Annually, the Super Bowl cultivates millions of enthusiastic Americans to stream the biggest sports event of broadcast television. On Feb. 11, those viewers gathered around the TV with family and friends entranced by the game and invested in either the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Francisco 49ers. However, others only cared to look toward the screen during the arguably disruptive commercial breaks.
Consistently attracting millions in viewership, the Super Bowl has become a massive platform for companies to advertise. Due to the competitive nature of acquiring these commercial slots, companies are more eager than ever to produce advertisements that leave the viewer talking and thinking about their product to produce revenue. “[Super Bowl ads] made it more fun to watch because even when the game isn’t going on, you still have entertainment and it’s something you can laugh about with your friends,” sophomore Megan Lomotan said.
Oreo was successful in advertising this year, opting for a commercial short and sweet, showcasing that the popular cookies are more than a tasty treat. The commercial was themed around Oreos helping people make influential decisions by “twisting on it” and making a choice based on which side of the cookie the cream stuck to when pulled apart. The ad displayed witnesses “twisting” to decide whether or not to report a UFO sighting, and the guards of ancient Troy “twisting” to decide whether or not to let in the Trojan horse, alluding to the prevalent Greek myth. The advertisement also featured Kris Kardashian in 2007 twisting an Oreo that prompted her to agree to the well-known reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
Google released an ad emphasizing the company’s dedication to accessibility. The ad featured a blind man using the “guided frame” feature in pixel phones to assist him in taking pictures of important moments in his life such as moving into a new house and the birth of his child.
Don’t forget Uber Eats! In the food delivery service’s advertisement, “Friends” star Jennifer Aniston explains to an acting production worker on set who forgot that you can use UberEats to order anything, “In order to remember something, you’ve got to forget something else.” The idea was to convey that UberEats deserves to take up some capacity of your memory despite the consequence of forgetting other, allegedly less important things. The ad later comprises famous figures’ failure to recall integral things including Aniston forgetting her castmate David Schwimmer, and David and Victoria Beckham, accidentally referring to ‘90s girl group, The Spice Girls as “the cinnamon sisters, paprika girls and the basil babes.”
The commercial originally featured a man having an allergic reaction to peanut butter, revealing he forgot that the primary ingredient was peanuts. Viewers were quick to address the dangerous realities of living with serious allergies should not be laughed upon by this joke, so by the time the commercial aired during the Superbowl, that segment was taken out.
In Dunkin’s Super Bowl ad, actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon alongside former NFL Quarterback Tom Brady banded together as the DunKings to embarrass Jennifer Lopez. “My favorite Superbowl commercial was Dunkin Donuts, the DunKings commercial. It was my favorite because there were a lot of famous people in it [and] it made it more fun to watch when I knew the people in it,” Lomotan said.
The BMW ad promoted the M60 electric sedan and featured prominent actor Christopher Walker’s iconic voice through those surrounding him imitating it. Prebiotic soda brand Poppi focuses on its mission to re-invent soda to a healthier beverage and Dove’s ad called attention to the fact that 45% of girls quit sports by age 14, attributing it to low body confidence.
An ad by the NFL presented a young, aspiring football player’s expedition from playing in a crowded Ghanaian center alongside imaginary NFL players to his accidental arrival at the NFL international training program to claim a lost football. In a Verizon ad, Grammy winner Beyoncé tried to break the internet through Bar-Bey and running for BOTUS (Beyoncé of the US), but was ultimately unsuccessful due to Verizon’s internet, causing her to announce that she will be releasing new music.
The allotment of Super Bowl commercial time is a crucial way for businesses and companies to advertise their products in a memorable way. As seen in this year’s ads, the use of comedy, surprise, and creativity to stir emotion was what created an effective advertisement.
