The 6 'Worst', or Most-Talked About Super Bowl Commercials This Year

Reactions to Super Bowl commercials this year were as up and down as the ads themselves. So, do advertisers still believe the adage that any press is good press?

Viewers expectations go sky-high for Super Bowl commercials, and with the average Super Bowl 2013 spot costing $3.8 million, advertisers reach for commercials so memorable they stay in viewers’ heads, no matter what they might think of them.

Go Daddy’s Sexy-Meets-Smart Super Bowl Commercial
After the Super Bowl game ended and the world was exposed to domain-hosting company Go Daddy’s 30-second ad “Perfect Match,” which featured supermodel Bar Refaeli and actor Jesse Heiman in a kiss, Go Daddy called its ad campaign a “sensational Super Bowl victory.”

Go Daddy CEO Blake Irving said the company set “all-time Super Bowl Sunday records” for mobile sales, website hosting and new customers.

The company did acknowledge that the ad “polarized viewers,” and that some called it “inappropriate” but that it attracted more than 4 million YouTube views even before the Super Bowl game.

“Our goal with the ‘Perfect Match’ Super Bowl ad was to be memorable and create buzz. In doing so, we used humor to demonstrate our edgy heritage and our technical smarts. That kiss generated a lot of attention and in the process polarized viewers,” said Go Daddy’s Irving in a statement to ABC News. “Many, including me, thought it was awkward and funny, and a few thought it was over-the-top.”

Calvin Klein’s Too Sexy Super Bowl Commercial
Another commercial that likely drew equal amounts of love and hate was Calvin Klein’s ad for its new underwear line for men. The ad was Calvin Klein’s first foray into Super Bowl advertising.

Coca-Cola’s Big Build-Up
While Coca-Cola’s social media strategy and build-up to the Super Bowl seemed stronger than ever — reaching Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr — the end of its commercial, chosen through viewer votes, struggled to live up to the hype.

Gildan’s T-Shirt Message
Apparel manufacturer Gildan used humor in its first Super Bowl ad to try to become your “favorite T-shirt” in its commercial “Getaway.” The ad was so off strategy it was forgettable.

MiO Fit and Tracy Morgan
It’s hard to imagine anything more entertaining than comedian Tracy Morgan in a Super Bowl commercial. Unfortunately for MiO, the ad started off well but then fizzled like sparklers as he launched up into the air.

Beck’s Sapphire in Smooth Psychedelic Spot
Sure, the Super Bowl commercial for Beck’s Sapphire German beer included a great throwback to 1996’s “No Diggity,” originally sung by the R&B group Blackstreet. The ad was confusing when you see an animated fish singing the lyrics while swimming around the bottle in mid air.