After last night’s big game, everyone had a simple question on their mind:
Why didn’t the Seahawks try to just run the ball in from the one-yard line?
Every game is a drama with many actors, and it’s always easy to pin the blame on a single one. But your heart has to go out to Pete Carroll’s team. Thirty-six inches from back-to-back Super Bowl wins! But now everyone is talking about the untimely interception and the legacy of Tom Brady.
This morning, people are also talking about the commercials – the game within the game.
So, just like we did last year, the team at Focus has compiled a list of the most family-friendly ads during last night’s Super Bowl. I was glad to see my hunch last week about a promising change proved to be true: After years of Super Bowl ads promoting a “dim-witted dad” stereotype, this year’s commercials by and large elevated the importance of fathers.
With companies choosing to praise good fathers in their 2015 Super Bowl ads, “Dad” was the real winner of last night’s game.
Here are our picks for the top five family-friendly commercials:
Honorable mention: Always “#LikeaGirl”
I appreciated how this commercial encouraged us to support girls without bashing boys.
Fifth place: McDonald’s “Pay with Lovin’”
This spot has its sweet moments, including customers “paying” for their orders by calling mom to tell her “I love you,” a mom who shares what she loves about her son (“his compassion for others”), and some awkwardly fun dance moves. The highlight comes when families learn they can pay for their meal with “one big family hug” – and we see the face of a little girl with Down syndrome light up with a smile as she hugs her brother and dad.
Fourth place: Jeep “Beautiful Lands”
It’s not often that a Super Bowl commercial makes you pause and thank God for creating a beautiful world for us to live in, but that is exactly what this commercial does with its message that “the world is a gift.” While not explicitly giving God the credit, the viewer is left to acknowledge our Creator for these beautiful lands. Jeep wins extra points for including Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue among its majestic views. Truly “The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” (1 Corinthians 10:26)
Third place: Nissan “With Dad”
It’s tempting for many dads to get so engrossed in their careers they forget their number one job is to be a husband and father. This spot shows how a father whose career requires him to be away from home – the reality for many dads – makes an effort to stay connected to his wife and son back home. That this ad plays against the musical backdrop of the song “Cat’s in the Cradle” makes it all the more powerful.
Second place: Dove “#RealStrength”
The power of dad is simply presented with a montage of children calling out to their fathers in this commercial that will tug at your heartstrings. The spot reminds me how, as children of God, we’re given the privilege to call Him “Abba Father” (Romans 8:15). For us earthly dads, it’s a reminder that we’re to model God’s lovingkindness to our kids during all their stages of life.
First place: Toyota “My Bold Dad”
Beautifully narrated, this commercial shows a dad looking back over the years of raising his daughter. With lines like, “being a dad is much more than being a father” and being a dad is “a choice that says you’ll be there to show them right from wrong by your words and by your actions,” it shows the beauty – and the pain – of fatherhood.
(This ad was the second of two father-related contributions from Toyota this year. I highlighted the other commercial last week.)
“Bravo!” to these companies who chose to appeal to positive values and who contributed to making what is a family event safe for even the littlest eyes.
What do you think about our picks? Which ad has your vote for most family-friendly?
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