Well, Groupon certainly isn’t afraid of rustling a few feathers. The red-hot group buying site has just posted its celeb-laden Super Bowl ads, and they’ve taken to poking fun at global crises like dwindling whale populations and deforestation. They’re a little weird, and likely to spark waves of debate and plenty of extra publicity.
Groupon rival LivingSocial will be running a Super Bowl ad as well, that reportedly tells the story of a LivingSocial addict — Groupon poked fun at this with its own rejected” ad. Guess whose commercials people will be talking about at the water cooler tomorrow?
And while some people won’t like the joke, Groupon isn’t being mean-spirited about it: its Save The Money site has offers for a variety of charity organizations. For example, making a $15 donation to GreenPeace will score you $15 in Groupon Credit (it’s essentially a free donation on your part).
Excitement for Super Bowl XLV is upon us — football, the halftime show, and of course, the commercials.
Researchers at Viral Video Chart have compiled a list of the Super Bowl’s greatest commercials, based on the amount of shares they’ve racked up on Facebook, Twitter and blogs.
Viral Video Chart pulls in data from Twitter and Facebook APIs, Unruly Media’s proprietary blog scanning engine, tracking links and embeds of video uploads from multiple video sharing sites to determine the ranking of these videos. The data stretches back to 2006 and updates every five seconds. Unlike traditional video rankings that are based solely on views, this methodology results in a real-time look at the most popular videos across the social web.
Which are your favorite Super Bowl ads, and which are you most excited to see on Sunday?
1. Volkswagen: The Force
Already at the the most shared Super Bowl spot of all time even before it aired on this year's broadcast, this one's going to be hard to top. The spot propelled the Volkswagen brand to dominate pre-buzz of the Super Bowl as well.Shares: 465,824 (so far)
2. 9/11 Budweiser - AIRED ONLY ONCE
As a tribute to the victims of the September 11 attacks on the United States, Budweiser released this commercial, which only aired once and featured its famous Clydesdales bowing in respect towards the World Trade Center site.This is the most shared Super Bowl commercial of all time, grossing 426,691 shares at the time of writing.
3. Old Spice | The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
Old Spice rocked the social media scene last year with its commercials featuring Isaiah Mustafa, former football player. Creating custom videos for fans, the "Old Spice Guy" became everyone's favorite topless dude -- the campaign even doubled Old Spice's sales and earned ad agency Weiden + Kennedy an Emmy. This year,he's back for more action, but this time, the next ad has been distributed through one superfan who will be tasked to promote it. Interesting turn.Shares: 413,138
4. Doritos - Crash the Super Bowl 2010 Finalist - House Rules
Running its fourth annual "Crash the Super Bowl" competition in 2010, Doritos drew in more than 4,000 entries. Among them was this spot entitled "House Rules" by Joelle de Jesus.Shares: 279,149
5. NEW E*TRADE Baby - Girlfriend
E-Trade's 2010 Super Bowl ad that featured the E-Trade baby talking to his girlfriend about the importance of having a diversified portfolio was a hit with fans, but not with everyone.Actress Lindsay Lohan sued E-Trade on grounds that the commercial was a parody of her life, as it featured a "milkaholic" baby named "Lindsay."The $100 million lawsuit was settled, but Lohan's reputation hasn't improved much.Shares: 49,323
6. Budweiser Wassup
Budweiser's "Wassup" ad campaign had meatheads everywhere acting mentally incompetent. It spurred a slew of parodies, including a 2008 politically-inspired remake by the original campaign's director, Charles Stone III.Shares: 31,870
7. Snickers Super Bowl Commercial 2010 with Betty White (LotsOfSecrets.com)
There's nothing more exciting than seeing Betty White get tackled... wait a minute. It's the surprise factor that makes this ad so good.Shares: 19,989
8. 1984 Apple's Macintosh Commercial
Aired on January 22, 1984 during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII, Apple's "1984" ad introduced the Macintosh personal computer to the world.As the oldest commercial on this list by a long shot, it has risen in fame as Apple has taken on tech giant Microsoft over the years.Bold in its message, the ad continues to be referenced as an example of quality work in marketing courses across the world.Keep an eye out for Motorola's Super Bowl ad for its Xoom tablet that evokes this iconic commercial.Shares: 18,787
9. Doritos - Crash the Super Bowl 2010 Finalist - Snack Attack Samurai
“Snack Attack Samurai” by Ben Krueger of Minneapolis, MN made the cut as one of Doritos' 2010 "Crash the Super Bowl" finalists.At the time of airing, it became the most-watched ad of all time.Shares: 17,180
10. Audi 2010 Green Car Super Bowl Commercial
Audi ran this commercial during the 2010 Super Bowl in promotion of the Audi A3 TDI Clean Diesel. It featured a customized version of Cheap Trick's "The Dream Police" playing in the background as "The Green Police," while officers arrested environmentally-unfriendly people.Shares: 17,008
