BRIAN: I’m a sucker for 80s and 90s nostalgia, and I’m sure advertisers know this about my demographic group. Thus, it should be no surprise that I enjoyed the “Good Will Dunkin'” commercial featuring the likes of George Costanza and Steve Urkel (which reminded me of the Radio Shack commercial about “The 80s called”). I think the ties to the brand could have been stronger, as most of the allotted time was used for cramming in cameos, but at least the spot resonated with me emotionally. I also like Guy Fieri’s commercial for Bosch Power Tools. Here, the message was loud and clear about being any old guy vs. being Guy. Meanwhile, I didn’t like the AI.com ad, because it failed to tell us anything about the brand or what it does. Consequently, there wasn’t a strong incentive to follow the call to action about getting your handle.
JAIMIE: I personally got a kick out of Pepsi’s “The Choice” commercial. The ad features a Coca-Cola-inspired polar bear who has a bit of a crisis when it discovers it prefers Pepsi over Coke and finds itself longing for another taste. Pepsi not only used its competitor’s mascot to promote its brand, but also included a nod to one of the most memorable scandals of 2025–the Coldplay kiss cam incident. The brand combined humor with iconic symbols and moments to make its message stick.
TAYLOR: My favorite ad this year was Liquid IV’s “Take a Look.” Yes, it was weird with singing toilets paired with Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds” song, but I thought it was a memorable way for the brand to get across that they help with hydration. In other words, it was hard to forget, which is kind of the point.
BROOKE: Super Bowl LX featured one of the biggest rivalries. I’m not talking the Patriots and the Seahawks, but rather, Pepsi and Coca-Cola. The classic Coca-Cola polar bear did a blind taste test between the two drinks, and to his surprise, he preferred Pepsi. Later, he sadly gazed into a restaurant window only to see a group of people enjoying his new craving. A fellow polar bear saw his sorrow and brought him the cool refreshment he longed for. However, their little “secret” was soon exposed to the world on a kiss-cam as they happily slurped their new favorite drink: Pepsi. Cheers!
LENA: Pringles’ “Pringleleo” commercial was by far my favorite advertisement during the Super Bowl. It starred Sabrina Carpenter, a pop star known for singing about her struggles with finding the “perfect” man, which made it especially clever that Pringles decided to build her one out of chips. Watching Sabrina and Pringleleo go on a series of romantic dates (can a man made of Pringles really be romantic?) made the ad feel both funny and charming. I haven’t had Pringles in years, but after watching this commercial, I can’t stop thinking about buying some.