"Hail: Dogs! Premise: Skechers put a little dog in running shoes. Bud Light gave us a rescue dog ("Weego") trained to serve beers, even rolling out a keg. Budweiser showed a Dalmatian. And, of course, VW had the self-motivated pooch in training.

"Why they work: It is easy to win affection for man's best friend. But these spots in particular made doggedness work, and Bud Light even squeezed in an appeal for rescue dogs."