Image by gpointstudio on Freepik

            Super Bowl LVII was one for the ages. 

            We witnessed an epic showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, with the Chiefs coming out on top. But if you’re anything like me, the real joy of the Super Bowl comes from everything else that goes along with the big game.

            The National Anthem, the Halftime Show, the FOOD and the rest of the fanfare… I love it all. And being in the advertising media industry, watching and analyzing the commercials is a big game in its own right.

            So what went down this year? What were the big overarching themes of the ads we saw?

Celebrities, Celebrities and More Celebrities

            Nothing new here. Brands know that recognizable names and faces are attention-getters. And with a 30-second commercial costing a record-high average of $7 million, according to Forbes, brands wanted to make sure they were getting the most bang for their buck. The commercials were chock full of celebrities, from A-Listers to not so A-Listers. We saw the likes of Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone, Ben Stiller, Steve Martin, Dave Grohl, Paul Rudd, Elton John, Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Serena Williams and the list goes on and on. You can check out all the ads with celebs here.

Make ‘Em Laugh

            Again, humor is a tried and true ad strategy for Super Bowl commercials. It just works. And most of the aforementioned ads with celebrities were humorous in nature. And speaking of nature, one of the funniest commercials was for Busch Light, featuring the “Busch Guy” and Sarah McLachlan. Remember those 00’s ASPCA ads featuring McLachlan’s “Angel” song, making you want to run out and adopt every single sad shelter dog and cat? Yeah, but we’re guessing you would have stopped short at a wolf. 

Nostalgia

            The Busch commercial also kind of ties in with this theme – Nostalgia. Commercials that harken back to a different, perhaps simpler time, hit an emotional chord with many consumers. It’s familiar and comforting and advertisers are betting on that. A couple of spots with major nostalgia factor were the Rakuten ad featuring Alicia Silverstone recreating her iconic Clueless role and the T-Mobile spot featuring John Travolta singing “Summer Nights” with Zach Braff and Donald Faison. 

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

            As perhaps one of the hottest new trends, we saw a lot of brand partnerships during this year’s Super Bowl ads. There were several, but a couple of highlights included Will Ferrell starring in a joint effort between Netflix and General Motors and Paul Rudd appearing as Ant-Man in a collaboration between Heineken and Disney’s Marvel Studios. On CBS Mornings the day after the Super Bowl, Ad Age Editor Jeanine Poggi said she thinks it’s about driving scale. The brands want to get the biggest bang for the hefty bucks they’re spending, so “when you buddy them up, it’s about driving scale and audiences,” Poggi said.

QR Codes

            We first saw QR codes show up during Super Bowl ads last year, with Coinbase’s spot famously causing its app to crash. Fast forward a year later and they were definitely more prominent. Limit Break, a Web3 gaming startup, Avocados from Mexico and The Servant Foundation, who ran the “He Gets Us” Jesus campaign, all used QR codes in their commercials. Why? It was all about engagement.

Fooled Ya

            Let’s talk about that tricky Tubi commercial that had everyone thinking the channel was changing. I was so confused and I’m embarrassed to say it took me way too long to figure out that it wasn’t my dog’s butt sitting on the remote. And I know I wasn’t alone. This genius prank sent households into a frenzy, fooling millions. Reactions went viral on social media, proving that maybe Tubi actually had the most creative strategy of all. They also get bonus points for their other spot with the creepy bunnies tossing people down the rabbit hole. Definitely another “WTF?” moment for me.

            There were definitely some bombs, but all in all, I think brands did a good job keeping their spots entertaining and engaging. My personal favorite of the night was The Farmer’s Dog “Forever” commercial. I’m definitely a sucker for any kind of emotional animal story. 

Let us know your top pick!