The Super Bowl is the ultimate showdown of the NFL season, and it’s a party that everyone, from die-hard football fans to casual viewers, tunes into!
Held every first Sunday of February, the Super Bowl is one of the biggest events on TV, attracting a massive audience from all walks of life – approximately 100 million people in the US.
That’s why advertisers are willing to shell out big bucks to air their commercials during the broadcast (Up to $7 million for a 30-second ad spot in 2023)- they know they’ll be reaching a huge, diverse group of people all at once. The high price tag of Super Bowl ads reflects the demand and value they bring. Think increased brand recognition, a captive audience, and a chance to score big on investment. It’s the ultimate advertising opportunity!
With such a big price tag, big players usually can afford it, so they go all out and have star-studded ads that evoke emotion and entertain viewers.
The Super Bowl is known for its traditional format of cable TV commercials, but some brands are experimenting with new creative approaches. Check out some of our favorite Super Bowl ads below.
We hope you are thoroughly entertained and hope it sparks inspiration!
This Super Bowl ad taps into the recognition and nostalgia factor associated with the show, creating an “inside joke” that appeals to many fans familiar with it. It shows off the brand’s creativity and highlights its understanding of popular culture, making it relatable to a broad audience. If you’re a BrBa fan, you’d think it’s tight, tight, tight!
The United States was going through a tough time during the recession, with cities facing decay and people worried about the future. In this context, releasing a new American car brought a glimmer of hope to many. Eminem’s song builds up, which stirs up feelings of anticipation and change. The commercial, which was about Detroit and Chrysler, represented the Midwest Rust Belt cities that were affected by the shuttering of the auto and steel industries. Cities like Detroit have faced tough times but are resilient, and the commercial was a rallying cry for the toughness of the people who call the Midwest their home.
Who is cutting onions? Any video featuring dogs and violin music tugs on our heartstrings. This 2014 Chevy commercial opts to evoke emotion. The message is that Chevrolet is a trustworthy brand, much like a loyal family dog. It makes you think of cherished memories with your pet, and milestones in life, and Chevy is there for you through it all.
Yup, Bryan Cranston graces our list twice.
Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” iconic “Here’s Johnny!” axe-to-door scene is often spoofed, but Cranston shines in this commercial for Mountain Dew. It’s funny and keeps you watching the whole way through. The elevator flood scene and twin in the hallways scenes are totally chef’s kiss!
@khaby.lame Win a chance to be in a TikTok with me! All you have to do is 1) guess how many times "State Farm Stadium" could be mentioned during the Big Game in the comments below and 2) follow @jakefromstatefarm to find out who wins! #statefarmstadiumchallenge Rules: st8.fm/bgrules #Ad ♬ original sound - Khabane lame
Not all brands follow the traditional route of investing in expensive Super Bowl commercials on cable TV.
State Farm, for instance, is taking a more innovative approach by leveraging TikTok for its ad investments. With 67% of Gen Z using TikTok weekly, State Farm launched a promoted challenge featuring TikTok star Khaby Lame and Jake, the State Farm mascot. The challenge invites users to follow Jake and guess the number of times the new State Farm Stadium’s title will be mentioned for a chance to star in the video with Khaby. By tapping into the social media habits of Gen Z, State Farm is making an innovative and cost-effective investment that reaches its target audience where they spend the most time online.
We appreciate that State Farm understood the target audience and their behavior on Super Bowl day and strategized based on that. 43% of viewers tuning into the Super Bowl had been scrolling through various apps at the same time.
“Second-screen multitasking has long been a behavior for Super Bowl viewers. TikTok will be the go-to second screen investment for advertisers this Super Bowl — in part — because that’s now where culture breaks.”
-Kelsey Chickering, Principal Analyst at Forrester
This is a clever way to engage with the younger audience who may not be as familiar with insurance!
Much like the Breaking Bad commercial, which is a universally-loved television series, GM brings back HBO’s classic, The Sopranos. It is basically a reshoot of the iconic intro of the show, featuring Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played the late John Gandolfini’s daughter on the show and is meeting up with Robert Iler, who played her fictional brother.
If you know the show, you’ll know her character wasn’t the best at parking, so it’s a cheeky way to promote that this electric vehicle is easy even for her to maneuver!
Here’s the side-by-side comparison of the Sopranos intro and the Super Bowl ad:
General Motors + Netflix
Big brands like GM and Netflix have joined forces to create bigger-budget commercials. Like the other ads, it taps into Netflix show fandoms people recognize while showcasing GM’s vehicle. Best of both worlds for collaborating brands, as they can share the spotlight and budget for stars.
In 2022, the grocery delivery app, Instacart got creative with TikTok by partnering with influencers to feature their favorite snacks for the Super Bowl in a fun and colorful deck and promoted it:
They also conducted a nationwide survey to learn about people’s food and beverage preferences for watching the Super Bowl. The results of this survey were then used to create fun visuals that showcased the most popular snacks, beverages, and even flavors of chicken wings that Instacart users purchased during Super Bowl week, ranked by state.
This campaign was a genius move by Instacart as it combined fun data, showcased their service offerings, celebrated their customer base, and created hype for the game day!
By combining cute and good-looking CGI animals, a catchy tune everyone knows, and snacks beloved by millions, this commercial checks all the fun boxes.
Cadillac invited Edward Scissorhands alum, Winona Ryder, and Hollywood Golden Boy, Timothée Chalamet, to star in this 2022 commercial. It demonstrates the pain points of having scissors as hands and a-ha! The Cadillac’s self-driving features work hands-free! This Super Bowl ad seamlessly blends nostalgia from a classic film, a product spotlight, and top-notch entertainment.
This star-studded ad featured celebrities from Boston and local city easter eggs. With their charming and purposefully-dramatized Bostonian accent, they show off Hyundai’s remote smart parking assist feature, which allows drivers to move the car into or out of a parking spot using its key fob.
There you have it, our favorite Super Bowl ads.
If you’re interested in our other lists, check out:
Note: This will be a living document, and we’ll continuously update our list.
Good luck and may the best team win! 😉
