Hasta La Creative!

In a game that only a Seattle Seahawks fan would find entertaining, it was a cuddly commercial featuring a Clydesdale horse bonding with a puppy that won America’s vote in SpotBowl’s annual Super Bowl commercial poll.

The poll, in its 11th year, was created by advertising agency, Pavone. SpotBowl was presented this year by Adrants.

The winning spot by Anheuser-Busch, known as “Puppy Love,” was the pre-game buzz
winner, racking up nearly 34 million views on YouTube before the game even started. The ad took an early lead immediately after the game and remained among the leaders until the polls closed at 3 p.m. EST on Monday afternoon. Anheuser-Busch held off a late surge by RadioShack’s “The 80’s Called,” which finished second in the rankings.

Rounding out the SpotBowl top five was Anheuser-Busch’s “Hero’s Welcome,” Doritos’ “Time Machine,” and Audi’s “Doberhuahua,” which featured an out-of-control Doberman/Chihuahua mix.

“The big question every year is which will be more entertaining – the game or the ads? It’s safe to say the ads were the stars last night, but not by much,” said SpotBowl co-founder and Pavone CEO, Michael Pavone. “The fact that nearly half of them were released online before the game might have something to do with why so many viewers were a little underwhelmed.”

In last place on the SpotBowl leaderboard was an entry by Subway featuring Olympians talking about the restaurant’s new sandwich. Spots for GoDaddy, AXE and Maserati were also at the bottom of the SpotBowl rankings.

What did I think of the annual ad-fest?

I told SpotBowl’s Michael Pavone, “Generally, I was disappointed with what I saw. Brands played it safe, and nothing really reached out and grabbed you or threw you on the floor in a pile of laughter,. I was, however, pleased with RadioShack’s ad (‘The 80’s Called’). The spot works because it brings back memories for the old and serves up a retro vibe for the young. It very clearly and intelligently repositioned the brand.”

For a complete listing of the game’s winners and losers, visit spotbowl.com.