If you’re anything like me, you enjoy the Super Bowl for more than just the game and the buffalo chicken dip (although the food is a major highlight). Every year, popular brands continue to pull out all the stops, with ad costs up to $8 million for a 30-second spot. From cameos to collabs, let’s look at some of the standouts that hit the mark – and some that missed the goalpost. Plus, bonus insights from around our office!
WINNERS
Coors Light
If you haven’t been following the “Case of the Mondays” campaign from Coors, you should be! After a recent ad misspelled “refreshment” in ads, newspapers, and even billboards, the company had to work quickly to remedy the mistake and spin it in their favor. They apologized for the mistake and blamed it on a “Case of the Mondays” – setting up the stage perfectly for their upcoming Super Bowl spot.
The ad plays off the day after the game and features a band of sloths partaking in all the things we hate about Mondays. Even by itself, I think the commercial would have been a hit. Cute animals doing human tasks is a recipe for success alone – but as a marketing professional, the backstory of a common workplace mistake turned primetime hit makes it even more rewarding.
Cetaphil
One of the most popularly used tactics this year was the use of celebrity and influencer cameos. While I love a familiar face on screen, some of these partnerships don’t always land for me. So, when I heard that skincare brand Cetaphil was working with Lil Wayne – it’s safe to say I was more than skeptical.
However, I am happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. The ad, titled “We’re all a Lil Sensitive”, was inspired by the rapper’s comments earlier last year after Kendrick Lamar was announced as the halftime performer. A New Orleans native, Lil Wayne took to Instagram to express his disappointment about not being invited to perform in his hometown.
The commercial goes on to show other “sensitive” moments, where Lil Wayne appears and offers various Cetaphil products marketed for sensitive skin. There are also several easter eggs alluding to his next album – making the partnership valuable on both sides.
Uber Eats
This campaign has been a favorite of mine all season, and this extension was no exception. Starring Matthew McConaughey, they harp on the idea that football is just one big conspiracy to make us hungry.
The Super Bowl continuation features McConaughey across several eras, includes endless food and football parallels, and cameos Kevin Bacon, Peyton Manning, Martha Stewart, Charli XCX, and Greta Gerwig. It can be hard to keep coming up with new concepts within a campaign, which is what I really appreciate about this one. Uber Eats had great existing messaging, and they were able to level it up in a way that they hadn’t before for the big game.
LOSERS
Coffee Mate
The brand’s inaugural Super Bowl commercial for their Cold Foam creamer left me wondering what the heck I just watched. I was so distracted by the dancing tongue and the sheer oddity of it all that I barely recognized anything else – including the song, sung by none other than the iconic Shania Twain. In fact, I couldn’t even remember the song afterwards, and I didn’t know it was Shania until reading an article the next day.
I’m all for something different that’s never been done before – and I even enjoy absurd humor from time to time. But the dancing tongue was on a whole other level, and once it left the guy’s mouth entirely, my mind had been fully made up. Thanks Coffee Mate…I won’t forget that one even if I’m trying very hard to wipe it from my brain forever.
Tubi
The commercial opens with a pregnant mother getting an ultrasound, where her baby is revealed to be a little boy who loves Westerns. He is then born with a fleshy cowboy hat as a part of his head, and he grows up getting picked on by kids with different hats and different genre preferences. Eventually, he finds a place where loving Westerns is accepted, and he encourages his former tormentors to embrace what they love rather than fit in with what’s popular.
While the premise of the ad is heartfelt and the wackiness fits with Tubi’s brand, this one was a little much for me. The word “fleshy” as a descriptor is enough to send me running in the other direction, and the matching visual certainly didn’t change my mind. To be fair, it was memorable, and there has been both positive and negative buzz around the concept on social media. However, I can’t say that it draws me towards Tubi as a preferred streaming service.
Hims & Hers
This ad might have been the most disappointing and disturbing of all from a messaging standpoint. It opens with a slew of statistics and strong imagery centered around obesity and the “broken” healthcare system in the U.S. The catch? This telehealth brand is promoting compounded medications similar to weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
The minute-long spot utilizes fear tactics and is a prime example of deceptive marketing, creating the impression that patients can take medical decisions into their own hands without the help of a healthcare professional. While the issues that the ad mentions are very real and true, it’s hard to acknowledge those while promoting products that are likely part of the issue.
NOTABLE MENTIONS FROM OUR OFFICE
Stella Artois
“Our family favorite was the Stella Artois The Other David commercial. We had a genuine laugh from the dialogue between Matt Damon and David Beckham. We are fans of Matt, so it was cool to see him. However, when chatting in the office about what they were selling, I admittedly drew a blank. This is a good reminder that even if the commercial is entertaining, it ultimately needs to reflect the brand enough to produce recall.” – Mike
Pringles and Little Caesar’s
“I noticed a trend with body parts in this year’s ads. Little Caesar’s wacky ad for their Crazy Puffs with Eugene Levy’s eyebrows taking flight was funny. Then, Pringles had their spot with mustaches flying while the Batman theme song played, making it memorable.” – Christina
“The ads for Pringles and Little Caesar’s were strikingly similar – both with celebrity appearances and flying facial hair. While both were entertaining and stuck in my head, I will say that the winner for me is Pringles. When I think of the mustaches, I immediately picture the Pringles man. That being said, the brands did the best thing they could have done for themselves after realizing their concepts were the same. They acknowledged it on social media right after the game – with a joint post captioned ‘What a hair-raising coincidence…should we make it official?’ Check out the post here!” – Anna
Duracell
“The Tom Brady Robot Duracell commercial was great because it gave both his fans and haters something to laugh about. The reference to his Comedy Central roast was a genius tie in, because it made sure that whatever you found funny about Tom Brady, you were reminded. It didn’t exactly encourage anyone to buy Duracell batteries, but hey, having a Super Bowl ad gives your brand a level of credibility in viewer’s eyes that will occupy a space in their mind when they go shopping.” – Tim
If you would like help with marketing, public relations, or advertising, feel free to contact us. We offer a variety of services like digital marketing & analytics, marketing & brand strategy, and more to small and large companies.
