Super Bowl commercials a mixed bag
Some tugged heartstrings or drew a laugh, but others? not so much
Now that the Super Bowl has come and gone and the Kansas City Chiefs nabbed another title, it’s time to talk about the best part of the show: the commercials.
There were definitely some spots that stood out this year.
The commercial for Farmer’s Dog, where a dog and a child grow up together from puppy on up to elderly dog, was the clear winner in the heartstrings category. That was a commercial that brought tears to the most die-hard football fans, tapping into the love we have for our pets – and how hard it is to watch them grow old.
In the cheeky humor category, Ram truck’s “premature electrification” commercial certainly brought the giggles – along with the naughty double-meaning phrasing!
Google was another winner, with its commercial for the Pixel phone fixing photos. This ad was a great use of humor while also showing viewers the capabilities of the phone.
And Disney dug deep on the sentimental value, with a commercial to honor its 100th anniversary this year. This spot was especially fascinating to see just how wide-ranging the Disney family is, from the usual animated fare to the Star Wars and Marvel universes.
Ben Affleck’s role in the Dunkin’ drive-through was also a cute one.
There were, of course, some commercials that just didn’t deliver. Some of the celebrity-packed ads left us scratching our heads, wondering what was going on.
It’s surprising, because Super Bowl ads aren’t cheap. A 30-second spot this year cost as much as $7 million – and that’s just to air it on the Super Bowl. That doesn’t include the costs of producing the ad itself.
Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management graded the commercials, and gave just a handful As: Google Pixel 7, Doritos, Disney, Kia, T-mobile, Uber One, Netflix/gm, Squarespace and Popcorners.
Farmer’s Dog, Ram and Dunkin’ all received Bs. (On these three, we disagree – these were As in our book!)
USA Today’s Ad Meter panelists, meanwhile, ranked the Farmer’s Dog commercial as the top commercial of the night, followed by NFL’S Run with it, Amazon’s Saving Sawyer, Dunkin’s Affleck spot, and Popcorners’ Breaking Good ad.
So, readers, as usual, we want to hear from you. What commercial was the clear winner on Super Bowl Sunday? Share your thoughts – send in a Letter to the Editor at letters@yumasun.com.