Super Bowl XL Ad Review: Subdued and Safe
Those of you who have read my Super Bowl ad reviews over the years are accustomed to my using a corporate advocacy lens – highlighting the brands that do the best job of aligning who they are, what they stand for and celebrating the people who make them possible – their employees and customers. This year, a new personal beginning means I am reconceptualizing this post.
I still believe a Super Bowl ad should focus on brand strengthening, building, and introduction. It is not the time to sell product (you have the rest of the year to do that). Rather, tell people who you are – why you exist, what you believe, what you support, and why we should consider you commercially. This is the one time all year when people are naturally attuned to what you have to say. Capitalize on this moment.
That said, I have heard from people over the years about the ads they enjoyed, asking why this ad or that one wasn’t included in my review. As I considered what I wanted to write about this year, I thought about how brands have approached their ads over the years. The ones that use humor or celebrities or take us to social media to continue a conversation. So, I have created a series of “best” awards for this review.
As always, my views are subjective yet grounded in decades of communications research, stakeholder insights, and advocacy campaigns.
My Best in Show is awarded to the ad I believe is the top overall performer in terms of brand expression and stakeholder advocacy.
Lay’s “Last Harvest” echoes last year’s “The Little Farmer” ad about determination and perseverance, this time following the life of a farmer and his daughter as he prepares to retire. The ad shows the ups and downs of growing the potatoes necessary to produce Lay’s chips. This is a love story to the declining practice of passing family farms down to the generation, celebrating with a tagline of “Real potatoes grown by generations of farmers across North America.” This ad is exactly what a Super Bowl ad should be: authentic voice, highlights a key stakeholder, and commitment to that stakeholder.
Honorable mention: Dove “The Game is Ours”
The Best Brand Expression award goes to what I consider the top performer in terms of using its brand voice authentically and tapping into its core brand promise.
Budweiser “American Icons” hits all the right notes for the legendary brewer – iconic Clydesdale and Dalmatian, farmers, and the song "Free Bird." Unlike last year’s “First Delivery” where the Clydesdale must overcome the “too little” label, this year’s version is the protector as it and the eagle grow up together, building upon previous iterations where a Clydesdale nurtures others and helps them grow to be their best. The scene where the Clydesdale leaps the log with the bald eagle's wings seeming to create a Pegasus, framed by a rising sun, is breathtaking. The tagline “Made of America” is one of the most authentic there is.
Honorable mention: Google “New Home”
The Best Stakeholder Advocacy award spotlights the top performer in terms of being a champion or advocate for its stakeholders.
The Dove “The Game is Ours” ad starts by telling people that “One in two girls who quit sports are criticized for their body type” and then “But our joy is louder.” This is a familiar refrain from Dove, continuing messages they have spotlighted in the past two Super Bowls – with “These Legs” last year and 2024’s “Hard Knock Life” advertisement. It ends with the reminder that “Together, we can keep girls playing” and purchases of their products supports their Dove Body Confident Sport program. This is a masterstroke in advocating for its key girls and women stakeholders and the impact we can all have by supporting girls and keeping them in sports.
Honorable mention: Boehringer Ingelheim “Mission: Detect the SOS” and Redfin + Rocket Mortgage “America Needs Neighbors Like You”
For Best Use of Celebrity, I considered the individuals employed and how they related to the brand, asking, “Does this celebrity make sense here?”
Jon Hamm plays the straight man to his saltier co-stars Scarlett Johansson and Bowen Yang (whose entire SNL persona was “salty”) in Ritz Crackers’ “Ritz Island”. This breezy ad was simple in concept and execution, playing to the stars’ strengths while touting the best cracker to pair with pimento cheese, cheese, and other dips.
Honorable mention: Dunkin’ “Good Will Dunkin’” and Squarespace “Unavailable”
In the past few years, we have seen nonprofits begin to advertise in the Super Bowl. The Best Nonprofit Ad recognizes the ad that does the best job connecting the nonprofit with its mission.
The Blue Square Alliance Against Hate “Sticky Note” advertisement is challenging to watch after seeing the teen discover the sticky note on his backpack and realizing that others knew it was there and did nothing. Until another teen uses a Blue Square to cover the hatred and offer his support and allyship. The message is clear – we should all be invested in curbing the rising tide of antisemitism in America – and driven home by the difficult to process fact that “2 in 3 Jewish teens have experienced antisemitism.”
I had intended to bestow a Best Use of Humor award, but none of the ads made me laugh out loud. The funny in a “Is this a real possibility” award goes to Amazon Alexa “New Alexa+” which was creative in addressing ways AI might eliminate us. Similarly, I found the Pepsi “The Choice” ad more cute than funny in its use of a polar bear as a swipe at Coca Cola and the Coldplay kiss cam ending.
How does my list compare to yours? Which ads resonated with you?
