Super Bowl commercials: Bryan Cranston stars in Mountain Dew ad

There are a number of memorable ads this Super Bowl Sunday, and over the course of the big game, consider CarterMatt your source for some of the best! We’re going to be presenting you with ways to watch/re-watch the ads, plus also our verdict on whether or not some of them are effective at their intended goal. Sure, they want to be funny and buzzworthy, but shouldn’t they also sell the product?

For the sake of this article, we’re presenting a brand new Mountain Dew Zero Sugar spot starring none other than Bryan Cranston and Tracee Ellis Ross. It’s meant to be a play on the classic horror slasher movie, and it’s also one that showcases exactly what the product is trying to do to appeal to sugar-conscious consumers.

The pitch – Cranston travels through a home in creepy fashion, with Ross’ character thinking that something terrible is going to happen to her before she is eventually handed a bottle of the new Mountain Dew Zero Sugar. It’s a short ad with a pretty simple ending to it.

What Works – We do think the Cranston is an incredible lead, and because of Breaking Bad we know that there are a lot of people who are used to seeing him play some sort of super-creepy character. He does this extremely well, and the show benefits from him and Ross both. Also, bonus points to the commercial for making sure that the product is front and center without it feeling too overdone.

What Doesn’t – Why was Ross’ character hiding in the first place if Cranston’s character was just singing the virtues of Mountain Dew? What made him so desperate to hand him over? Will Mountain Dew consumers really be interested in a low-sugar version of the drink? We have many questions. (Admittedly, we’re a devoted Dew drinker who recognizes that the soda’s not exactly health-conscious. We’ve never really considered a diet option.)

Overall Verdict – We do think that this is a fun commercial that is memorable — but we think the payoff doesn’t live up to much of the hype. It’s a great ad to watch during the big game and Cranston helps, but are people really going to be checking this out after the fact? Grade: B-.

Want more Super Bowl commercials?

Then head over to the link here! Meanwhile, be sure to share what you think about this ad in the comments!