When it comes to Super Bowl Sunday, who turned out the best commercial is almost as newsworthy as who won the game. This year companies forked out a record $200 million for a slice of the Super Bowl advertising pie. With the economy in shambles, consumer confidence at a 30-year low and the GDP shrinking at an alarming rate, these ads need to get a serious bang for their buck. To assess if this year’s batch of commercials did what they needed to do to motivate reluctant consumers, we turn to Behavioral Economist Dan Ariely. He is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and author of Predictably Irrational.

Missed the ads? Watch some highlights here:
• Drink Sobe
• Drink Bud Light
• Buy an Audi
• Go to Cars.com
• Drink Pepsi
• Drink Coke
• Use H&R Block
• Get a job on Careerbuilder.com
• Freak yourself out with Etrade.com