BRIAN:
Wow, Tom Brady was in a lot of ads. I thought the BetMGM commercial was done well, because it listed features (e.g., in-game parlays), was humorous (e.g., Tom Brady as Tim Birdie) and included a call-to-action (e.g., “download the app”). And what better way to introduce a new betting app than during the Super Bowl held in Las Vegas?
Meanwhile, several of the spots seemed to waste the talents of the celebrities in them. In other words, M&Ms, Pringles, Squarespace and the like didn’t seem to maximize their stars or tried too hard to incorporate those stars. On the other hand, BMW and State Farm executed nicely with their use of Christopher Walken and Arnold Schwarzenegger, respectively.
Lastly, what was with Temu showing the same crappy ad over and over again? I still don’t plan on using that shopping app.
JAIMIE:
I found the DunKings commercial quite comical, mostly because of its over-the-top nature and the real-life relationships involved. I particularly enjoyed the banter between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, because sometimes it is really hard to be friends with your friends, but you’d still do anything for them. Plus, it’s always fun to see celebrities poking fun at themselves.
From a branding perspective, Dunkin’ did a great job of showcasing its core offerings, from Jennifer Lopez’s bedazzled iced coffee cup to the donuts on the DunKings banner and in the dialogue. And who could forget those bright orange jumpsuits? For me, the ad did its job and made a memorable impression.
TAYLOR:
Although I’m not a big Beyonce fan, I have to give kudos to Verizon and Ogilvy for putting together a great ad. After the ad was shown, I couldn’t help but think logistically, how much work this took to create. Did Beyonce reach out to different advertising firms, how much creativity did she give and the biggest question of all, did she REALLY break the Internet announcing her new album? Either way, kudos to everyone involved.
ALANNAH:
In my opinion, Hellman’s mayo commercial was one of the most memorable commercials. I’m not even a cat person but having the cat “speak” the word mayo was pretty clever and the addition of Pete Davidson “dating” the cat amidst all of his dating scandals this past year made me laugh. Hellman’s did a great job of creating a light-hearted and entertaining way to promote a normal everyday product.
I also really enjoyed the Kia electric ice-skating commercial. Anyone that has had a close relationship with their grandparents knows what I’m talking about. I thought the commercial did a great job of following a storyline that pulled at the heartstrings without being too product-focused but still memorable.
Honorable mention for the worst commercial: Temu! Temu aired the same commercial (with a more-than-annoying jingle) THREE times during the game, and an additional two times afterward. Keep in mind, a 30-second ad slot was $7 million this year, which means Temu spent more than $20 million to annoy 100 million people. Nice work, Temu.