Underrated Super Bowl Spots: RPA's Jason Sperling Goes For the Mittens

RPA Executive Creative Director Jason Sperling has been a Super Bowl regular, having overseen multiple big game spots for Honda including this year's "Yearbook," which turns back the clock to visit celebrities including Viola Davis, Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Magic Johnson and Jimmy Kimmel when they were in high school. Here, he shares his thoughts on big game moves that won in his book -- even if they may not have claimed the Admeter prize. Check out more underrated ads from big game vets Gerry Graf, Eric Silver and Roger Camp, and find your own in our Super Bowl archive. GoDaddy "The Epic Quit" (2014) It was an over-the-top idea vs. an over-the-top execution, which is why it might have been overshadowed by so many other spots. I loved the stunt and the PR legs that it had, which if you're spending gazillions on the big game, it's nice to milk as much as you can out of it. They created a storyline that started before and continued afterwards. Did it need John Turturro? Probably not. Did it need puppets? Not sure. But I really appreciated the thinking. Coca-Cola "Security Camera" (2013) They didn't try to siphon mini-feelings with a conventional, sappy Super Bowl storyline. They used a much more creative device to prove that there are nice people in this world: security cameras, normally used for criminal purposes, and supposedly real people. Brilliant idea, brilliant execution, and right in line with the Coke brand at the time. Loved it so much more than their cyber-bullying ad a few years later. Hyundai "Dad's Sixth Sense" (2014) There have been a ton of TV ads done around this feature, but none done quite this well. It's a sweet spot that any parent can relate to, it's oh-so-perfectly produced and had there been no "Puppy Love" commercial from Budweiser, it might have been more talked about. JCPenney "Tweeting With Mittens" (2014) It's safe to say that the marketing during the Super Bowl doesn't just play out on TV anymore, and JCPenney's "Tweeting with Mittens" was proof of it. Sure there was the Oreos "Lights Out" tweet, and this came on its opportunistic heels. But this was social media storytelling. This was thunder-stealing. This was risk-taking (drunken social media manager?). This was getting a million dollars of PR for zero dollars. I loved it.

Underrated Super Bowl Spots: RPA's Jason Sperling Goes For the Mittens

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