Who Will Win the Big Game?

Sunday is advertising’s (and football’s) biggest day, and the folks over at GSD&M have created a way to win even if your favorite team isn’t playing. Fantasy Brands is a web bracket for commercials instead of sports teams: participants choose their favorite brand from each category - automotive, food and drink, wildcard, rookies and veterans - with a $100 million ad buy cap. Earn points based on how your brands do on social media and check the leaderboard on Monday to see how your team fared. With the advertising world on fire with teasers and speculation about the cost of each slot, Fantasy Brands is a great way to put your ad acumen to the test.

Below are Texas AdGrad’s top choices for each category.

Automotive:

Toyota - Although Hyundai’s spot is charming and heartwarming, we have to go with Toyota. The combination of the Muppets and Terry Crews’ pectoral percussion in a wild rumpus of a spot will entertain football fans and their kids alike.

Food and Drink:

Wonderful Pistachios - Truthfully this choice was made to keep me under the $100 MM mark, but the decision to drop of-the-moment celebrities (Oppa Psy, for example) for tried-and-true funnyman (with a loyal fan base) Stephen Colbert was a good one.

Wildcard:

Axe - No question here, Axe has a winner on their hands. The traditionally tawdry brand is going for a more nuanced spot, trading the power of sex for the power of true love. The 60-second version of the spot has already garnered over 3.5 million views on YouTube and is sure to be a (refreshing) big hit on Sunday.

Rookies:

Jaguar - Jaguar’s British Villains campaign is sexy, powerful and intriguing - everything a great luxury car should be. Given how obsessed America is with British bad boys, this campaign is a winner.

Sign up on Fantasy Brands and be sure to let us know your favorite commercials - tweet #AdGradBowl with your predictions!