Looking Back: What Made the 2012 Super Bowl Commercials So Great 

It’s possible I bought a Chrysler last spring because the rustic persuasion of Clint Eastwood’s voice made me do it, and I’d like to think I’m not the only one. 30-second spots like “It’s Halftime In America” highlighted the collection of anticipated Super Bowl commercials in 2012. We had to rummage through some bad movie trailers (Battleship) and now-canceled TV previews (NBC’s “Awake”), but rough wasn’t its diamonds.

We’re already getting a look at what to expect this year, as advertisers love to get their $4 million worth (the cost of a 30-second spot this year, according to CBS) and show their goods early. Many commercials can be seen online before the big game, but one can also look into www.cable.tv to see packages that are available to make sure you can see it all live and in high definition. But before we look forward to Feb., let’s see some of the best of 2012:

The Dog Strikes Back

Volkswagen struck gold with an adorable little Darth Vader in 2011 and returned for a second with a training montage featuring an out of shape dog who wants to run with the new Beetle. It’s hard to resist a good commercial with animals, especially cute ones, giving VW another quality Super Bowl spot last year.

Chevy Survives The Apocalypse

You can’t get away without at least one end-of-the world jab during the Super Bowl in 2012. We may be alive and well in 2013, but this Chevrolet commercial shows off a Silverado’s hypothetical strength during the end times. A low blow to Ford wasn’t very appreciated by the rival car manufacturer, reported car blog Jalopnik, but it’s a small detail compared to the amazing production value Chevy poured into this ad.

Jerry Seinfeld vs Jay Leno

If you’re noticing a theme here, your hunch is right. Cars dominated the top commercials last year and the rest of this list will prove it. Acura premieres the return of the powerful NSX with a comedic feud between millionaires Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld to who can get their hands on the first NSX released. Many viewers complained that a commercial about rich people fighting over a car almost no one can afford is almost insulting to anyone who watches the NFL, but the rest of us simply appreciated two comedians doing what they do best.

Matthew’s Day Off

What started as a rumored sequel to the famous John Hughes flick “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” this adult-sized Matthew Broderick commercial for the Honda CR-V brings old Ferris back into our living rooms, ditching out from work like he was a teenager again. The concept would have been better off as a movie, but anything beats Tower Heist.

Halftime In America

Clint Eastwood. The man can sell cars better than a Chrysler dealer’s top salesman. While the first four commercials in this list rely on a laugh, this one pulls right at our heart string and hits us with sentiment. The commercial was quickly met with controversy from Republicans who thought the ad was pro-Obama, according to The Hollywood Reporter (ironic since Eastwood spoke at the GOP convention), but those small battles didn’t get in the way of what turned out to be a great commercial, Super Bowl or not.

2013 is looking promising for some great Super Bowl spots this year (and not just about cars).

About the author: Erica Walsh

Erica comes from a family that is dedicated to playing and watching sports. She was a sports reporter for a local paper until she decided to freelance, and she's so glad that she did.