The Tremendous Bowl is a magical time and place for manufacturers. A uncommon and transient three-or-so hour second when folks need to see commercials. Each marketer’s Xanadu.
What defines an excellent Tremendous Bowl advert is clearly subjective, it doesn’t matter what the Advert Meters, and any variety of different measurement tech tells you. Hell, even your own brain might be lying to you. The actual scorecard is exclusive to every model and what it considers the worth of up to $40 million or more in investment around the game.
My standards for a superb Tremendous Bowl advert stays comparatively easy: Is it enjoyable or emotional in a method that’s each entertaining and memorable? A straightforward query to ask, however as every year proves, way more tough to reply.
Earlier than I get into my high 5 checklist, listed here are the honorable mentions.
The espresso wars come to the Tremendous Bowl! I’m a fan of Dunkin’s work with Ben Affleck, created by Artists Fairness Promoting (the advert arm of Affleck and Matt Damon-founded Artists Fairness). This yr’s spot was a humorous tackle the espresso wars, utilizing a part-Warriors, part-Anchorman dynamic to proceed the adventures of the DunKings.
I additionally actually appreciated Starbucks’ “Hello Again,” by Anomaly, which aimed to remind us why we liked the brand within the first place. Nonetheless, the spot might be used as a case research in how essential the appropriate track will be, as a result of this advert wouldn’t hit practically as arduous with out AC/DC’s traditional “Thunderstruck.”
After 27 years, it’s about time we noticed one other Nike business within the Tremendous Bowl. “Hare Jordan” is arguably a Prime 10 all-time Tremendous Bowl business, so getting the swoosh again feels proper. Now in “So Win,” the model used Led Zeppelin and a murderers’ row of feminine superstars to stylishly proceed its swing again to the ultra-competitive perspective Nike was constructed on.
My admiration for what FanDuel has created with “Kick of Destiny” is well-documented, and continues this yr. Whereas the principle occasion isn’t technically an in-game advert—this yr cleverly embedding itself inside the Fox pregame present—it stays one of many best-ever Tremendous Bowl model concepts.
Talking of all-time large sport model concepts, another shout-out to Doritos for bringing back “Crash The Super Bowl” after an eight-year hiatus. The spots had been enjoyable, humorous, and the competition stays a benchmark in fan participation.
And lastly, a shout-out to the manufacturers that determined to go full emosh and truly pulled it off with spectacular outcomes. The NFL’s “Somebody,” Lay’s “Little Farmer,” and Google’s “Dream Job” all struck a pleasant stability for the manufacturers and the second.
OK, now on to my high 5 adverts of the 2025 Tremendous Bowl.
Stella Artois “David & Dave: The Different David”
It’s a premise that might be defined in a single line: David Beckham finds out he has a secret American twin named Dave. That is Artists Fairness Promoting’s first Tremendous Bowl spot for a model that’s not Dunkin’, and right here we have now the corporate’s different co-founder Damon in a starring position.
I spoke to execs on the company for a narrative popping out later this week, and so they instructed me the transient from the model was to shift Stella’s picture within the U.S. as an upscale beer to extra of a top quality on a regular basis beer. Enter Dave Beckham. We’ve seen David pitch for the model loads of occasions, in adverts, on Hot Ones, and past, however right here we get to see a funnier facet of the soccer legend.
Mountain Dew “Kiss From A Lime”
Mountain Dew has long-been one of many extra experimental Tremendous Bowl advertisers. In 2021, it enlisted John Cena to challenge viewers with a contest to be the primary particular person to tweet the right variety of Mountain Dew Main Melon bottles that appeared within the advert for an opportunity to win $1 million. In 2018, it partnered with sibling model Doritos for a surreal rap battle between Peter Dinklange and Morgan Freeman. And naturally, 2016 gifted us the traditional “Puppymonkeybaby.”
This yr the model went all in on the large sport model of unhinged. Seal as a seal? Directed by Taika Waititi, not solely is that this absurdity bullseye according to the soda’s identification on the subject of the Tremendous Bowl, it delivers an on-brand ear-worm care of a 1994 love ballad. What’s to not like? (It’s nonetheless in your head, isn’t it?)
Uber Eats “A Century of Cravings”
Uber Eats made a comparatively late choice in September to fully change its Tremendous Bowl plans—a planning course of that sometimes begins in July. A spot starring Matthew McConaughey, by which he floated a conspiracy principle that the operate of all sports activities is to behave as a catalyst for us to eat extra meals, obtained an excellent response. Might they proceed that within the large sport? Brief reply: yep.
Right here it goes deeper. Not deep like finger-rolling a booger in your Lincoln deep; simply completely different deep. A decade on, The McConaissance remains to be deep in its business period, and right here the Oscar winner retains the streak alive by giving us a historical past lesson of his earlier conspiracy.
It’s a enjoyable instalment of an general celebrity-soaked advert technique that manages to face out, whilst Pringles put up a strong challenge to its multi-celeb method.
“I believe folks now have a clearer understanding of our model and tone as a result of we’re constantly exhibiting up with a really particular kind of spot that’s touchdown a particular kind of humor,” Uber’s head of selling for North America Georgie Jeffreys, told me last week. “Even when the message modifications, the core tenets of our model are the identical.”
Bud Mild “Massive Males on Cul-De-Sac”
Identical to at a bar, it was an in depth name between this and Bud Mild’s blood rival Coors Mild. Each adverts are actually humorous and just about precisely what a lightweight beer advert within the Tremendous Bowl ought to intention for.
What places Bud Mild over the road right here is the way it not solely meets the above standards, however does so with strong model consistency. An excellent large sport advert that doesn’t really feel like a one-off is commonly a uncommon species. This isn’t the primary time we’ve seen Submit hit the sphere for Bud Mild, and the work Gillis has done over the previous yr has fully reinvigorated the model’s character.
Todd Allen, Bud Mild’s senior vice chairman of selling told me that it was a no brainer for the model to maintain the momentum going and proceed to lean into Gillis’ model of humor. “There’s completely no larger stage to ship fun than the Tremendous Bowl, and while you mix a comedic powerhouse like Shane with Bud Mild, I believe we have now a profitable method,” mentioned Allen.
Liquid Demise “Secure For Work”
I discussed the significance of the appropriate track earlier with Starbucks, and right here it applies simply as a lot, however in a very completely different method. As an alternative of counting on a traditional track or new hit banger to faucet into the viewers’s current affinity, Liquid Demise crafted its personal hilarious, pseudo-country jam about consuming on the job.
The cops are consuming, the surgeons are consuming, the pilots are consuming, the courtroom judges, the soccer refs, even the varsity bus drivers are all consuming on the job.
Liquid Demise isn’t any stranger to celebrities. It’s labored with Martha Stewart, Bert Kreischer, Tony Hawk, and extra. However right here, the model shrewdly averted any large names figuring out full nicely it’s precisely the other of what the vast majority of Tremendous Bowl advertisers would do. The sharp distinction between the parade of superstar pitchfolks and this lack of Hollywood star energy, makes the advert stand out for all the appropriate causes.
