The votes have been tallied! In a Super Bowl that saw advertisers showing more skin than usual, it was family-friendly car ad from Volkswagen that was named America’s favorite commercial in the ninth annual SpotBowl national poll.

The Volkswagen spot starred an overweight pooch that sheds some weight so he can chase the new VW. The ad finished just ahead of a Doritos’ fan-made spot featuring a dog who bribes a man to keep quiet about a missing cat. It was Volkswagen’s second consecutive SpotBowl win, after taking the title last year with “Little Darth.”

Other spots generating pregame buzz included Honda’s “Ferris Bueller” remake starring Matthew Broderick, which finished 13th in the poll. Acura’s ad starring Jerry Seinfeld finished seventh, while the E*TRADE baby, perhaps showing his age, finished toward the middle of the pack in 20th place.

Among first-time Super Bowl advertisers, of which there were seven, MetLife won “Rookie of the Year” honors with its fifth place SpotBowl finish. The insurance company’s feel good spot featured Charlie Brown, and included cameos by dozens of other nostalgic cartoon characters.

Finishing in last place was Go Daddy’s “Heaven,” which featured race-car driver Danica Patrick and followed the company’s risqué Super Bowl advertising formula of years past. Go Daddy’s second ad, “Body Paint,” finished second to last.

Almost overnight, nine new ads were released, including Kia’s “Dream Car” (hilarious and awesome), Coca-Cola’s “The Catch” (polar bears), and CareerBuilder’s chimp spot, “Business Trip” (same old, same old). The new spots bring the pre-released ad total to 21, or almost half of the total Super Bowl ad inventory. Check ‘em out below.

E*Trade – “Fatherhood”

Coca-Cola – “The Catch”

Careerbuilder.com – “Business Trip”

Toyota – “Camry Stories”

Chevrolet – “Aliens”

Chevrolet – “Bug Ride”

Chevrolet – “Stunt Anthem”

Kia – “Dream Car”

Lexus – “Beast”

Hyundai – “CPR Car”

Hyundai – “Cheetah”

This year’s ad lineup is no exception, with no fewer than 10 companies offering full-length versions of their ads prior to game time.

ACURA – “Seinfeld vs. Leno”

AUDI – “Vampire Killer”

CHEVROLET – “Happy Grad”

GE – “Power and Beer” and “Louisville”

GO DADDY – “Heaven” and “Body Paint”

SUZUKI – “New Sled”

TOYOTA – “Reinvented”

DORITOS – Two of five “Crash the Super Bowl” finalists

The top vote-getter of the five fan-made spots will appear in the game. Doritos will choose another finalist to also make an appearance. All five finalists can be viewed on the “Crash the Super Bowl” website.

CARS.COM – “Confidence”

The Cars.com spot isn’t available for embedding, but can be viewed on the Cars.com site here.

The pair of 45-second ads shine a spotlight on the hard work of GE employees, and appear to be designed more to fire up internal audiences than to sell whatever it is GE is trying to sell. (Electricity? Giant turbines? Budweiser beer?)

Yes, I said Budweiser beer. The first spot, “Power and Beer,” spends the last 15 seconds talking about how GE “makes the power that makes the beer.” I’m assuming Budweiser somehow pitched in to fund the purchase of this spot. If not, I’d like to tell Budweiser on behalf of General Electric: “You’re welcome.”

The Super Bowl ad lineup includes a roster of national spots – those are the ones that cost $3.5 million each – but it also includes lower-priced ads aired in various regional and local markets. I don’t normally report on local ad buys here on the SpotBowl blog, but a spot airing in Chicago is cool enough to warrant a mention.

The ad (above) comes from FirstBank and instead of pulling out all the stops to capture viewers’ attention, it asks viewers to use the ad time to take a bathroom visit or refill a drink. As reported on BusinessInsider.com, the FirstBank spot proves its seriousness by featuring the FirstBank pitchman “sitting in an armchair, doing mostly nothing.”

According to the article, researchers at the University of Wisconsin (Eau Claire) studies Super Bowl ads from the past 20 years and found that “sexy ads” score 10 percent lower in the “likeability” category compared to more conservative ads.

I’m not sure if that really debunks the “sex sells” myth. After all, the racier ads might be less liked by the masses, but they could end up selling a lot more product among those who prefer a more mature approach. Regardless, it’s definitely something advertisers should consider.

Perhaps GoDaddy should test one of its typical frat boy spots against one featuring puppies and kittens and see which one sells more domain name registrations. Actually, forget it. I think we already know the answer to that one.

According to a Pepsi press release:

“The new ad titled “King’s Court” features Melanie Amaro, THE X FACTOR 2011 winner, singing (her version of Aretha Franklin’s hit “RESPECT”) for multi Grammy-winning music legend Sir Elton John who plays a “king of rock” in the commercial.”

The 45-second spot, which will be trimmed to 30 seconds for the big game, continues the “Coke guy who loves Pepsi” theme from the company’s ongoing Pepsi Max campaign. It also features that lady who used to be on some show in the role of a perky cashier, a performance sure to be overshadowed by Mr. Philbin’s four-second appearance. (Seriously, if anyone can tell me who she is, I’d appreciate it.)

Adweek made an interesting point. The public can follow the Coke bears, who will be watching and reacting to the game and ads on their fancy new website. What will be the bears’ reaction to Pepsi’s ads? I predict one of them will go ape shit and eat an Eskimo. That’s just my guess.

Jerry Seinfeld stars in the spot, which was released in an extended-length version of nearly two minutes. As if that’s not enough, the Soup Nazi makes an appearance that’s sure to have half of America shouting “Soup Nazi!” when he appears on Sunday. And as if that’s not enough, the spot is for the new Acura NSX. Oh, yeah, Jerry Seinfeld just got shown up by a car.

As for the second big name celebrity cameo, it appears at the end, and I won’t spoil it for you. Check out the spot below and prepare to be entertained, especially by the nice, shiny thing in the center of the screen during the first five seconds.

Bridgestone has released a teaser of its Super Bowl ad (above), which will take a hypothetical look at the effects its tire technology might have on the world of sports. I’m not sure how much of the teaser (if any) will appear in the big game spot, but the teaser features NBA star Tim Duncan and Steve Nash, and former NFL stars Deion Sanders and Troy Aikman.

The spot also includes a charity tie-in, which will use an onscreen prompt during the broadcast version of the spot. According to AdAge, “viewers who use Shazam (the smartphone app that can identify songs’ titles and artists) to tag the commercial will earn $1 for one of seven children’s charities. The charities are in contention for a $100,000 donation from Cars.com as part of its Cars Cares program.”

In what is probably the coolest online tie-in I’ve ever seen in a Super Bowl ad, the polar bears will appear online, too, watching and reacting to the game in real time on CokePolarBear.com. They’ll cheer touchdowns, groan about turnovers, and even react to the commercials. In an example suggested by USA Today, “if a sexy ad airs, an adult bear would cover the eyes of a baby bear.”

Also, for the first time in Super Bowl history, Coke has produced two versions of its ad and will decide which one to air, based on which team is winning, just moments before its scheduled time slot. And it the game is tied? According to Coke, “the decision will be made based on the most-recent plays and which is deemed most in need of a Coke.”

The commercial, titled “Catch” will feature two bears watching the game (one with a Giants scarf and one with a Patriots scarf). One bear exists the igloo to join some other polar bear fun and ends up juggling his bottle of Coke before, I’m assuming, one of the bears makes the “Catch.”

I reported yesterday that the Matthew Broderick/Ferris Bueller teaser was “reportedly” for Honda. That was posted a few hours before Honda made it official by coming clean with a two-minute mini movie length version of the Super Bowl spot.

The video (above), parodies several scenes from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” but I have to admit, I was a little disappointed by it. Not sure why. Maybe because Ferris would never take a day off and celebrate it by himself. How lame is that? If they were going to rehash the movie, they should have also brought back Alan Ruck (Ferris’ buddy, Cameron) and Mia Sara (Ferris’ girlfriend, Sloane). Seriously, they’re not doing a damn thing these days and could probably use a paycheck.

If it were up to me, the spot would have gone a little something like this:

• Ferris wakes up and thrusts open the curtains. Cue signature line: “How can I be expected to think about school on a day like today?” (Yes, the same line – Ferris is a teacher now!)

• Ferris showers. He has a soapy Mohawk.

• Ferris goes downstairs. His wife, Sloane, greets him. He says, “Honey, call the office. Your grandmother died again.”

• Cue beauty shots of Honda CR-V. Radio in CR-V plays Yello’s “Oh Yeah” (“Chicka chicka”). Ferris and Sloan navigate some suburban streets.

• Cut to scene of Ferris and Sloane outside a modest home. Ferris honks the horn. The house’s door opens and … it’s Cameron! Cameron jumps in the back of the CR-V. As they drive away, Cameron’s dad’s prized Ferrari is seen in the driveway.

• Montage: Ferris, Sloan and Cameron zoom around Chicago in their CR-V, including scenes similar to the existing Honda ad (sporting event and art museum) but also lunch at Chez Quis (served up by everyone’s favorite maitre d’, Jonathan Schmock)

• Ferris stops to sing “Danke Schoen” on a parade float for the big finale. The gang jumps back into the CR-V and zoom off into the sunset. Cut to awestruck onlookers – it’s Principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) and his secretary (Edie McClurg)! Secretary says: “He’s a righteous dude.” Rooney nods in defeat.

Now seriously, would that have been that hard?

Actually, I guess I can get a little excited about it. At least it’s some kind of monster (and not a werewolf). It all depends whether we’re talking about the lame Twilight kinds of vampires or the classic cool vampires or even the grumpy-but-lovable Grandpa Munster kind.

And then Audi released the spot a little early and it turns out the vampires are the lame Twilight kind … but I ended up loving the ad. Check it out below and you’ll know why.

AFTERTHOUGHT: Are headlights really that much of a selling point that you need to base an entire Super Bowl ad around them? I’ve seen car ads that blabber about how great their headlights are, but I just don’t get it. And they’re probably those annoying, bluish, brighter-than-the-sun LED headlights that make you think there’s a cop behind you when you’re driving at night. I hate those things. If there’s ever a vampire epidemic, though, they might come in handy.

I squealed like a little girl last week when I saw the 10-second teaser above starring Matthew Broderick as a modern day Ferris Bueller in a remake of a scene from the 1986 movie (substitute “school” with “work”).

Once I got over the disappointment that Ferris was selling out, I immediately began speculating what product he was selling out for. Some observers suggested Pepsi because the “2.5.12” font at the end looks vaguely Pepsi-ish. Then came the revelation from auto blog Jalopnik, citing inside sources, that the clip was a teaser for an upcoming Honda Super Bowl ad featuring the CR-V.

Reported Jalopnik:

“The (Honda) source also added that the spot was going to mimic much of the original film, except this time prominently featuring Hondas. The big jump the two valets do in Cameron’s dad’s Ferrari? We hear this time it’s going to be a Honda CR-V.”

The site also claimed Honda hired The Hangover writer/director Todd Phillips to bring the spot to life.

I’m still not sure how I feel about one of the greatest movies of all time being tapped to promote Hondas, but I’m generally excited about it. Let’s just hope it’s better than HomeAway.com’s 2010 National Lampoon’s Vacation embarrassment.

Brands advertising in this year’s game have spent $3.5 million for 30 seconds of air time alone—not to mention the production costs but advertisers aren’t the only ones paying big bucks for the game; the average viewer is expected to spend $63.87 on team merchandise and apparel, food and decorations. That number is up from the $59.33 that viewers spent last year.

In 2011, a record breaking 111 million people tuned in to watch the big game. Considering the heated rematch between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, that record is expected to be broken again this year with an anticipated 173 million viewers. Of these viewers, 63.6 million are expected to attend a Super Bowl party and 35.9 million are planning to host their own.

Most viewers are saying that the game isn’t the best part of the day; they enjoy coming together with friends, devouring foods and getting lost in the general excitement of the day. Nearly three-quarters of those planning to watch the game view the commercials as more entertaining than the game itself. According to The Retail Advertising and Marketing Association’s 2012 Super Bowl Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, the commercials influence consumers’ awareness of brands and the desire to purchase the products they sell.

Let’s face it, part of the fun of Super Bowl commercials is making fun of the celebrities who make fools of themselves in the ads. You have to wonder if companies plan for the ads to be so horribly embarrassing as a way to make them more memorable.

Earlier this week we told you about the best celebrity cameos in Super Bowl history, so now we’ve compiled a list of the worst. Will anyone from this year’s game join the worst of the worst? Time will tell, but Donald Trump (Century 21) is expected to make a strong showing.

JAY LENO for DORITOS (1989)

Leno was a spokesperson for Doritos for several years, and it seems every commercial he appeared in was cheesier than the last. The 1989 Super Bowl ad titled, “Peer Pressure,” in which Leno encouraged viewers to stuff their faces in the bag while telling them, “We’ll make more.” was not funny and actually quite boring.

DAN QUAYLE for LAY’S POTATO CHIPS (1994)

The former vice president is certainly not remembered for his intelligence, and spelling was obviously not his best subject, considering that he misspelled potato on national television. Criticism of the ad revolved around the potato-chip maker aligning with one of the most ridiculed politicians of all time (or maybe that was the intention; to make him look silly). Either way, the spot was a dud.

FRED ASTAIRE for DIRT DEVIL (1997)

Through no fault of his own, the late Fred Astaire was a spokesperson for Dirt Devil in the 1997 Super Bowl ad.  Critics of the ad say it was a terrible example of grave robbery, while poor Astaire didn’t even have the chance to nix to the lame commercial.

KEVIN FEDERLINE for NATIONWIDE (2007)

In the ad, K-Fed dreams he is a wealthy man surrounded by beautiful women only to wake up as a fast-food joint employee. The ad was leaked days before the game, and although it received attention, most people forgot the company behind the spot (Nationwide) and instead remembered it as, the Kevin-Federline-makes-himself-look-like-a-fool ad.

DANICA PATRICK for GODADDY.COM (2010)

The famous race-car driver has created an uproar in the racing community as a successful female driver, but her GoDaddy.com ads have come under fire at times. They are no doubt provocative ads, and Patrick stands out in a male-dominated sport, but maybe she should stick to racing.

This year’s game is no exception, with six first-timers – Dannon, Century 21, Lexus, 2nd Story Software, H&M, and Samsung – going head-to-head to see who’s got what it takes to take home SpotBowl’s coveted Apple Macintosh/Pets.com Memorial Rookie Super Bowl Advertiser of the Year Award.

Admittedly, the five newbies don’t sound like the most exciting bunch but they’re the cards we’ve been dealt, so let’s break this matchup down.

• DANNON YOGURT – Yeah, it’s yogurt during the Super Bowl, but let’s not forget that the game’s 100 million-plus viewers include a lot of thirty- and fortysomething men and women who are watching the game quietly at home while reading the Steve Jobs biography on their Kindle Fire. Plus, the Dannon spot will star John Stamos. That’s kind of good, right?

• CENTURY 21 – The ad will feature Donald Trump, Deion Sanders and Olympic speed-skating gold medalist Apolo Ohno. The trio will demonstrate the company’s new position that its agents are “Smarter. Bolder. Faster.” Donald Trump is pretty much a real life cartoon character, which gives this spot a head start against the rest of the rookie pack.

• LEXUS – It’s hard to get excited about an ad for a car I’ll never be able to afford. Sure, the teaser was pretty cool, but I’m still not too optimistic about this one.

• 2ND STORY SOFTWARE – The “cutting room floor” teasers released on the company’s website feature a child, a mother and a cat reacting to something frightening in their home. It looked kind of cool and fun, but then I remembered that this is an ad for tax preparation software, which means the ominous presence will probably turn out to be a giant stack of receipts or a “really scary” W2 form.

• H&M – David Beckham stars in this spot promoting his line of men’s Bodywear. The teaser images feature Beckham in his underwear, which means this spot will score with the ladies. Good for them. After 46 years of light beer bikini ads and farting horses, the ladies will finally get an ad made just for them.

• SAMSUNG – This spot, for the company’s GALAXY II S smartphone, will be a continuation of the current ad campaign, which pokes fun at Apple fans camped out in front of a store, awaiting the release of the new iPhone. It’s a funny campaign, the only question is, can they make it Super Bowl funny?

PREDICTION – Food brands always do well in the Super Bowl, but I don’t think a yogurt ad will take home the rookie title. Based on the sheer amount of planning that went into it (two years, according to some) and the star power around the “smarter, bolder, faster” theme, I’m giving the edge to Century 21. But it’s not much of an edge, trust me.

There are a lot of newspapers you can go to for your daily download of what’s happening in this crazy world – the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune – but the one I go to is the Sacramento Bee. I kid, although the Bee is among the nation’s best newspapers named after an insect. (I wonder if the editor-in-chief is called the “Queen Bee,” even if the editor is a guy, and I wonder if that makes it hard to convince men to become the paper’s editor-in-chief.)

The Bee staff (is their newsroom called “the beehive?”) recently put together a great article chock full of Super Bowl advertising-related factoids. I enjoyed it, and I’m sure you will, too. (When someone writes a really great article, I wonder if the other Bee reporters say, “Wow, that story is sweeter than honey!”).

Among the article’s many nuggets (stingers?):

• The average 30-second commercial price reached $1 million for the first time in 1995. The $2-million mark was first topped in 2000, and commercial costs reached $3 million for the first time in 2009.
• Commercials viewed during the first quarter tend to be the best remembered and the most liked.
• The second-half kickoff of Super Bowl I had to be replayed because NBC was airing a Winston cigarettes commercial during the original kickoff.
• New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms (Super Bowl XXI, 1987) was the first player to be filmed on the field after a Super Bowl for an “I’m going to Disney World” commercial.