It’s that time of year again and no I am not talking about my birthday. I’m talking about Super Bowl. Whilst the majority of Americans sit down with their packet of Doritos, cans of Pepsi, and quesadillas to watch Tom Brady throw a targeted pass into the end zone to be awarded a touchdown (does that make me sound like I know what I’m talking about?), the rest of the world waits for half time performance mishaps and the outrageous advertising.

Companies have been known to spend astronomical amounts of money on advertising production alone with Chrysler rumored to have spent $9 million on its 2014 commercial featuring Eminem. On top of this there is the media spend, which is reportedly a staggering $4.5 million per 30-second block this year.

According to John Marshall at DIGIDAY if you spent the same money elsewhere you could get the following:

• 14 billion Facebook ads, or one ad every second for almost 470 years
• Full advertising coverage on the sports pages of the New York Times for 400 days
• 10 consecutive days of YouTube masthead advertising
• An entire movie

So why do companies spend this type of money? To get our attention…and they do! Here are our favourite advertising campaigns from the 2015 Super Bowl.

T-Mobile – #KimsDataStash
Advertising agency – Publicis Seattle

Yep, this ad features Kim’s butt. I’m still not sure why the entire world is so entranced by Kim’s butt! This ad is great though as it uses humour and a celebrity ambassador to highlight a key point of difference for a company competing in the hugely competitive telecommunications industry. One of the best things about this ad is that the more you dislike Kim Kardashian the more you will love this ad.

Budweiser – Lost Dog
Advertising agency – Anomaly

What else needs to be said about this ad, it is perfect. It is every single lost animal movie ever made combined into one short (very expensive) minute. If you don’t get a little shiver up your spine when you watch it then you don’t deserve that Budweiser. I think the best part about this ad, bar the obvious inclusion of a puppy, is that it follows on from its award winning 2014 Super Bowl commercial. This helps build an ongoing connection to the brand and series. I wonder if the third part of the series will see the puppy having to defeat a dragon in order to regain his birthright under a mountain? Quickly, someone call Peter Jackson.

NoMore.org – No More
Advertising agency – Grey New York

The NFL has had a rough couple of years with domestic violence perpetrated by rogue players and has come under fire for its handling of the cases. This public service announcement is chilling and incredibly effective. There are no actors, it doesn’t try to sell a product, and there isn’t any major branding throughout. It simply uses audio that circulated the Internet a few months back to make one simple point – no more domestic violence! This is simplicity at its best.

Mophie – All-Powerless
Advertising agency – Deutsch LA

There is nothing worse than when your phone battery runs out or you are teetering on sub 5%. What this ad by American mobile phone charger company, Mophie, does so well is highlight the severity of this first world problem. The best thing about this ad is that it has been made for a relatively small company and not by a major multinational brand with endless advertising dollars. The agency, Deutsch LA, identified the key offering and took it to the next level. Unlike some of the other ads that will televise during the game, this one doesn’t use smoke and mirrors to sell some ridiculous brand value.

Michael Hill – We’re for love
Advertising agency – Colenso BBDO

Jewellery is traditionally a gift given as a result of love, love from a partner, love from a parent, love from a friend. This ad, the only one for an Australian company (AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE, OI OI OI), focuses on what people would do for love. The company interviewed 1,200 New Yorkers about love and features 40 responses in the extended edition; the 30-second spot features a handful. This ad ticks all the boxes, it’s simple, effective, and is universal. It is also all about equality as it features a gay couple. I love that we can feature on an international scale and show the world that advertising doesn’t have to be about celebrity ambassadors, cute puppies, and millions of dollars of production costs. Nice one Michael Hill.

Chevrolet – 2015 Colorado 4G LTE Wi-Fi
Advertising agency – McCann Erickson

Who doesn’t like a prank, especially when you are pranking an ENTIRE country on one of its biggest days of the year. Chevrolet has done just that with this excellent ad. They ask the question ‘What would you do if your TV went out?’ to highlight a feature of its new 2015 Colorado, 4G Wi-Fi. Not only is this ad excellent as social media went crazy after it aired, but it is has some perfectly crafted, simple copy. The company had some fun and it has certainly paid off.