Super brands: Who struck gold and who struck out on sport’s big day?

JEEP is under fire for an ad showing a Muslim woman in a headscarf and Nationwide was criticised for one on dying kids. What’s OK on sport’s big day?

THE Super Bowl is over, and all that’s left is to pick over the winners and losers.

Not victorious New England and disappointed Seattle, but those in the real competition: the battle of the brands.

The ads screened during the match were as eagerly anticipated as the game, with companies spending millions on production and those precious slots. Most were debuted in full or as a teaser shortly before the event, to ramp up the excitment.

And this year’s commercials have caused plenty of controversy.

Worst thing I have ever seen #Nationwide.

— Ann Killion (@annkillion) February 2, 2015

That commercial took a very sudden and depressing turn. #NationWide

— Matt Bragg (@Axialmatt) February 2, 2015

#Nationwide should be ashamed of themselves

— Pamela Geller (@PamelaGeller) February 2, 2015

Happy Groundhog Day! 6 more weeks of winter. Punxsutawney Phil woke up & saw his shadow. Either that, or he saw that Nationwide commercial.

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) February 2, 2015

Insurance firm Nationwide was attacked for screening an advert about children dying. The 45-second ad features a boy who is about to die in an accident saying: “I’ll never learn to ride a bike, or get cooties, I’ll never learn to fly, or travel the world with my best friend and I’ll never get married.” The commercial ends with shots of chemicals under a sink, a television shattered on the floor and an overflowing bathtub.

Many viewers thought the ad jarred with the celebratory atmosphere of the day, calling it morbid, depressing and simply a bad idea.

Nationwide defended the advert with a statement that said: “The sole purpose of this message was to start a conversation, not sell insurance. We want to build awareness of an issue that is near and dear to all of us — the safety and well being of our children. We knew the ad would spur a variety of reactions.”

Nationwide wasn’t the only brand to come under fire for its Super Bowl ad.

Jeep was criticised for airing a 90-second commercial showing Muslim woman wearing a headscarf, backed by an American folk song. The ad shows landscapes around the US, followed by scenes from across the world, to the strains of This Land Is Your Land.

Conservative Americans reacted with incredulity, tweeting that Jeep had glossed over “Muslim savages beheading innocent people”. Others questioned the choice to use a woman in a hijab over, for example, Israeli Jews, accusing Jeep of praising a religion in which women are repressed.

Some viewers loved the ad for promoting inclusivity and acceptance, but there was further criticism from those who saw it as no more than a cynical marketing exercise by a multinational, gas-guzzling corporation.

You better not drive that #jeep in the Arab Muslim countries. They will chop your head off

— Not Bruton Smith (@NotBrutonSmith) February 2, 2015

@Jeep; why could you show Arab Muslims, but not Israeli Jews? In most Arab countries, women aren't allowed to drive!

— Lady4Yeshua (@Lady4Yeshua) February 2, 2015

So Jeep did an ad that had a Muslim woman and ppl are mad? Ok, I'm mad too! Bc why does that Muslim lady hate the environment? #GreenDeen

— Hind Makki (@HindMakki) February 2, 2015

I like to think Jeep is honoring inclusive impulses, but honestly? The Muslim American community has a crap ton of money. #smartmarketing

— Jennifer Zobair (@jazobair) February 2, 2015

The automotive industry was the most represented in terms of commercial airtime, with BMW scoring 83,000 mentions for an ad featuring hilarious old footage of journalists Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel trying to work out “What is Internet?” back in 1994.

McDonald’s won the game of tweets, however, receiving 320,000 mentions during the Super Bowl after spending $12 million on a minute-long slot — 27 per cent of all references to brands, according to TweetCounter figures.

Perhaps the most inventive Super Bowl ad was Jeff Bridges’ Sleeping Tapes commercial, which pushed the envelope by inviting you to visit The Dude’s conceptual website, DreamingWithJeff.com.

Esurance scored points for a funny ad showing Breaking Bad’s Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, undercover in a pharmacy. Liam Neeson also showed his comedy talents in an ad for Clash of Clans, while Budweiser did its usual ridiculously cute animal routine with Lost Dog.

Richard Kosinski, US president of video tech firm Unruly, told Time magazine that ads evoking happiness or warmth typically do better than comic ones, since it’s harder to write jokes everyone finds funny.

Ads that let viewers share a passion or a tip about a service or item spread fastest, he said, with a 2011 Volkswagen commercial featuring a mini Darth Vader being the most-shared Super Bowl ad of all time.

Nationwide almost managed to redeem itself with its “Invisible Mindy Kaling” ad, in which The Office star tries to kiss Matt Damon — but it wasn’t enough to make up for the dead kid.