What a game. Swifties can rejoice. The 7th longest game in NFL history proved to be entertaining, yet kind of boring. The drama was saved for the last hour. Thankfully, the ads took us through a first half that had less excitement than a German Opera. And then overtime. More ads and more Taylor and Travis.
One quick observation on the ads is that they were surprisingly void of snack foods. The lone exception being Doritos.
We had an ad for mayo but nothing for avocados?
So, to make up for lost snacks, I’m going to rate the Super Bowl ads in snack food categories. From the crown jewel of the Super Bowl spread to the things that don’t get touched. Play along with me and let’s honor the Super Bowl spread, because the advertisers did not.
Chicken Wings. The rarified air. Greatness is hard to achieve but sometimes we can get close enough to touch it. CeraVe, a skin cream, takes this position. Michael Cera as a pitchman, no one saw that coming. The use of celebrity was perfection. And it wasn’t just the ad, this campaign was surrounded by a robust social campaign that gave all those searching CeraVe or Michael Cera more fun content to discover.
Pizza always makes you feel good. So naturally the emotionally charged feel good ad for Google Pixel lands here. AI is a scary thing but shown in the context of helping someone with a vision impairment was incredibly powerful. The hospital scene had me. Oh no, is his girlfriend ok? Yes, she just had a baby. Great stuff.
Subs. Who loves a 6-foot-long party sub? EVERYONE. For this entry we go to an ad that goes long on celebrities. Dunkin’ nailed it this year. Bringing a winning combo back with J. Lo (Jennifer Lopez) and Ben (Affleck), we now have a few more characters. You know you’re on to something when you can do a callback to the ad you ran last year. Seemed like the celebs embraced the goofiness and created a true standout.
Chips and Dip. The crunch of a potato chip, the savory sour cream based dip. They just go together. It reminds me of Reese’s. Two great things coming together. Finally, a spot that doesn’t require celebrities to get its point across. Caramel, chocolate and peanut butter are fun, and so was this. Loved the grandma slamming down on the coffee table.
Veggie Tray. OK, now we’re getting to the end of the smorgasbord. You need them, but does anyone really want them? They’re forgettable. For me TurboTax falls into the forgettable category. Quinta Brunson was on screen doing taxes with Connie, who felt wooden. Seemed like a waste of time, effort and money. It did have a contest attached to it, so I’m sure it had some engagement, but as a creative piece I felt let down.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Every Super Bowl party has them. And every party has a pile of them after everyone says goodbye. There’s always too many, who eats these things anyone? For me, Temu was the oatmeal raisin cookie. It ran too many times, and who shops at this place? Shop like a billionaire? I don’t know any billionaires but I doubt they shop on Temu.
Jon Laughlin is co-chief creative officer for Laughlin Constable, a branding agency with offices in Milwaukee and Chicago.
