The Super Bowl score may have been settled on Sunday, but results from the broadcast’s ads are just now coming in. Place your bets: It’s time to reveal which commercials came out on top.
We’ve put together the 10 most viral Super Bowl ads, based on Internet views worldwide. Online video analytics firm TubeMogul compiled the numbers, taking into account both official and pirated versions of the videos. The data includes views from Super Bowl Sunday through Wednesday night.
So grab your chips and dip (if, of course, you have any left), and read on. You don’t even need 3D glasses this go-round.
10. Cash4Gold: Ed McMahon Gets Too Legit
Heeeeere’s desperation! Our list kicks off with Ed McMahon’s stint as a spokesperson–er, sorry, a spokesperson and a client–for Cash4Gold. The ad, which reeks of late-night infomercial, somehow snagged 1.3 million views across the Web, securing its spot on the countdown. If McMahon selling his gold hip replacement isn’t enough, you also have MC Hammer hawking his shiny parachute pants. Dignity was always one thing that guy couldn’t touch.
9. Coke Zero: Troy Tackles the Ad Guys
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Troy Polamalu pays homage to 1979’s famous “Mean Joe” Greene Coke ad in this updated Super Bowl spot. Instead of the sappy sweet ending, though, Polamalu takes out the annoying Coke brand managers who are always complaining about how Coke Zero stole their taste. The move seemed to be a touchdown, too: This ad scored a full 5000 views more than McMahon’s, sliding into our ninth spot.
8. Sobe: 3D Dancing, Lizard-Style
People may be complaining that the hotly hyped 3D technology in the Super Bowl spots fell flat, but that didn’t keep three NFL players’ dance with the Sobe Lizards from soaring to eighth place on the most-viral-ads list. Matt Light, Justin Tuck, and Ray Lewis donned what can only be called “tighty-whities” as they broke it down with the reptiles. Add some monsters and aliens, and you have yourself 1.4 million online views.
7. Pedigree: Where the Wild Things Are
Taking the title of “Most Roundabout Way to Get People to Purchase a Product,” Pedigree’s Super Bowl commercial cranked out bison, boars, and ostriches–all just to convince you that dogs are the best pets (and, presumably, that you should feed them only Pedigree chow). I can mock the ad all I want, but I may be barking up the wrong tree: Pedigree’s Super Bowl silliness scored 1.5 million views, putting it in the number seven spot.
6. Pepsi: Knockin’ on Dylan’s Door
Pepsi created the hodgepodge stew of Super Bowl ads with its 2009 “Refresh Anthem.” The commercial features Bob Dylan, Will.i.am, skateboarding, the military–and I’m pretty sure I saw Gumby somewhere in there, too. The message seems to be that though culture changes from generation to generation, Pepsi remains a constant force. If only they had included MC Hammer, I’d have been sold. The stew served up a meaty 1.8 million views, though, so plenty of people appeared to have an appetite.
The Top 5 Super Bowl Ads
Pepsi sure didn’t fizzle this Super Bowl. For its second consecutive spot on our list of the most viral ads, Pepsi teamed up with actors from Saturday Night Live to create a spoof of a spoof. In “PepSuber,” MacGyver knockoff MacGruber (aka SNL’s Will Forte) changes his name in honor of the cola. I must admit, I thought the MacGruber spots lost their charm after about the second one, but the Pepsi version proved that it was the choice of a new generation with a cool 1.9 million views.
4. Denny’s: Not-So-Happy Pancakes
Planning whackings and munching on pancakes with whipped cream seemingly don’t mix in Denny’s Grand Slam 2009 Super Bowl commercial. Mobsters find themselves distracted by their smiling breakfasts, and then–bada bing!–in comes Denny’s with an offer for a free “serious” meal. It turned out to be an offer viewers couldn’t refuse: More than 2 million people streamed the spot.
3. Bud Light: Little Bunny Conan
Combine Conan O’Brien, a tight red construction vest, and a pair of bunny ears, and you have a foolproof formula for success. Bud Light somehow brought all of those elements together in a single Super Bowl ad, and now it’s reaping the rewards. Conan’s commercial comes in at number three with 2.1 million views. If only the FedEx Pope were still around to share in the success…
Surprisingly, Doritos’ “Power of the Crunch” commercial–you know, the one where a guy eats a chip and a woman’s clothes magically fly off–didn’t become an Internet sensation. The crystal ball adventure, though, did take off, totaling 2.6 million views worldwide. Think the marketers saw that one coming?
1. CareerBuilder.com: Come On, Get a New Job
Let’s face it: Most people hate their jobs. It may be no surprise, then, that CareerBuilder’s crappy-career-shunning commercial makes the top of the list of the most viral Super Bowl ads. Nearly 3 million people searched for and watched the spot online. Bet the team who put it together won’t be out of work anytime soon.
That’s it–the 10 most viral Super Bowl ads, according to online views. Of course, PETA’s banned “Veggie Love” commercial probably outdid them all. I assume if you watched the spot, it was purely for health-related reasons.