Super Bowl Commercials 2015: Best Fan, Expert Reaction to Top Ads

Sunday night marked an interesting transition in the battle for Super Bowl commercial supremacy. There were far fewer attempts at over-the-top humor and a lot more thought-provoking spots. Some even bordered on depressing.

Every year is a little bit different because companies are always trying to discover ways to change the game. Many of the marketing teams seemed to move in the same general direction for 2015.

That's not necessarily a negative, but the fact that there were so few standouts suggests it's back to the drawing board for 2016—Super Bowl 50. That said, let's check out some of the commercials that did garner positive reactions on social media.

Bud Light

Nostalgia sells. People loving seeing blasts from the past as part of Super Bowl ads. That's why a guy playing Pac-Man in real life is so much better than a guy running around a random maze, even though the basic concept is the same.

The good thing for Bud Light is that it has established the "Up For Whatever" campaign. It doesn't need to spend too much time showing the product, because most viewers understand. That allows for more time to focus on Pac-Man.

Rob Markman of MTV News wants his chance at the game:

"

That looked fun @budlight where is that Pac-Man game in real life?!? I neeeeeeed that

— Rob Markman (@RobMarkman) February 2, 2015"

Gabe Bock thought it was the best commercial of the group:

Getting a consensus on the best commercial is nearly impossible. It was definitely one of the top contenders, though. As Bock notes, finding yourself in that position would be awesome. Perhaps the game board should travel around the country as a Bud Light promotion.

Esurance

Breaking Bad is still in the Super Bowl ad strike zone, as it went off the air relatively recently. So the return of Bryan Cranston as Walter White, or "Sorta Greg," was a good move by Esurance to garner some attention.

Sometimes, actors are concerned about reprising iconic roles as they look to move forward in their careers. Not Cranston. He plays the character to perfection, even when asked to remold it into a pharmacist.

Adrants was impressed:

Laurie Goldberg pointed out the interesting contrast at play:

Soon, Breaking Bad will enter the middle ground—not recent enough to make a notable splash but not quite ready to hit the previously old-school nostalgia factor. Esurance struck at the right time, and the result was rave reviews from the show's fans.

Budweiser

Budweiser has reached a point where viewers basically know what to expect. The company is still able to produce enough twists and turns to make each spot memorable, though. That's something easier said than done.

This year's production sees the dog get lost before making a remarkable journey home, only to get eyed up by a big, bad wolf. The Clydesdale horses come to the rescue and surely brought tears to many eyes around the nation in the process.

The commercial got a thumbs-up from Adweek:

Sawyer Hartman was among those who got a little emotional:

For a long time now, Budweiser has shown it doesn't always take flash to have success on Super Bowl Sunday. Good storytelling can have the same type of impact. The only question is what Budweiser will do to keep the hot streak alive in 2016.