Watching the #SuperBowl on Paramount+, I was apparently not privy to quite a few commercials, which is a shame. But of the ones I did see, here are my awards:
|| Best Repeat Performance: Dunkin' - DunKings ||
Playing off last year's Super Bowl spot, where Affleck worked at a Dunkin' & J-Lo showed up, this spot had it all. Celebs. Humor. Branding galore. This is how you go back-to-back.
|| Best Return to Form: Bud Light - Genie ||
This gave me "Whatever, U.S.A." vibes. Just a really fun spot for Bud Light that had the classic feel of their best spots from the past.
|| Best Chuckle: CeraVe: Michael Cera...Ve ||
Using the tried-&-true parody-of-a-luxury-brand formula, the audible chuckle for me came at the end with Michael presenting it to the dermatologists & delivering a couple one-liners in his patented kinda-nervous, deadpan style. Honorable mention to the T-Mobile: Magenta Status Auditions, when Zach Braff says he's willing to go it alone & ditch Donald Faison.
|| Best to Hit Right In The Feels: Kia - Perfect 10 ||
Having worked in automotive advertising, this is a perfect example of selling "how a car makes you feel." And as someone who had an incredibly close relationship with their grandmother, not being able to see her at my wedding felt just like what they showed here. I'd have loved to recreate it for her at home.
|| Best Product Demo: Google - Javier in Frame ||
There aren't many Super Bowl ads that hone in on a product feature, but Google has been very good at these types of ads, & this one is no different. An awesome showcase for how technology can make life more accessible for everyone.
|| Best Use of Celebrity: Verizon - Beyonce Breaks the Internet ||
Since I already gave DunKings an award, I'll give this one to Verizon. A lot of good callbacks to current trends in pop culture (BeyoncAI, BarBey, Beyonce on Twitch(!) etc). If there's one thing they could have done a little better, it was promote the fact she was actually dropping new music, which actually could have broken the internet (it was almost a throwaway line at the end of the spot). Honorable mention goes to BMW with Christopher Walken. I loved that too.
|| Best Why-Is-This-A-Super-Bowl-Spot Spot: Lindt LINDOR: Life is a Ball ||
The spot is...fine? It'll probably run all year. But to kick it off with a $7MM media buy seems real odd.
|| Best We-Just-Threw-Money-At-It Spot: Michelob Ultra - Superior Choice ||
Don't need to have the biggest fútbol star in the world to say much but your brand/product name I guess. Then add in a pinch of the biggest fake fútbol coach in the world & a dash of one of the best QBs to ever play in the NFL (because, you know, Super Bowl), then call it a day?
|| Best Political Message: Biden - Deep State Dark Brandon ||
It's not even a Super Bowl spot. It's a Tweet after the game. S-Tier Social. 10/10. No notes:
https://lnkd.in/gDGqyq5G
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3wThat’s awesome! Congrats Team WDIV!