Victoria's Secret wins Super Bowl XLII

Adriana Lima warms up for her Victoria's Secret
appearance promoting sales for Valentine's Day which
was broadcast immediately after Super Bowl XLII.
The most compelling of over 50 commercials aired, it
was the strongest, most authentic brand communicator.
Even better than the Clydesdales.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the happy pranksters who typically write Super Bowl commercials were on vacation. This year's crop of spots were authored by minor leaguers. No standouts. No drop dead winners. And no wardrobe malfunctions. Certainly, it was not a toilet bowl (as in years past). But not a victory bowl, either.

As usual, brand messaging took a vacation, replaced by stunts, gags and games. But it's the Super Bowl. It's about entertainment, not marketing. There probably hasn't been a major marketing tour de force on this broadcast since Apple's '1984' epic in, well, 1984, created by Chiat Day's Lee Clow and Steve Hayden for Apple computer.

Popular favorites this year were a big, cosy brand commercial for Budweiser (a Dalmation carriage dog trains a Budweiser Clydesdale for next year's Super Bowl horse team) and an epic for Coca-Cola with Peanuts characters joining a mega-sized Coke bottle, portrayed as balloons over Fifth Avenue, in a Macy's-style parade that only had us thinking about high winds, uncontrollable balloons and falling light poles.

As for the rest, some very funny spots (and some unfunny spots) filled the gaps between the action in a great football game.

Notably, Charles Barkley, personally stunning in a brilliantly scripted and produced spot for ... who? And Will Ferrell, in a typically brilliant Will Ferrell performance ... for who? Otherwise, sometime-model Naomi Campbell with some creepy dancing gekkos, some with flashing diamond teeth, for someone (not Geico). Creepy cavemen (for Geico). A very creepy fang-nashing possum for ... a car? Creepy was a theme this year.

But supermodel Adriana Lima silenced the room, focused men and women, a cooed a soothing, sultry message for people with passions to indulge them in time for Valentine's Day. Check out Victoria's Secret for the real thing. This is what great brands do when they know who they are and what they have to do to connect.

Kudos of the Year to Victoria's Secret and, of course, to Ms. Lima.