Super Bowl entertains as usual

A record 111.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots, 21-17, on Sunday night. But the game's biggest winner wasn't NBC. It wasn't Eli Manning or Tom Coughlin.

Instead Weego, the beer-fetching Bud Light dog, went home luckier than a man with a supermodel for a wife. America's big stage belonged to the advertisers and, without question, the fans.

In a society that has a flare for theatrics, Super Bowl XLVI provided enough glitz and glamour to continue to live up to its massive billing.

The commercials were funny (most of them), or at least a step up from previous years. Madonna, like her or not, put on the second-most entertaining halftime performance since "Wardrobe Malfunction." And, although the product on the field started off a little dry, it managed to fulfill the drama-packed script that every major NFL game seems to follow lately.

The prevailing theme here is that the Super Bowl has become such a gigantic spectacle that it is no longer "just a game." Instead, it has become the single-most entertaining event in the world.

So how did advertisers come out as the night's ultimate winners? Just look at the fallout.

On Monday following the game, articles discussing and debating the best and the worst ads of the night dashed the headlines of media behemoths like the New York Times and USA Today introduced a new "Ad Meter."

Polls were taken on Facebook. If a commercial was good, Twitter exploded. If a commercial was atrocious, Twitter exploded even more. Advertisers don't necessarily care about whether or not their commercial is good. It's about whether or not it their message sticks with you beyond the big game.

Not only were your eyes glued to the screen from the 6:30 kickoff straight through to the game's very last play, but each effective commercial will now be a talking point around the water cooler for days, if not weeks to come.

So which ads stole this year's spotlight?

The much-maligned Clint Eastwood spot by General Motors stands out.

A play off of Eminem's "Imported from Detroit" ad from last year, Eastwood delivered a hard-hitting message with his "It's halftime, America" quip. Aside from the absurd notion that the ad was a ploy for Obama's upcoming campaign, the fallout for the heartfelt ad has generally been well received.

While the Eastwood spot was easily the most moving of the night's ads, there's little doubt the most amusing spots went to the dogs, proving again just why they're man's best friend.

In addition to Bud Light's ingenious spin on their popular slogan "Here we go," Volkswagen tipped the scale in the dogs' favor with its overweight pooch who proceeds to launch himself into a grueling weight-loss regiment.

But on a night that $3.5 million secured advertisers 30 seconds of exposure, the ultimate commercial of this year's Super Bowl was one that required all of $20 to produce.

Created by a freelance graphic designer from Virgina who won Doritos' Crash the Super Bowl contest, the chip company's bribing dog takes the top honors. The short, clever and instantly re-watchable clip solidified Doritos' spot atop all-time Super Bowl commercial brilliance.

Among the night's worst ads? Go Daddy takes that honor, with Cars.com's "confidence" ad and the Jay Leno/Jerry Seinfeld finishing close behind.

Brandon Schlager can be reached by email at schlager.record@live.com.