More anticipated in some households than the actual Super bowl, or even the halftime show, are the interstitial advertising spots that break up the periods of play. No matter your level of engagement with the game or football knowledge, everyone wants to watch the commercials.
In the PVR and on-demand generation of viewing, live-event advertising has become coveted ground. The most sacred and lucrative of which is Super Bowl commercial real estate. So much so that this year, 30-second spots were going for US$5.5 million.
This is the one game that produces both a captive audience and an urge to share reactions, thus creating impressions on social media. This year’s ads had a distinctively positive vibe as the ads that got the most Twitter engagement and reaction were commenting on diversity and equality. The cross-section of commercials were a commentary on our current culture.
So here is the not-so-definitive and totally-open-for-debate list of the best Super Bowl LII commercials.
1. NFL: Touchdown Celebrations to Come
Eli Manning and Odell Beckham practising their TD celebrations by re-enacting the dance sequence from “Dirty Dancing.” Enough said.
2. Avocados From Mexico: #GuacWorld
The well-acted commercial highlights the obvious point that chips with no “guac” is a non-starter. Actor Chris Elliott has a brief cameo in the commercial where Canadian Nigel Downer shows why he is the latest Second City alum turned rising star. The best part of the commercial is the jingle that will certainly get stuck in your head.
3. PepsiCo: DORITOS BLAZE vs. MTN DEW ICE
PepsiCo sister brands Doritos and Mountain Dew collaborated on a spot so both companies could get a better return on investment. If Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman together isn’t good enough, the lip-sync battle to classic hip-hop hits featuring Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliot made this first-half commercial just as entertaining as the action on the field.
4. Amazon: Alexa Loses Her Voice
This 90-second spot made a commentary on how reliant we quickly have become on artificial intelligence and how different the experience would be if celebrities like Rebel Wilson, Cardi B, Anthony Hopkins and Gordon Ramsey were running our lives. Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and CEO, did well in his acting cameo. Not sure if it will help Amazon sell more virtual assistants but it will be the most talked about spot on Monday.
5. Sprint: Evelyn
Artificial intelligence was an ongoing theme throughout the night, as was taking shots at competing brands. This clever Sprint spot did both at the expense of competitor Verizon.
6. Toyota: Good Odds
This feelgood spot features the incredible and improbable journey of eight-time Paralympic gold medallist Lauren Woolstencroft.
7. T-Mobile: #Little Ones
Kerry Washington is the voice of the ad that uses cute babies as a conduit to touch on issues with diversity and gender equity.
8. Universal Orlando Resort: Vacation Quarterback
Peyton Manning once again commands with great comedic timing and self deprecation. Universal isn’t the typical Super Bowl ad buyer and the future Hall Of Fame QB isn’t the obvious pick as a theme park spokesperson but somehow it works.
9. Toyota: Mobility Anthem
The second Toyota commercial shows the importance of movement throughout life. As both a car company and a official Paralympic sponsor, Toyota uses the commercial to pledge to be part of the technological solution to modern-day mobility challenges.
10. Ram Trucks: Built to serve
The voice of Martin Luther King preaching alone will give you chills. This add balanced the right chord of being aspirational without be overly dramatic. However it was not met without controversy. This add was immediately criticized online for using King’s voice from his “drum major instinct” sermon for profit when the original sermon was anti-capitlist. William B. Wachtel, the Drum Major Institute’s co-founder weighed in on the controversy.
11. Diet Coke: Twisted Mango Groove
The Australian TV and film actress Hayley Magnus turned what was intended to be a video for the social media account of Diet Coke and turned out a win for the brands first Super Bowl ad in 21 years.
12. Febreze: The only man whose bleep don’t stink
The name alone should intrigue you to watch. All you need to know is #BleepDontStink was trending before this ad even ran.
13. Tide: It’s a Tide Ad
This ad makes fun of the predictable nature of Super Bowl ads in an unpredictable nature. David Harbour of “Stranger Things” was great in the various Tide spots throughout the night.
14. Ram Trucks: We Will Rock You
In this commercial promoting the all-new Ram 1500, the Icelandic Vikings are making a trip to Minneapolis for the Super Bowl full of bad weather and cultural references.
15. Natural Light
This simple but effective spot effectively reminisces about the best parts of the college experience without mentioning any of the bad stuff like studying and student loans.
16. Quicken Loans: Rocket Mortgage
Keegan-Michael Key stars in this commercial where Quicken Loans demonstrates how life can be made simpler in all aspects, including personal finance.
17. E-Trade: “This is Getting Really Old”
The best first-quarter ad was this E-Trade spot that hilariously depicted what it would be like to get old and continue to work the way you did when you were young.
18. The Perfect Fit: Michelob ULTRA
Chris Pratt stars in the Michelob ULTRA spot that pokes fun at his status as a less-than-A-list celebrity while showing he can be in tip-top shape without abandoning beer from his diet.
19. Verizon: All our thanks
Immediately after Justin Timberlake’s halftime performance, the pop star threw to a touching ad by Verizon surrounding first responders. Instead of taking a shot a rival phone companies like most telecom commercials, Verizon used their first Super Bowl spot since 2011 to highlight the importance of phone service in times of need.
20. Michelob ULTRA: I like beer
The Jurassic World actor is joined by Brooks Koepka, Kelly Slater, and Shalane Flanagan for the second Michelob Super Bowl advert. Again, the idea is to show that active people can remain active in their consumption of beer.
21. Budweiser: Stand By You
Taking a more serious and sombre tone, Anheuser-Busch decided to promote philanthropy for disaster victims. The commercial does come off as a bit self-congratulating. But it is well executed and alerts many people to the fact the Budweiser does do things without profit in mind. It was an accurate reminder of how important disaster relief is as Budweiser has helped provide over 79 million cans of emergency drinking water since 1988. The best part of the ad is Skylar Grey’s rendition of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me”.
22. PETA: Redemption
The Super Bowl ads with social and political messages are always the most controversial. This year was no different as vegan actor James Cormwell stars in a commercial where a meat industry executive is asking for forgiveness in a Catholic confessional.
23. Kia Motors Company: Feel something again
Steven Tyler is summoned to drive a Kia Stinger in order to conjure up nostalgic feelings as the drive takes him to his younger self. The only nostalgic part of the commercial is the great music as Aerosmith’s “Dream On” plays throughout.
24. Jeep: Must go faster
If you grew up loving the Jurassic Park films then this Jeep short starring Jeff Goldblum getting ready for a test drive is for you.
25. Stella Artois: Taps
Water inspired a competing beer company’s ad in a different way. Stella Artois teamed up with nonprofit organization Water.org and its co-founder Matt Damon to raise awareness to the 663 million suffering in the water crisis. According to the company, if one per cent of Super Bowl viewers buy the Stella Artois chalice, Water.org would be able to help 1,000,000 people for five years.
26. Wendy’s: Iceberg
Often times when brands take shots at competitors it is subliminal. Wendy’s used Super Bowl Sunday to go right at McDonald’s even using the golden arches logo so there would be no mistake. Wendy’s made the production choice to use only text subtitles in this add to demonstrate why their burgers are the freshest. Although it likely won’t command a room at a busy and loud Super Bowl party, the ad will have longer shelf life and more engagement on social media.
27. Bud Light: Ye Old
Bud light went with some tried and true Super Bowl themes: medieval times, horses and sarcasm. In a night full of beer commercials this one stood out even though it had nothing to do with the actual product they were trying to sell.
28. Bud Light: The Bud Knight
This is the third instalment of the “dilly dilly” series of medieval inspired Bud light ads is a spoof of the popular “Lord of the Rings” and “Game of Thrones” series except in this incarnation the main knight just wants to get his drink on.
29. Budweiser: Let It Shine
Even though football is America’s game, the Super Bowl spotlight was used to sell hockey in Canada. Budweiser Canada chose to focus its spot on Canada’s game. The fifth anniversary of Budweiser’s red light, was used as rallying cry to convey the emotion of a Canadian hockey fan experiencing the best part of the sport, goal celebrations. Budweiser also created a special fifth anniversary online tribute with Wayne Gretzky alongside hockey greats Paul Henderson, Tessa Bonhomme, Dale Hawerchuck and Geraldine Heaney.
30. Pepsi: This is the Pepsi
Pepsi flexed its muscles to remind viewers of its brand power by demonstrating the breadth of Super Bowl ads it has had over the years all in one 30-second span. Celebrity appearances include Cindy Crawford, Britney Spears, Kyrie Irving’s “Uncle Drew” character, Jeff Gordon and Michael Jackson.
31. Toyota: One Team
Toyota’s third and final Super Bowl ad didn’t fare as well as their other two. In a commercial showcasing diversity the final message of being united as “one team” at a football game and/or cheering for the national Olympic team was convoluted and unclear.
32. Jack in the Box: Jack vs. Martha
Fast-food chains usually opt for humour in their advertising and that was the case for Jack in the Box as it paired its mascot with Martha Stewart. Many were surprised to see Stewart in a Super Bowl ad judging by the #JacksVsMartha conversation on Twitter. The ad is to promote a Banh mi-inspired chicken sandwich offering.
33. Coca-Cola: The Wonder of Us
Looking to align its brand with themes of diversity and inclusion, Coke made this commercial showing the diversity of its product offerings hoping to demonstrate that Coca-Cola is for everyone.
34. Pringles: WOW
Pringles is a rookie in the Super Bowl ad game and it hasn’t yet surpassed rival Doritos in the space. The Kellogg’s brand signed comedian Bill Hader to lead its spots entered around flavour-stacking chips. Only problem is the commercial isn’t overly funny or memorable.
35. Squarespace: Make it
This is the fifth straight year Squarespace is advertising during the Super Bowl. While singing Will Powers’ “Adventures in Success”, Keanu Reeves executes an impressive stunt on a motorcycle for Squarespace but it doesn’t translate into a coherent commercial.
36. Groupon: Who Wouldn’t
“Girls Trip” star Tiffany Haddish is the It Girl in Hollywood right now. It seems everything she touches turns to gold. And she has been unabashed about her love for all things Groupon during press appearances. So much so she’s described in the ad as a “Groupon super user.” All of this made her much anticipated Groupon ad so disappointing as the message of supporting local businesses never came across as funny or authentic in the company’s first Super Bowl ad since 2011.
37. Lexus Vehicles: Black Panther
Chadwick Boseman and Letitia Wright of Marvel’s “Black Panther” play their silver-screen roles for Lexus, to promo the movie due in theatres on Feb. 16. The LS 500 is the car Lexus is promoting in the ad.
38. WeatherTech: American Factory
Not long after Donald Trump emphasized job creation and unemployment numbers during his latest state of the union address, WeatherTech used the Super Bowl platform to underscore that it’s an “all-American” company. Many were quick to point the commercial shows a wall being built beside an American flag.
39. Wix.com
YouTube stars Rhett and Link walk the viewers through the process of building a website on Wix.com. The ad seems misplaced as web help isn’t what most casual fans have an appetite for during a big game.
40. TurboTax
This commercial is so creepy it is uncomfortable to watch. Any messaging was lost as you just wanted it to be over as soon as possible.
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