Eagles won. Did the rest of us lose? 

Super Bowl LIX is in the books and so are this year’s slate of big-game ads. But unlike the Eagles, none of the ads seemed to be runaway winners. 

For example, Adweek’s engagement index gave the trophy to T-Mobile with RAM and Liquid Death rounding out the top three. The NY Times’ Mike Hale, on the other hand, gave the nod to ChatGPT’s pixelated animation, with Nike’s “So Win” spot and NFL’s “Somebody” close behind. Still, Yahoo’s Jay Busbee and Ian Casselberry lauded Dunkin’s “DunKings 2”, Homes.com’s “What’s legal?”, Instacart’s “We’re Here” and Hellman’s recreation of the infamous “When Harry Met Sally” deli scene. 

But what did our intrepid Reuben Rinkers think, you ask? Here’s some best and worst picks from folks here. The difference between our reviews and the focused efforts of the aforementioned reporters is that we intentionally avoid watching the spots until they air, which means none of us tend to catch all of them through the fog of Super Bowl parties, baby bath times, flipping the laundry, retrieving objects from our dogs’ gnawing clutches, etc. So here goes… 

 

Michelle 

Best: Rocket –“Own the Dream” 

This one had me very emotional. Probably because I’m part of their target audience. But the combination of the images with John Denver’s “Country Road” seems like it could resonate with anyone. The singalong aspect in the stadium was a nice touch – bringing the digital and physical worlds together and extending their time. 

Worst: Totinos – “Chazmo’s Farewell” 

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Totinos, so from an awareness standpoint the ad may be successful, but the humor fell flat for me. 

 

JG 

Best: Pfizer – “Don’t Call it a Comeback”  

It was nice to see an ad with a clear message that didn’t include a ton of brand hype. This was an uplifting spot that put big pharma in a different light, citing Pfizer’s goal of fighting for 8 cancer breakthroughs by 2030. It stood out in a sea of goofy, difficult-to-follow ads. 

Worst: Pringles – “Moustache” 

This one was just odd – and unsettling (especially seeing Andy Reid without facial hair). Using the moustache as a tie to the brand seemed to be out of left field, and the idea of moustaches rescuing the party by bringing Pringles cans was even farther out. 

 

Keith 

Best: Jeep – “Owner’s Manual”; Pfizer – “Don’t Call It a Comeback” 

With Jeep, it’s hard to go wrong with Harrison Ford. And I loved the jabs at Ford and his line at the end… I saw that the Pfizer ad was not popular with some, but you can’t please everyone. And the music was perfect. 

Worst: Bud Light – “Cul-de-Sac Party” 

I was not a fan. Like other spots they’ve done recently, they seem to be trying too hard to fix their image. 

 

Kaylan 

Best: Lays – “The Little Farmer”; Nike – “So Win”; Uber Eats – “Century of Cravings” 

I really enjoyed watching the Lays commercial. I love a sweet commercial… Wahooo! I absolutely love seeing women’s sports empowerment during the Super Bowl! I actually laughed out loud at the Omaha (steaks) part of the Uber Eats commercial! Funny and to the point. 

Worst: Pringles AND Little Caesars – “Mustache” and “Eyebrows” 

Flying facial hair all because of food? EW! I get the premise, but I never like to associate food and hair… gross. 

 

Clint 

Best: Google Gemini – “Dream Job” 

This ad did a good job in humanizing Artificial Intelligence with a heart-warming story. The dad and daughter in the ad were likeable and relatable to their target audience. This commercial was an interesting contrast to the animated techno-artistic ChatGPT ad. 

Worst: Meta/Ray Bans – “Banana” 

Clearly, I am not the target audience for this ad. There are too many global news stories today about tourists callously defiling art and antiquities. The banana-eating stunt was a distraction from the message that Meta can be used to identify art pieces, translate foreign languages and any number of practical purposes.  

 

Eric 

Best: Instacart – “We’re Here”; Nike – “Love, Hurts” 

The stampede of commercial characters (was that puppy monkey baby?) made this fun to watch and delivered solidly on the Instacart proposition. After the game, Nike’s Jalen Hurts ad punctuated the moment perfectly, and I wasn’t even pulling for the Eagles. 

Worst: CoffeeMate – “Let’s Go Tongues”; Mt Dew – “Kiss From a Lime” 

The CoffeeMate ad made me shudder. Then Mt. Dew put Seal’s face on a seal. Apparently, the message they were going for is that Mt. Dew makes you do stupid things, like agree to do a “soda-fied” version of your biggest hit as a seal because your name is Seal. 

 

As you can see, the common theme is there is no common theme. While there were several that delivered a solid, relevant message, nothing stood out across the board. No universal favorite. It does raise the question of how these brands define their target audience and determine whether their big game play hit its mark. 

Any thoughts on your picks for best and worst of the Super Bowl commercials? Let us know what you thought and why.