How effective are Super Bowl ads?

Sure, they're entertaining, but how effective are Super Bowl ads? Everybody claims to watch them, but do Super Bowl commercials really boost sales?

That's the $2.3 million question. And the answer is, "it depends." How well did the company execute their idea? Was there a strategy behind it, or were they just going for laughs? Three of the top ten favorite spots were funny, yes, but does a horse with gas make you want a Budweiser? Does the sight of dentures make you hungry?

The humor in at least two spots did work, but the comedy wasn't maintained all the way through - and making viewers wait till the end for the punch line is risky.

The only solid LOL spot was the Homer Simpson MasterCard commercial. Homer talking back to the "stupid Voice Over Guy" at the end is brilliant. Hats off to the copywriter.

The "Donkey Dream" spot was hilarious and used the famous Clydesdales beautifully. In fact, it was a nice change to see the majestic draft horses without all the harness equipment, and the expressions on their faces after the donkey bray was priceless. Unfortunately, it took nearly 20 seconds to get there, but the bray was genius. Not only was it guaranteed to disrupt any party chatter, the silence after it was perfectly timed, and also sure to draw viewer attention, even in a bar.

Bud can claim victory on another well-cast spot, too: the "Dog Fetch" spot for Bud Light. Not only was the CU product shot appropriate rather than obligatory, it played off an old ad from many years ago of a dog fetching beer. This one got all the details right too, from the monogrammed cooler and powder-blue sweater on Mr. Smarty Pants Dog Owner, all the way down to the pitch-perfect direction and editing. Even the scruffy little dog was perfectly cast.

Other Super Bowl spots that made their points well while managing to entertain were the Lexus "Rotisserie" spot, the Staples Gangster, and the previously-aired Honda spot in which a man supposedly "raised by wolves" needs a Honda Pilot in order to fulfill his raw, outdoor needs. Watching the man chase a stick into the lake was a LOL moment.

The AOL spots by Weiden + Kennedy were good, but didn't have that "breakthrough the party chatter" quality needed for a spot airing during the Superbowl.

Super Bowl duds

Possibly the worst spot in the entire bunch was an overwrought, over-produced epic for Gillette razors, so full of testosterone, it might as well have been for Viagra (or Levitra, or Cialis).

One of the first rules of adverting is not to juxtapose a bad or "negative" image back-to-back with your name/logo. H&R Block violated Advertising 101 in nearly every frame. The idea of using Willie Nelson for tax advice is funny (sort of) but foolish. It associated H&R Block with bad advice and getting in trouble with the IRS. They would have been wiser to save their money and work up a decent strategy for a spot that would run closer to April 15th.

Another loser was the silly "Where's Wallace" spot for Sierra Mist. Once we finally do see the missing bagpipe player, the Marilyn Monroe shot is more creepy than funny, and the CU of his big sweaty face makes us reach for the remote. Only the kid at the end saying, "That's just wrong, Dad," redeems the nausea of the first 25 seconds. Again, unpleasant images hardly make us yearn to drink the product associated with it.

A survey by InsightExpress tells us that half of all Super Bowl viewers are more interested in the commercials than in the game itself. As a result, the Super Bowl continues to be THE venue for launching new products and promoting established brands.

But some marketing and advertising people question how much that interest and awareness translate into sales.

Mark Stevens, author of "Your Marketing Sucks," says Superbowl ads are "millions of dollars worth of nonsense," and believes that many of the most creative ads are a waste of money. The Super Bowl merely "brings the nonsense into national focus."

Without a measurable return on investment, such as an increase in sales, "the only ones benefiting from the ads are the network and the NFL," Stevens said. The companies "may as well throw the money out the window."

Whichever may be true, agencies still try to grab attention, well aware (usually) that people are tuned in to be entertained. "As the Super Bowls evolved over the years, the ads are no longer ads," said Randall Rothenberg, of Booz Allen Hamilton, an international consulting firm in New York.

"It's all about entertainment, and has become a very expensive high risk, potentially high-reward strategy for marketers," said Rothenberg. "A lot of small marketers have shot their wads to buy a single Super Bowl ad."

My ADvice for these guys? Be careful with the sophomore humor, put together a real strategy, and please, before you point that thing at 130 million US viewers, take a little aim before you shoot.