The Super Bowl, the big game, the superb owl… whatever you call it, you can’t deny the sheer impact and influence this game has on Americans everywhere. Time stopped for a brief three hours on Sunday, Febuary 9th when the Chiefs won the coin toss and the kick off begun. I know you weren’t watching for the Kansas Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. No — like a real American patriot you were watching for the commercials, baby.
Superbowl commercials have a huge history of being some of the most impactful ads ever produced. They are priced incredibly high that just 30 seconds of run time costs about $8 million. Obviously, few companies can even afford to be broadcasted live to millions of Americans, so the track list holds lots of big-name corps like Taco Bell, Nike, and Pringles. Each of these companies fight each other to have the most memorable commercial during the many ad breaks that run during the game. They can either take a fun, quirkier route or aim to drive a serious message home to the viewers.
This year’s commercials follow suit with the commercials of the past, with many starring A-list actors that give another identity to the commercial. For example, Jeep collaborated with Harrison Ford to promote their brand. Ford monologued for around two minutes, encouraging viewers to be humble, heroes, and ultimately free. Jeep decided to take a more peaceful and serene vibe with a guitar strumming in the background while Harrison Ford talked directly to the viewer while cracking a few jokes here and there. Around the end of the ad, Harrison Ford got the chance take a swing at Ford, the truck company, saying ”this Jeep makes me happy even if my name is [whispers] Ford”. While it wasn’t the most ground-breaking ad ever produced, I enjoyed the break from the eccentric energy of the game and the little quip at the end.
Moving on, I can’t write an article about the commercial without talking about an ad I’d like to call the freakmercial. I’m talking about that Coffee Mate Cold Foam ad. I’m being so serious, I have no idea why this was green lit. I don’t usually like using this word but I HATED that commercial. Someone at Coffee Mate marketing dumped the budget on shock and disgust value. It has two people, one was sitting on a couch when he was drinking his coffee with the cold foam. Once the guy drinks it, he gets a huge dopamine rush and starts flicking his tongue around. It’s safe to say this commercial was the first and only advertisement to make me stare at it in disgust. At least they were sort of self-aware, because the guy‘s friend was staring at him like we all were. I hate that the commercial did its job and its now permanently ingrained in my brain. Though, I did like the addition of Shania Twain, with the remix of ”’lets go girls’” from ”Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” being turned into ”let’s go tongues”. That sort of made the commercial worth it, I guess.
I do have a few additional commercials I’d like to shout out. The first being the Pringles ad. A man blew into the pringles can, acting as a signal for men’s mustaches to fly to him. While it wasn’t profound or deep, it was incredibly funny and a great callback to the iconic brand logo itself. The next being the Nike’s women sports ad “So Win”, featuring legends like Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Sha’Carri Richardson, and several other prominent figures. The action and highlights were powerful and only heightened by a narrative driven by Doechii herself. It was encapsulating, rebellious, and empowering. Last but not least, Taco Bell featuring Lebron James. I am disappointed that they cut off his iconic “Taco Tuesday!!” battle cry. Although, it was salvaged by his comedic frustration at Taco Bell for “not being in the commercial” even though he absolutely was.
I can go on and on about the fantastic ads this year however, I can only describe them. I would definitely encourage you to check out each of them for yourself! Though maybe you should skip the Coffee Mate one.
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