The 85th Annual Academy Awards aired last night to an estimated 37 million viewers, and while the spotlight mainly fell on the many talented performers, directors and crew members, there were a few TV ads that managed to win their brands some 15 minutes of fame.
Though it’s no Super Bowl, many advertisers found the airing of the Oscars to be a perfect opportunity to kick off new ad campaigns. The average 30-second spot sold for roughly $1.7 million, making the Oscars the second most-expensive advertising opportunity.
So was it worth it? The votes are in, and here are some of the more outstanding commercials of the evening.
Samsung caught viewers’ attention with the creative use of a several-spot narrative and a Tim Burton cameo. The ads, which aired throughout the night, showcased their Galaxy Note tablet and covered a start-up game company that quickly rises to success. A cameo by the two-time Oscar Nominee Tim Burton was no doubt a deliberate technique designed to pull in the star-struck audience that watches the Academy Awards.
Following in a similar vein, Hyundai aired a total of seven spots throughout the evening and utilized the voice of Academy Award-winner Jeff Bridges. The only automotive sponsor of the Oscars for the past decade, Hyundai took the theme of the night to heart with their spot called “Thanks,” in which a voice over by Jeff Bridges thanks all the people responsible for the production of the 2013 Azera.
McDonald’s and Coca-Cola have also earned themselves an honorable mention. The fast-food company charmed its way to our hearts with “Lucky Penny”, which follows a little boy whose bad day suddenly gets brighter when his mom gets a flat tire outside a McDonald’s. While Coca-Cola did not air a new ad during the Oscars, their ad addressing obesity (which originally aired during American Idol) still has people talking—even if they’re still not quite sure how they feel about it.
