What worked and what didn’t. And, yes, Taylor Swift does make an appearance.

It’s time for our Around-the-Rink review of our most liked and disliked spots from the big game. Once again, the responses varied widely. There were more attempts at humor. Fewer attempts to shock. Lots and lots of celebrities making fun of themselves.

But what stood out most in our review is what didn’t stand out at all. That is, some notable big spenders seemed to slide through without creating anything worth remembering (looking at you A-B, Kia, Oreo, Miller/Coors).

While there were few that came out as big winners, our crew picked out some spots that we felt deserve attention.

Kaylan

Best: Reese’s – “I actually laughed out loud when I saw this one. It felt like the comic relief between a lot of (in my opinion) sub-par commercials. Also, I think there is a parallel here to how people react to things on social media — to the extreme.”

Honorable Mention: Homes.com — “I love a good multi-part commercial and I think Homes.com was very creative with their commercials. I enjoyed Dan Levy and Heidi Gardner ‘getting the details’ about different neighborhoods showing that Homes.com has indeed ‘done your homework.’”

Worst: Temu — “The exact same bland commercial multiple times during the Super Bowl? Boooooo! This one takes the cake for the worst of the night.”

Clint

Best: Uber Eats  – “I thought the theme was very clever. The ad had star power (Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, David and Victoria Beckham, Jelly Roll, Usher)… Particularly funny was the scene when Jelly Roll couldn’t remove his face tattoos.”

Worst: Temu – “Temu ran the same ad (or what seemed like the same ad) several times. The animation and annoying song had a cookie cutter production feel to it for me.”

Honorable Mention: Google Pixel – “Their Guided Frame ad did a great job of illustrating how technology can stir emotions.”

Grace

Best: Paramount+ – “Loved it because it combined 1990s/2000s nostalgia with “Hey, Arnold,” plus the Creed song which is making rounds on social. I actually LOL’d.”

Worst: Hellman’s – “I didn’t think it was that memorable. I also hate mayo…so this might be biased.😊”

Honorable Mention: Disney+ — “Only because they had a Taylor Swift Easter egg which had me on edge and searching my phone. Thanks, Tay! #AreYouReadyForIt”

JG

Best: State Farm — “It’s hard not to talk about Arnold Schwarzenegger without doing so in your thickest Austrian accent. State Farm ran with it in a hilarious and memorable spot. The satirical action movie theme was definitely entertaining, but more importantly this spot did a great job of reinforcing the State Farm brand. The Danny Devito cameo by was icing on the cake.”

Worst: T-Mobile (Scrubs) — “I recognize that the whole concept here is to be cheesy, but this spot exudes so much cheese it’s hard to take. If I have to actually pay attention to the words of a super-campy song to understand what you’re selling, I’m done. I had to look up the Jennifer Beals cameo to make the connection to the song parody.”

Honorable Mention: Michael and Son — “I’m fascinated by local market Super Bowl ads. Michael and Son, a regional plumbing, electrical and HVAC company is no stranger to advertising during the big game. If you’re going to pay up — even for just a 5 second spot — you better get viewers’ attention.”

(You can view the spot at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2rB3tDUvQw)

Keith

Best: VW — “Volkswagen’s ad was my favorite! Really cool way of looking back and then introducing the new electric bus. And if I’m being honest — I’m a big fan of the Volkswagen brand.”

Worst: Squarespace — “Several ads were strange. The Squarespace ad was a head scratcher. I couldn’t figure who or what it was for until the very end when it shows the logo.”

Eric

Best: BMW — “For pure enjoyment, this spot with Christopher Walken enduring a slew of would-be impersonations made me laugh. I spent the next hour having to make a concerted effort ‘NOT. to tawk. Like. Christopher. WHAW-ken.’ I will admit this could have been an ad for the ‘OG’ anything. And I’m not a BMW person. But it was a bright spot for me in a whole lot of sub-par commercials. ‘It’s CRA-zy!’”

Worst: Starry — “I get it. I’m old and I was not their target. But I can usually pick out who a spot was created for and what they were trying to convey. I can’t even with this.”

Honorable Mention: Lindt, Life’s a ball — “Okay, hear me out. The approach to the spot with the Perry Como tune and camera movement created a strong contrast to the spots around it. Even if it ended up being the same ‘bite-and-swoon’ ad they always do.”

Now what about you? Have any favorite ads from the big game? What stood out and why?