To the general public, tonight’s Super Bowl broadcast is the Oscars of Advertising. Like you, I get as much enjoyment out of those multi-million dollar blips on the screen as I do the actual game.

And Monday morning, I’ll be talking about my favorite ads at the water cooler, too. But my criteria might be a little different from everyone else.

What I’m looking for is ads that have the power to move the needle. Entertainment? Yeah, it gets my interest. Humor? Yeah, I like to laugh. But the real power in an ad is not how entertaining, funny or heart-warming, but how persuasive it is. Does it move me closer to the product or company? At the end of the day, if the ad doesn’t bring you more business, it doesn’t matter what the critics think. Your ads have to persuade people to remember you, use you, believe in you. Anything else is just fluff.

As every year, the beer ads are the heavy favorites, and although entertaining, there has only been one beer ad that ever moved my needle… (See it here)

It isn’t very funny or heart-warming, so-so on the entertaining side, but they make one powerfully compelling point at the end (which they back up with the kind of hard evidence that would make Tom Wanek happy) that sent me running to the local grocer. It’s now my favorite light beer.

I’m curious to know which ads you saw during the Super Bowl that had the power to move your needle. What ads drew you closer to the company or product? I’d be willing to wager that your list and my list will be different from most of the critics’ lists.

Let the game begin!

I’ll post my thoughts later in the week.

-Phil