Every year, companies shell out millions of dollars to show advertisements to the millions who watch the Super Bowl. Last year’s Super Bowl set a record of 115 million average viewers, and future viewership of the AFC-NFC showdown is expected to increase. These viewers (over a third of the population of the US) spent nearly $73,000 on “goods and services” in 2022, representing a total consumer market of over eight trillion dollars. To reach that market, it is no wonder companies will spend 50 million dollars on advertising campaigns across the world. Some of these advertisements are rather ‘cringy’, while others were incredible. Here are the best and worst ads of Super Bowl LVIII:
The Best
Note: These “best” ads are not in order within their category.
Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS)
This ad had the best message of all, and bringing in a celebrated friend of one of the best civil rights activists ever adds to its power. Well-played and beautifully executed.
Kia
Kia titled this commercial “Perfect 10” – although it might deserve a 9.5 instead. In the ad, a (nearly-professional) teen figure skater performs in front of her unwell grandfather. This ad is touching and beautifully done, but doesn’t directly mention the product – a potential flaw.
Google Pixel
Google’s accessibility technology showcased in this ad is incredible. The ad does not try too hard to advertise the phone, but rather follows what seems to be a lifetime for a person with a vision disability. Well-shot and beautifully executed – the ad itself was led by a blind director.
Verizon
This may have been my favorite ad of all. Beyoncé continuously attempts to break “the internet”, but she cannot break Verizon – perhaps a subtle shot at other providers. The scenes involved are rather impractical but that merely adds to the appeal of the commercial, and the Beyoncé-Tony Hale duo is perfect.
NFL
This ad had every component necessary to be one of the great ones: a fantastic message, a slight rebellion story, an imaginary performance from football greats, and ends with a great capstone: the main character gets to play football with people who understand him. For a child, the Ghanaian boy’s acting is incredible, and the ending is touching.
Mountain Dew
Aubrey Plaza stars in different scenes to dryly show how, with MTN DEW Baja Blast, she can have a blast anywhere. Predictable, but all ads benefit from who MTN DEW calls “America’s Sweetheart”.
Microsoft Copilot
For a chatbot that only got image capabilities recently, Microsoft relied heavily on Copilot’s DALL-E 3 features in this ad. Slightly mysterious cinematic style but inspiring nonetheless, and showcases a powerful product.
DoorDash
Starts out as a typical TV ad, but breaks the format to become interesting. The voiceover is humorous (despite being monotone), and the animation of the commercial adds to the entertainment. There is an almost ascertainable “beat” – the announcer sounds like someone sharing, perhaps, the side effects of a new treatment. Entertaining audio-wise.
Pfizer
This was not really an advertisement, but rather a celebratory movie – one with a fantastic message and soundtrack. The animation was good but not great, but the variety in the ad made it entertaining, as did the music to animation matchup. The singing tardigrade was a nice touch as well.
The “Just OK” section
Note: These ads are also not in order.
BetMGM
If star power could fuel rockets, NASA would want this ad. Vince Vaughn, Wayne Gretzky, and Tom Brady team up to create a repetitive, interesting, and fun commercial – but the product itself? Very little info. This ad cost $50 million to produce and run – and would have been more dynamic, as well as millions cheaper, as a 30-second piece.
Temu
Temu, the shopping giant owned by Chinese metaconglomerate PDD, played this ad four times in the Super Bowl. Catchy jingle and fun storylines in the animation, but every item having a price tag makes the world seem like a SouthWest Airlines fake bar.
Booking.com
This ad again benefits from star power, with Tina Fey and a Glenn Close cameo. The banter between the actresses is fantastic, the scenery is entertaining, but (after seeing the full version), this ad seems cut off – some parts do not tie together.
E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley
Nice, subtle product advertising and a fun story line, but this ad makes it hard to get over the fact that the baby’s mouths are not moving in sync with what they are saying. The game of pickleball itself is also hard to follow, but the humor in this ad is there.
Dunkin
This ad may have more stars than the Milky Way Galaxy – but cameos can’t save a good idea. Dunkin’ may be such a famous brand that it needs no direct product advertisement, but the socially awkward feeling of this ad is hard to get over. JLo brings it back at the end with a flippant comment, but this ad is still not as good as it could be.
State Farm
Like a good neighbor, this ad will be there. Schwarzenegger is a great actor and the ad has an amusing concept with the behind-the-scenes look, but making fun of Arnold’s accent quickly gets old.
Dove
A great ad with a great point, but the beginning of the ad seems too flippant for the message it conveys.
Uber Eats
A great advertising tagline which benefits from the presence of David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, USHER, the Beckhams, and Jelly Roll. Jelly Roll’s acting might be the best of all (or at least the funniest). This ad still felt like it was missing greater substance, but was close to “The Best”.
TurboTax
A well-produced ad with a fun ending, the Super Bowl File commercial benefits from star Quinta Brunson’s presence but seems to lack a reason for watching. TurboTax may have accurate taxes… but can it make them interesting?
The Worst
CrowdStrike
This ad was fun but horrible – the wild west invokes the exact opposite atmosphere a tech company aims to convey. CrowdStrike is not a physical platform, and should not have been portrayed as one.
Pluto TV
In an echo of Jeep’s ad last year, Pluto TV attempted to make their TV seem like a homegrown, family company. They failed, and the “potatoes” looked… weird.
Reese’s
This ad is everything that is wrong with the media today: senseless destruction and violence, unrealistic reconstruction, and lack of a point.
He Gets Us, LLC
This ad seemed to forget the second, “but you should love your neighbor” part. Instead, it just associated negative descriptions with photos of people who appeared to be enduring hard times – no “what if” situation, nor how people could do better.
