Balance of Food

Ranking food and drink Super Bowl LV ads

Super Bowl LV didn't have an update from Avocados from Mexico. There were a few ads for decent foods and other food ads that ran during the big game.

"How we grow our food is how we grow our future." In a sea of chips and soft drinks, Chipotle had a nice ad showing actual farms and real-looking food. The kid as the narrator was more of the future, even as his sister mocks him. Even if you aren't a Chipotle fan, talk of real food doesn't happen too often in Super Bowl ads.

Oatly CEO Toni Petersson sings the praises of Oatly oat milk. I had to go back and watch a second and third time to follow what he was singing about. "Wow, no cow." Okay. There is likely a correlation of people who like the product or interested in oat milk who will like the ad. If you hated the ad, and there are many of you, well you aren't likely to want to buy oat milk. A Super Bowl ad is usually designed to grow a product. If the company keeps the ad running in the next 2 months, the Oatly ad will seem better over time.

Amy Schumer has shown a suitability for doing ads lately. Her latest is for Hellmann mayonnaise. Schumer helps out a poor, single guy who has ingredients but doesn't know what to do with them. "What even is an artichoke?"

Schumer shows how the mayo can stretch a lot of foods. An ad that shows how to use the product is rare indeed. I do find Hellmann national ads hilarious since the brand shifts to Best Foods in some parts of the country. The mayonnaise is the same despite the name change, similar to Carl's Jr. and Hardees.

Super Bowl ad analysis in recent years

2020   2019   2018   2017   2016   2015   2014   2013   2011

Brad Garrett pops out of nowhere to star in the Jimmy John's ads. The sandwiches at Jimmy John's have been more about speed of delivery than actual quality. The Super Bowl ad refers to the Jimmy John's product as "high quality, reasonably priced sandwiches." Anecdotally, I have had 2 of their sandwiches, neither of which I could finish because of the lack of quality. I think the Federal Trade Commission could reasonable investigate the "high quality" claim. Fast food and "high quality" don't go together.

The "sandwich war" referred to in the ad means there will likely be follow-up ads. Ugh.

The Pringles stack ads are getting monotonous because they are selling a concept that doesn't exist. No one outside the company is buying multiple canisters and building different combinations. Either sell people different combos of different kinds of Pringles or stop this insanity. Fans might actually want shorten versions where they can build different combos, unlike the Frito-Lay ads trying to sell a product it won't describe.

Uber Eats and Doordash do not make food but they like to take credit for that food. Their high rates cut into the slim profit margins of local restaurants, even in good times. Spending $5.5 million to run ads may be necessary in the marketplace, but some of those restaurants could have used that money to stay in business.

Uber Eats brought in Mike Myers and Dana Carvey to go back to Wayne's World along with Cardi B. The emphasis of the ad was to eat local and support local, something better done with picking up the food yourself or having the restaurant deliver the food to you.

Doordash using the Sesame Street characters was a crass use of heartwarming childhood characters for a nefarious purpose. In our world, ads that cross the line get a F-.

Frito-Lay weighed in with 2 spots: 3-D Doritos and Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix. The 3-D Doritos ad was reasonably clever with Matthew McConaughey as a 2-dimensional version before he eats the 3-D version. Mindy Kaling and Jimmy Kimmel help out in the ad.

Super Bowl ads with a physical presence are good at standing out if watching the big game at a bar. Not as applicable with fewer bars open for the game. Still, the ad will stand out for awhile in February and March.

Not sure what is so different about the 3-D version of the snack, so the ad may just reinforce the 2-D version of the snack.

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are playful in the "did she/didn't she" dance off whether she ate the Cheetos. Not as clever as the Cheetos ads with the husband who tries to find out whether his family is eating the Cheetos. Those ads are good.

Did not notice the first time that the ad actually was for Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix. Don't know what that is and likely won't find out. Like the 3-D Doritos, without explanation, the ads refer back to the primary product. Run an ad to explain what the hell is a crunch pop mix.

BalanceofFood.com advertising coverage

Dan Levy finishes the M&Ms commercial of people apologizing for infractions where candy is the reward. In an era of yelling, actual apologies make for a good commercial. Then again, I would accept the apology but not the candy. We covered the M&Ms and Uber Eats ads for our Canadian blog entry on Super Bowl LV.

Mountain Dew has a melon flavored version. I drank the regular and Code Red versions back in the old days. I would drink watermelon juice but not a melon-flavored soft drink. The potential $1 million offer wouldn't move my judgment on the soda.

photo credit: Oatly oat milk
video credits: individual companies

Ranking food and drink Super Bowl LIV ads

Super Bowl ads are mostly about foods that dentists "recommend" you consume. We'll skip those for later. Avocados have made a traditional visit to the Super Bowl ad arena. Hummus is relatively new, especially since some Americans are nervous about "foreign food." Sabra is trying to change that with its hummus ad. Numerous celebrities talk about what they dip into hummus.

The ad featured 19 celebrities, not counting Chester Cheetah (Cheetos), in 30 seconds. If you knew every celebrity in the ad, you are not me. The variety of so many people exemplifies the variety of ways to enjoy hummus. The ad used the hashtag #HowImmus. The suffix -mmus works well to not be confused with the late shock jock Don Imus.

I recognized Ric Flair, Jaleel White, Scary Spice/Mel B., and Boomer Esiason.

Not sure if the ad will shine through on Super Bowl Sunday. Running the ad over the next few months will make a stronger impact.

Avocados from Mexico brought out Molly Ringwald in its campaign. The campaign ran a couple of ads earlier in the week where Ringwald praises avocado in a car, envious of its ability to sleep in a car and another ad where she places a crown on an avocado.

The actual Super Bowl ad was a fake shopping channel for accessories for the avocado. That was the lamest of the 3, especially compared to ads from previous years. Ringwald did well in the ad. The other ads were better and more subtle. The campaign would benefit from running those ads in the next few weeks rather than the actual Super Bowl ad.

Planning the #SuperBowl menu? #hummus #guacamole good ways to eat healthier. Chips made with blue corn or those bean/rice chips a grand suggestion. #snacks #SuperBowlLIV

— Chad Rubel (@balanceoffood) February 2, 2020

We realize Super Bowl ads aren't supposed to showcase the attributes of the product. Planters is a company with Super Bowl ads experience but fell into the trap in Super Bowl LIV with a gimmick ad.

Unless you stayed off the Internet for a week, we know that Mr. Peanut was "killed" in the Planters ad. Mr. Peanut let go of the tree branch to save Matt Walsh and Wesley Snipes. You would have to put in about $250,000 in quarters in a slot machine to get Mr. Peanut, Matt Walsh, and Wesley Snipes.

The Planters ad from Super Bowl LIII had the peanut-shaped vehicle as well, a funny Charlie Sheen cameo, and a funny joke about kale chips. A variation on that ad would carry over well in the winter ad season.

The actual Super Bowl ad was rather sad. We knew the death was a hoax and Planters pretty much wasted its money. Like Avocadoes from Mexico, they buried the lede, running the better ad earlier in the week.

Michelob Ultra pure gold ran an ad that appeared to be more about converting more American farmland to organic. The ad points out that less than 1% of America's farmland is organic. The phrasing sounds fun: buy a 6-pack and they will convert 6 square feet of farmland to organic.

The fine print points out that the beer company will contribute 2¢ per 6-pack up to $1 million. The "funds paid to farmers (are) in the form of transitional barley premiums." That feels technically true but more self-serving and not useful beyond for anyone else.

The upside is more about pointing out to a huge TV audience about the importance of being organic. Buying the beer will be up to you.

Super Bowl ad analysis in recent years

2019   2018   2017   2016   2015   2014   2013   2011

Cheetos Popcorn, like Cheetos, stains your hands orange when you eat them. There you can't touch this, which is the only reason for the return of MC Hammer. Young people may not be familiar with the Hammer; those of us who remember him know that he stole the music from Super Freak by Rick James, a way better song.

The problem with the ad, besides the return of MC Hammer, is that you have a new product and the ad says nothing about the new product. The ad would have been okay for the regular Cheetos product.

The new Pringles ad plays on the stacking flavors theme in recent Super Bowl ads. This is a rare Super Bowl ad in that the celebrities outshine the product. Rick and Morty is a great get. Most parents might object that their kids cartoon heroes would hawk potato chips.

The Pop-Tarts pretzel version with cinnamon sugar was a strong ad that told the virtues of the product. A product launch (are you listening, Cheetos?) to promote a product. We would be skeptical over getting too excited until we taste the pretzel element in the breakfast pastry.

Felt like the Little Caesar's delivery ad was an ad for Rainn Wilson, which was good for him. The idea that Little Caesar's delivery is the best thing since sliced bread is cute and might last longer if shown more often in the next few weeks. As a long-time customer of its Crazy Bread, delivery won't be its strong suit. The franchise is built on people coming in unlike its primary contenders, Pizza Hut and Domino's. Still a more entertaining ad than anything Domino's has ever done.

The Doritos cool ranch ad with Sam Elliott and Lil Nas X might have been one of the best Super Bowl LIV ads. The mix of old and new cowboys was entertaining, each adding his cred to the ad. Doritos might have paid more for their celebrities, but you have to invest to draw out success. The good news for Doritos is this ad may help all its flavors not just Cool Ranch.

Super Bowl LIV through the eyes of Canada

BalanceofFood.com advertising coverage

Here are the borderline food/drink categories, not necessarily the ads themselves, in order of appearance:

Snickers fix the world with a large sinkhole: very visual ad that ties into the huge hunger that Snickers apparently fills.

Mountain Dew Zero Sugar with a knockoff of The Shining with Bryan Cranston and Tracee Ellis Ross: loved the ad, though no connection to anything. People will struggle to remember that this ad is from Mountain Dew Zero Sugar.

Coca-Cola Energy with Martin Scorsese and Jonah Hill. Hill doesn't want to go to a lame party; Scorsese wants Hill to come. This idea should have been thrown out in the initial session. Hopefully, they will remember to cash the check and forget they were ever in this ad.

Pepsi Zero Sugar with black labels on its bottle off of the use of the Rolling Stones song Paint It Black. Good update of a great song. A better commercial than the product itself.

Heinz ketchup with I'll Be There by the Four Tops. Except for the music, this ad was not memorable. Still better than a bad ad (Coca-Cola Energy). The mothers of the people who made this ad will not remember the ad by Friday.

Reese's Take 5 ad with the corny sayings. An interesting new product that needed a better campaign. An ad that was cute with the corny sayings that will likely earn a C+ from those who grade these ads. Might have a bit more life in the next few weeks, but might save money by launching a new ad.

photos credit: Sabra; Avocadoes from Mexico; Planters; Michelob Ultra
Twitter capture: @balanceoffood

Checking out Canadian food ads from fall 2019 NHL Center Ice free preview

Editor's note: The following is a slightly condensed version of a feature from our sister blog, CanadianCrossing.com. The full feature can be found here. The column is reprinted here with full and complete permission.

Eggs for breakfast make sense. Eggs for lunch? The brother thinks eating eggs for lunch is weird. The sister thinks eggs for lunch is fine. Then again, the sister thinks her brother's girlfriend looks like their mother. That might be a little weird. Eggs anytime is fine.

Another Tim Hortons trading cards zamboni ad with Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon is not that exciting. What is exciting is the new addition to the ads. Recently retired NHL Hockey Night in Canada legend Bob Cole is the voice of the Tim Hortons ad. You have to love that Cole is 1) still working; and 2) is still a part of the NHL even via an ad for a donut shoppe. Take that, Rogers.

"If food matters to you, you're a food lover."

Food lovers might not be into canned cranberry sauce. The Loblaw's ad lets us know you can be a food lover who is into canned cranberry sauce. Aimed for Canadian Thanksgiving, the ad can work for the American readers for the U.S. Thanksgiving.

Jon Hamm thinks he is a real Canadian in this latest incarnation for Skip the Dishes. Hamm thinks he is now a Canadian citizen and wants to celebrate by having food delivered.

Turns out Hamm's citizenship was denied even though he bought a Moose Jaw, Yellowknife, and a Sault Ste. Marie (whatever that is). These ads have been hilarious. Hopefully, more Americans will find out Hamm is funny.

How the [bleep] did Pepsi get the rights to the old Hockey Night in Canada theme? TSN/Bell Media got the rights to the song when the CBC let the rights go free. Having the song play in a soft drink ad reduces the impact of the song when played for real. We see what Pepsi gets from it but Bell Media's motive can't just be money. If the song had to play in an ad, that song should run in a Canadian company commercial.

BalanceofFood.com advertising coverage

The relatively low standards of North American fast food is the platform where Harvey's can brag about being the first national fast food chain to offer 100% Canadian beef in an angus burger with no antibiotics, steroids, or added hormones.

I haven't had a Harvey's burger for a very long time, mostly because I haven't found a location lately. I would likely want to find a place, such as one I found in Toronto, where I could get all of that AND have the burger cooked medium-rare (because they grind their own beef). In a pinch, I might try this burger.

At Wendy's Canada, you can get jalapenos, onion tanglers, and avocado on any dish. This concept is aimed at burgers but French fries with onion tanglers sounds really good. Onion tanglers look like what Americans would call onion strings. Cliff's Notes and Cole's Notes are the same idea but the former is American while the latter is Canadian. You can go over those notes while at Wendy's with a jalapeno burger.

videos credit: all the respective companies
photo credit: Choose.ca

What's Tempting: Free food if the food tastes good

Even when food is free food, there is an undercurrent of marketing to get you into a place to then get you to come back.

Thanks to the coverage in our sibling site, CanadianCrossing.com, we knew a certain Mexican-type restaurant chain was giving away free tacos earlier this week.

The marketing went deeper since people could get that free taco anytime on Tuesday if they ordered online or downloaded the app. You could get a free taco by coming into the store but only between 2 pm-6 pm local time. I sadly have the time and not the money to pull off this experiment.

The deal was for the regular version of a specific taco that features the word "locos" and a corporate cousin. The novelty of the nacho cheese outer shell ensured that there would be some taste in the snack.

The free deal got me into a Taco Bell for the first time in awhile. Would the deal get me to come back?

Celebrate National Doughnut Day by blowing off free donuts

The true price of 'free food'

I ate the free food

What is the price of free food?

We've dealt with the world of free food long ago. Our take on free food many years ago fit where we were in our own personal growth. We've debated about calories and the price of eating something only because the food is free.

This week's adventure was about the free part since finances are bad these days. I like tacos, but rarely go in a Taco Bell because their tacos don't have me running for the border.

The argument behind cheap fast food is that you don't get much but you don't pay much. Here is what you get for $1.99:

Beef ("beef"?), iceberg lettuce, and cheddar (?) cheese (hopefully) that is mild and without flavor.

The Doritos hard shell doesn't taste as good as an actual Doritos chip. The shell does technically have taste but not the whimsical nature of nacho cheese Doritos.

The supreme version is 60¢ extra with tomatoes and sour cream. The lettuce in the marketing picture is green (unlike the actual lettuce) so the tomatoes likely wouldn't match either. Sour cream helps if you have spice, something you won't find in the taco, even with mild sauce.

If you are starving, this is food. This taco has virtually no taste, Doritos shell or otherwise.

The most memorable sensation in eating the taco is the warmth from the "beef." The quality of this chain's food has come under criticism. We don't know the percentage of beef in its "beef."

Temptation of the Week: Doritos Tacos Locos

Stephen Colbert opens up can of sand as Taco Bell lawsuit gets more publicity

Taco Bell lawsuit, like the 'beef' at Taco Bell, may not have enough meat to it

Make Taco Bell disclose the true cost of its new $2 value meal

What's Tempting: Triple the steak

BalanceofFood.com fast food coverage

The taco al pastor that I see where I live is a very simple taco with the tortilla, marinated pork, cilantro, and onions. You get a lot more meat in the local version, plenty of cilantro and onion. Every bite has flavor. I'm neutral on cilantro and not crazy about raw onions. I will eat that taco any time and enjoy the experience because flavor is the key.

If your outer shell needs to be atypical to be somewhat "locos," then you have a problem with the quality and flavor of ingredients. By the way, you can get that al pastor taco for about the same price.

Good promotions only work if you can back up the product. Taco Bell fans can tell me that some of their products have flavor and even spice, more than the Doritos Locos Tacos, and they might be correct. I can only go based on what I saw and ate.

If I lost my taste buds and got them for free, I might eat a Doritos Locos Taco. Otherwise, I would be "locos" to pay for one.

photos credit: me

Ranking food and drink Super Bowl LIII ads

The Burger King Super Bowl ad used footage from the 1982 film 66 Scenes of America from Danish filmmaker Jørgen Leth. The fact that the Heinz ketchup doesn't pour well lends authenticity since Heinz promoted the thickness of its ketchup throughout the 1970s. The Whopper is also very minimalist, so if there are other ingredients, they aren't visible.

We are invited in the ad to #EatLikeAndy, which would be inviting if we could consume the product from that time. The bun Warhol eats likely didn't have high-fructose corn syrup and the ketchup would have been free of high-fructose corn syrup. That burger would taste better than the current model.

Leth said in an interview that Warhol initially suggested they use McDonald's.

Unlike most companies who use dead celebrities, you could likely conclude that Warhol would appreciate the idea of using the footage in an ad.

The target audience of younger people may not be that familiar with Warhol. If people are going to #EatLikeAndy, they will eat a small bite of a Whopper and not eat any other Burger King food.

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Kristin Chenoweth was in the latest Avocados from Mexico ad with a reverse play on dog shows where human performed the tricks. The guacamole was incorporated in the ad unlike a lot of food ads. This ad was closer to the best than the worst of the Avocados from Mexico ads. The hard part is that avocados haven't looked as good in the stores and have gone up in price. Then again, the avocados I saw in the Santa Monica farmers market last week looked gorgeous. I would pay more to get the avocados of old.

Chenoweth added sparkle to the ad and nice on the part to have a female lead in the series of ads.

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Super Bowl ads can be good to publicize a little known company. Devour frozen foods from Kraft Heinz have been around for about 3 years. That was literally news to me. The ad features a couple where the husband has turned into the "3-minute man" — a double entendre that ties into the food porn mentality of the company. The entrees are more exotic than typical frozen food.

The ad was rather good to spark curiosity. However, frozen food doesn't inspire food porn IRL.

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Chance The Rapper combined with the Backstreet Boys to remake I Want It That Way for the new Flamin' Hot flavor for Doritos. I remembered the song but had to look up which boy group did the song. Yes, I recognized Chance better than the Backstreet Boys. Flamin' hot snacks have a certain niche appeal and this ad will help out that flavor. That said: Cheetos (fellow Frito-Lay product) does it pretty well. A good ad for the target audience for the product.

Super Bowl ad analysis in recent years

2018   2017   2016   2015   2014   2013   2011

Corn syrup came up in a non-food ad for Bud Light. The Budweiser product noted that Miller Lite and Coors Light had corn syrup while Bud Light did not. Corn syrup is different from high-fructose corn syrup but having corn syrup in a beer does seem odd. Then again, there are beers outside of the 3 listed options that taste better and don't have corn syrup.

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Pringles had another stackables ad. The concept hasn't changed, incorporating jalapeno, cheddar, as well as sour cream and onion. The problem is that people aren't going to buy 3 different canisters to produce these combinations. The ad hits the target audience but will get lost in the wave of Super Bowl ads that were more clever.

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Planters had a really good ad, complete with a Planters peanut-shaped vehicle and a funny Charlie Sheen cameo. Mr. Peanut saves a guy from eating kale chips, giving him mixed nuts. The only drawback was having Alex Rodriguez in the ad. Planters promotes protein; Rodriguez is known for (allegedly) using steroids. He didn't get strong (allegedly) from eating nuts. Rodriguez doesn't add anything to the ad and is a detriment.

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Drink and candy ads were:

• Michael Bublé for Bubly. This felt like a spin-off on the Bai Super Bowl commercial with Justin Timberlake and Christopher Walken. The latter ad will be better remembered than the 2019 spin-off.
• The Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer ad was a bit muddled in the beginning and kept thinking this was a goof ad. If this ad keeps running, the ad may improve with more visiblity.
• The Pepsi ad with Steve Carell, Cardi B, and Lil Jon fell within the Pepsi ad spectrum where the ad is about visual distractions. I've never seen a Pepsi ad to this day that reflects on the quality of the actual product. The commercial also likely suffered being at the end of the first quarter when people are running for the bathrooms.
• Christina Applegate was in a cute spot for the M&Ms chocolate bar. This ad actually incorporated the product since the M&Ms were stuck together in the chocolate bar. Was fun watching the actress who played Kelly Bundy be the mom. A good ad that will need more exposure in the coming weeks.

photo credit: Burger King

Ranking food and drink Super Bowl LII ads

Food advertisers aren't rising to the occasion for Super Bowl ads of late as we definitely saw last night during Super Bowl LII. Still, there were a few intriguing ads.

Avocadoes from Mexico had a nice comeback from last year. The secret society concept was adjusted to have a self-contained universe where they had everything they needed, including avocadoes from Mexico.

Someone discovers that the chips are not in the self-contained universe. Panic ensues. A woman at the buffet table points out that you don't need chips to enjoy avocadoes.

This ad was reasonably clever, and light years ahead of last year's ad. This ad also told us something about the product, a trait rarely found in a Super Bowl ad. Since most of the play of these ads is well past the date of the Super Bowl, the 2018 ad should have a larger impression through February and March.

Doritos Blaze gave us an idea of how hot their new chip flavor is in the taste spectrum. We don't know what kind of hot Blaze is but it's hot. Having Peter Dinklage mouth the rhymes of Busta Rhymes looks good in a Super Bowl ad but not sure how well the ad will translate beyond the days after Super Bowl LII. Consumers will have a basic idea about Doritos Blaze but may be more clueless about what make Mountain Dew Ice distinct. Morgan Freeman mouthing Missy Elliott was interesting to look at but might not play too well come late February.

Wendy's reminded us for the second year in a row that its beef is not frozen as opposed to McDonald's burgers being frozen. Pounding a point home can be a good way to use a Super Bowl ad but this difference may not be the reason why most people pick Wendy's over McDonald's. This ad was slightly better than last year's ad mostly because this year's edition didn't use a lame version of a classic rock song.

Bill Hader is not someone I would think of as being Super Bowl ad material, but the Pringles ad was pretty decent. Reminding consumers of the many flavors is a smart choice. The ad uses that variety to sell different flavors of the standard chip. The visual is also about the stacking of the chips, showcasing their unique shape. The ad should play better beyond the Super Bowl timeframe. The exotic flavors also appeal to younger audiences, a key snacking demographic.

Super Bowl ad analysis in recent years

2017   2016   2015   2014   2013   2011

Kraft had a nice ad that didn't mention food at all, but showed us how you family. There were a lot of endearing ads this year. The Kraft ad was very nice but could get easily lost behind ads such as the Hyundai one with cancer patients.

We won't spend too much time on ads that involved candy and soft drinks. The Danny DeVito M&Ms ad was clever and will last well beyond the Super Bowl. "Do you want to eat me?" might exist in your nightmares but you will remember.

The Coca-Cola ad was cute about different likes and loves, but this pattern neglects why someone would drink a Coca-Cola. The company might want to spend some money on that topic. That ad makes a lot more sense than what the company is doing to Diet Coke. The twisted mango ad might be the worst Super Bowl ad I've seen in awhile. The young woman didn't seem to understand what the product was, a similar thought to diet soft drink consumers everywhere. If your spokesperson is bored, trust that we are bored too.

videos credit: the companies behind the ads

Checking out Canadian food ads from 2017 winter NHL Center Ice

Editor's note: The following is a slightly condensed version of a feature from our sister blog, CanadianCrossing.com. The full feature can be found here. The column is reprinted here with full and complete permission.

We've seen milk and sports in ads in the United States but they're usually pumping up chocolate milk, regardless of the sweetener. And quite frankly, most milk ads are lame or awful (such as TruMoo's "no junk food please" ad).

The Dairy Farmers of Canada ran a pair of ads designed to promote milk drinking. They are clever, interesting, memorable, and not a single word about chocolate milk.

The first ad mocks the standard beer commercial about which drink to turn to after the game. The outdoor hockey with men above the standard NHL age level adds a nice Canadian touch.

The second ad plays on the classic "no use crying over spilled milk" line. What would happen if the milk was so good that it would be worth a tear or two?

Coca-Cola pool ad explores sexuality already standard in Canadian ads

We already gave a spotlight to the Tim Hortons perfect partners campaign, with the parallel of food pairings and human pairings. (Click here if you missed this ad.) This is the latest Tim Hortons Roll up and Win promo. There are no donuts, food, or coffee in the ad but if you are looking for a taste of Canadiana, this ad will help.

McDonald's in Canada and the United States seem to be run in parallel universes. The Canadian version has had a double Big Mac for some time ready for the U.S. to steal. The U.S. goes in a confusing Big Mac direction with Goldilocks and the Three Bears type serving sizes or A&W Canada that has established this hierarchy (Papa Burger, Mama Burger, Teen Burger). Meanwhile, McDonald's Canada decided the Big Mac just needed bacon. The burger comes with the argument as to whether bacon takes away the Big Mac name for the new sandwich. Sometimes in this world, it's fun having an argument where no one really cares who is right.

Speaking of A&W Canada, this chicken burger ad looks like it is set on a high school campus. The theme of chicken not raised on antibiotics continues. The message is that the chicken is this good but doesn't cost too much, especially for the high-school audience. U.S. outlets will sell a chicken sandwich on a hamburger bun but it would never be a chicken burger. Canadians buy burgers identified as such made from chicken, lamb, and other animals not associated with a burger in the States.

Swiss Chalet is encouraging people to bring a buddy in its 2 can dine for $14.99 deal. The quarter-chicken deal with roll, side, and Swiss Chalet sauce is a pretty good deal for $7.50 Canadian. The food isn't exciting but you will get full. I finally got a chance to do Swiss Chalet last summer — yes with someone else. I did feel more Canadian afterward. Someday, I'll do Boston Pizza.

videos credit: companies featured in ads

Ranking food and drink Super Bowl LI ads

We saw some really amazingly clever and emotional Super Bowl LI ads. Too bad most of those ads were for cars (I'm no longer in a job that covers cars) and beer. As for the food and drink ads, most of them were okay. But this wasn't the year for food and drink in Super Bowl ads.

The King's Hawaiian Rolls ad was by far the best of the food ads. The ad built on the existing ad campaign of hiding the rolls because they are so good. The dad has a secret compartment in the kitchen not realizing the kid finds them in the grandfather clock. The ad also mentions the new BBQ sauces that are coming this spring. While mixing more than a message in an ad that costs $5.1 million combined with a future message can cut back on the value, the BBQ sauces mention is growth for the company. Presuming this ad will run for awhile, the BBQ sauces become more relevant in the next few months. Just don't make the Blackberry mistake of promoting a product people couldn't get for awhile.

Snickers has a great campaign and has run memorable Super Bowl ads. This was not one of them. Even if you had sound where you were watching the game, the live ad didn't stand out at all. The Western theme dulled the impact of the candy bar. The dialogue was meant to be jumpy because it was live. The beauty of the ads is that one person is jumpy while everyone else is normal. This ad felt like everyone on the set, including the camera person and the director, was hypoglycemic and needed a candy bar with peanuts.

Avocadoes from Mexico had a decent concept on paper: a secret society that isn't so secret. One of the secrets is that avocadoes have good fat. This ad would have been more relevant if the group had just started the ad campaign. The group has run better ads during the Super Bowl and this was not one of them. The brief Jon Lovitz appearance, which had been teased online, had no purpose yet 30 seconds of Lovitz might have been a better sell.

Super Bowl ad analysis in recent years

2016   2015   2014   2013   2011

Those ads were way better than the attempt for pistachios with an elephant on a treadmill. Did the pistachios make him fall? Promoting the protein advantage for pistachios is a good thing (actual nutrition) though you might have wondered whether the elephant would rather have a Snickers.

The two fast food ads were okay to what the hell. Wendy's used Foreigner's current lead singer Kelly Hansen and the group's updated version of Cold As Ice to pound home the theme that Wendy's fast food burgers are fresh, never frozen. Most millennials (sadly) probably can't tell the difference between that version and the Lou Gramm classic. This would have been a better spot at the beginning of this campaign, but the use of the song drives the point home better than the previous spots.

Analyzing food ads from Super Bowl 50

KFC continues to dilute its brand with the Georgia gold ads. The newest KFC "Colonel" is Billy Zane, who I honestly mistook for Kiefer Sutherland. At least Zane is closer to the Colonel than Rob Riggle, who also appears in the ad. Riggle is the literal opposite of Colonel Sanders' gentile image. As we noted, Jim Gaffigan was the best pick of the actors in the role. But KFC has OCD when it comes to replacing the Colonel, a concept that was funny about the time last year when Gaffigan replaced Norm Macdonald. Meanwhile the signature dishes are ignored for honey mustard barbecue. At least Nashville hot chicken is a thing outside of KFC.

McDonald's had a Super Bowl ad but we only count ads that run from 6:30 pm Eastern to the conclusion of the game. But the campaign has definitely taken the "Big" out of the Big Mac.

The Internet went crazy for the Bai ad with Christopher Walken with Justin Timberlake. I like a subtle Super Bowl ad, and Walken reciting 'N Sync lyrics was pretty hilarious. The ad is much better than the product that doesn't off much of anything. Bai probably isn't bad for you, but there isn't much there there.

I'm not a fan of Lebron James or Sprite, but I loved the non-promotion within a promotion within the ad. James told us he won't say "drink Sprite" even if everything else tells us that message. A beautiful ad that will unfortunately led to more Sprite consumption. I don't drink too many soft drinks but you can do better than Sprite.

What's Tempting: Real treats from childhood

Coca-Cola ran an ad that reinforces its tradition, tying food to the soft drink. I love the message in the ad, even if it belongs to a time 40 years ago when the soft drink taste could back that up. The food is modern, but the Coca-Cola to go with it existed 40 years ago in the United States. I'm fascinated by the use of nostalgia to sell a current product that isn't relevant to the current product. The Little Debbie's campaign leaps to mind where the ad wants you to go back in a non-existent time machine. A good ad for a product you can only get if you buy Coca-Cola in almost any country other than the United States or Canada.

"Fiji water is a gift from nature to us to repay our gift of leaving it completely alone. Bottled at the source, untouched by man. It's Earth's finest water."

This is the content of the Fiji water ad in Super Bowl LI. English teachers and philosophers would have a joyous time breaking down the first sentence. Fiji water clearly isn't left alone since you are drinking the water. So nature is giving us a gift that goes against the spirit of the gift. That doesn't sound like something nature would do to us. Untouched by man is skeptical since man is bottling the water. The people who are drinking bottled water probably feel bad about fresh water reserves or how the people of Flint need bottled water because the state of Michigan made deliberate decisions to give Flint residents water that they couldn't use for drinking or bathing.

Or perhaps the people who can afford Fiji water can afford to not think about these questions.

At least that was an ad for water. I almost missed the Life WTR ad that didn't sell any water.

BalanceofFood.com advertising coverage

Skittles qualifies as food in that you can eat it. The Skittles ad about the lovelorn boy throwing Skittles into an open window was cute and a little over the top. This was the kind ad Skittles should run in a Super Bowl. Skittles will run this ad into the ground and eventually you will be sick of it. But that won't happen for awhile so enjoy.

videos credit: the companies in the ads

Analyzing food ads from Super Bowl 50

Super Bowl ads tend to be almost too creative, and knowing the pressures of Super Bowl 50, would advertisers give us some quality food-related Super Bowl commercials for Super Bowl 50?

We got a new Col. Sanders to promote the new Nashville hot chicken.

Jim Gaffigan replaces Norm Macdonald in the role. While we are partial to Macdonald, despite the unorthodox approach to the character, Gaffigan almost seems perfect for the role.

Gaffigan loves food, especially fast food. He's from Indiana, a state that borders Kentucky. He is a bit pudgy for the role, but then again, Col. Harlan Sanders lived in a time where high-fructose corn syrup didn't exist, and people weren't nearly as fat as they are now.

The voice in the voiceover, which we are assuming is Gaffigan, is as close as anyone has come to the actual Col. Sanders voice. Though this was before even I was born, but my parents used to visit his restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky before there was a Kentucky Fried Chicken. You can find his actual voice in ads on YouTube from decades ago.

The end of the ad implies we might not have seen the last of MacDonald in the role, but am intrigued for what Gaffigan will do as the "Colonel."

Avocados from Mexico takes us into space showing us relics from Earth's past, such as the Rubik's Cube and Scott Baio. However, avocados from Mexico are available year-round. Clever, even if the comparison isn't clear at all. Unlike most food and food-related ads, this ad tells us about the product. Not nearly as good as last year's the first draft ever spot but that one would have been tough to top.

"Without You" by Nilsson is 45 years old, yet is the perfect song as dachshunds in hot dog costumes run toward people in ketchup bottles. Those of us who appreciate that you can't actually put ketchup on a hot dog (hello, Chicago) like the fact that mustard is in the group of ketchups. Especially love the close-up on Simply Heinz, which does not have high-fructose corn syrup. Funny, memorable, and relevant.

The latest Snickers ad features Willem Dafoe as Marilyn Monroe, where the celebrity is out of place. The ad recalls the famous subway grate scene. Eugene Levy gives us a nice cameo at the end of the spot. Not in the range of the Marcia Brady spot, but not too bad.

 

The Taco Bell Quesalupa will be #biggerthaneverything, though in reality, it's a taco with cheese in the shell. A lovely beautiful commercial that even finds time to compare football to real football (soccer). An outstanding ad that if you base it on the product, you'll be disappointed. But that was fun to watch.

 

The Coke Mini ad has many positive and negative points, and often they are the same thing. Using the Incredible Hulk and Ant-Man was a great use of size extremes, but you're also using super heroes to promote sugar water. The Coke Mini is only 7.5 oz., which is more than half of the regular 12 oz. and about 1/3 of the 20 oz. bottles the kids are really drinking.

So the Coke Mini is small, but 6 oz. might be even better. But, of course, that would be a version without high-fructose corn syrup.

An entertaining ad that gives some relevance to the product. And definitely menorable.

Here are the highlights from food and food-related Super Bowl ads from Super Bowl 50:

• Doritos ultrasound paints a picture where a fetus can't resist Doritos so the fetus exits the womb at sonic speed. Doritos ads haven't been good lately and this one was the worst. The 2nd half spot with the dogs is the best in recent memory, though the bar is really low.
• Butterfinger on a cow jumping from a plane. A typical Super Bowl ad: flashy but not memorable beyond the 48-hour incubation period. If this ad runs for the next month, it might improve in your mind.
• Skittles is technically food. Steven Tyler confronts a self-portrait in the Skittles candy. Decent spot, even if Tyler is old enough to be the grandfather of the target Skittles demo.
• Mountain Dew Kickstart found its target demo ultimate in puppy monkey baby. The trio is supposed to reflect Dew juice caffeine, though Dew has caffeine. If you love puppy monkey baby, there is no correlation to the product. If you don't love puppy monkey baby, you are probably at least 30.

Breaking down Canadian food ads from fall 2015 NHL telecasts

Editor's note: The following content is supplied from our sister blog, CanadianCrossing.com, with full and complete permission.

The NHL Center Ice free preview window gives us a peek into Canadian advertising, especially food advertising. So the fine people at CanadianCrossing.com showcase cool Canadian ads and we take the best from the food category.

Wendy's Canada uses sex appeal but in a funny (and creepy) way to sell its Bacon Portobella Mushroom Melt. Somehow a brioche bun becomes sexy.

The theme is a bit silly but cool is that Canadians are not as uptight about sex. And unlike Carl's Jr. in the States that uses models in bikinis to sell burgers, Wendy's Canada is more classy and more fun about selling its burgers.

We should note that the ad above is NOT the actual ad that has been running but is close in theme and words and with the same actors.

Tim Hortons sells donuts and sandwiches. Though like McDonald's in the United States, coffee remains supreme. In this ad, the donut franchise is selling hockey. Still it's cool to see star players act like kind-hearted idiots.

Those "idiots" are Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, NHL stars from Nova Scotia, where the ad was shot.

One of the new breakfast wraps from McDonald's Canada has kale … and feta, 2 ingredients not normally associated with fast food. The wrap also comes with scrambled eggs, presumably from fresh-cracked eggs.

For fast food, the combination is rather healthy. You can decide whether you want to trust McDonald's with kale, but it would be nice to pick up something with kale and walk around eating it.

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• Chicken was a theme for Harvey's, Swiss Chalet, KFC, and A&W. Harvey's talked about 8 million ways to do chicken with different sandwiches and combos of condiments. Swiss Chalet had chickens partying since the restaurant is now offering rotisserie beef as well as chicken. That theme is a variation of cows happy that people were eating Chick-Fil-A in the States.
• A&W was promoting its chubby chicken burger, noting the naturalness of the chicken. "Chubby chicken" is an odd name, but the chicken, when not sold as a burger, is called chubby chicken. You would think people wouldn't be reminded of what can happen when you eat the chicken, i.e., becoming chubby.
• KFC promoted its popcorn chicken poutine bowl, one of 5 fill-up bowls for $5. In the States, we've seen these $5 bowls but the idea of a poutine bowl is a lot more tempting and relevant in Canada.

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videos credit: Wendy's Canada; Tim Hortons

photo credit: McDonald's Canada