clydesdales, and this year was no exception. In fact, if you go back to historical Super Bowls, you will see the Budweiser Clydesdale ads were almost always top rated. Whoever writes these ads is a great storyteller. Strangely enough, Budweiser is also going to win “Worst Super Bowl Ad” with its Black Crown introduction. Unless of course you are one of “the loud, the savvy and the famous people” they were targeting.”
  • Brent Carlson-Lee says: “Of those I saw, I thought Taco Bell, Doritos and GoDaddy were the best. Not that I necessarily liked the GoDaddy spot, but I do think it met its objective.”

So, everyone has an opinion on the 2013 crop of Super Bowl ads, what is yours?