Not only did this year’s Super Bowl Sunday broadcast attract more than 99 million viewers, it also marked the most expensive ad price in NFL history with more than 50 international brands forking out as much as $7 million for a 30-second slot.
From Megan Thee Stallion snacking on Flamin’ Hot Doritos to Lebron James becoming the new face of Crypto.com, the collection of big game ads were packed with celebrities, relied heavily on light humour and did not disappoint.
To cap off the big night, we rewatched all the commercials and are ready to report on our top picks from this year’s game.
Most Nostalgic
General Motors | “Dr.EV-il is Back For Good”
From a banger of a halftime show to Lindsey Lohan trying to sell us gym memberships and a commercial about Barbie’s Dream House, this year’s Super Bowl ads were full of pop culture nostalgia.
While it was tough to narrow this one down, our top pick for the “Most Nostalgic” award goes to General Motors’ electric car commercial featuring Dr. Evil and some of our other favourite Austin Powers characters.
Funniest
Lay’s | “Golden Memories”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJx1xSG_IhY
We couldn’t get enough of Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd’s debut in Lay’s potato chip commercial. Having costarred in a few films together, we cracked up watching the two bond over some special memories while sharing a bag of Lay’s Classic Potato Chips.
Best Message
Google | Real Tone #SeenOnPixel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhUgcYw9cj4
Historically, camera technology hasn’t accurately represented darker skin tones. As part of Google’s commitment to making images more equitable for all, the company partnered with Lizzo to show the world how Google Pixel 6’s new Real Tone technology effectively captures an array of skin tones and textures.
Most Likely to Go Viral
Amazon | “Mind Reader”
Our votes gotta go to the Amazon Alexa “Mind Reader” ad starring real-life celebrity couple Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost. We thought that this commercial, which ranked as the most viewed Super Bowl ad on YouTube the day of the big game, combined humour and celebrity power wonderfully and was really well done.
Best Celebrity Appearance
BMW USA | “Zeus & Hera”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IaY1Ef95cI
People have been comparing Arnold Schwarzenegger to a Greek god for decades and now they’ve got a good excuse to. Our vote for “Best Celebrity Appearance” goes to the BMW electric iX commercial featuring Schwarzenegger and famous actress Salma Hayek.
Most Creative
Squarespace | “Sally Sells Seashells”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDBxO2EzwyI
Business wasn’t going well for Sally until Squarespace’s e-commerce and website services came along.
Inspired by the classic tongue twister ‘Sally sells seashells by the seashore’, the company’s Super Bowl ad starring superstar Zendaya wins our vote for “Most Creative”.