Super Bowl 2024: Ad Recap

As a certified Ad-Head™️, the Super Bowl is my… well… Super Bowl. The edgy campaign concepts. The surprise celeb sightings. The endearing, emotional brand plays. I love it all. So you won’t be surprised to learn that I have a lot of thoughts & feelings about tonight.

I took some notes on the ads that made the biggest impression (lol, CPM joke) on me and am sharing them in this super informal EOB. Presented below is a gentle snorkel through what we witnessed during the game.

Let’s get into it. 🤿 

• This year was the first in a while where I saw very few “Big Game” or “Superb Owl” jokes from brands that couldn’t (or didn’t) buy spots. Instead, there were many, many, many jokes about and references to “Taylor Swift’s boyfriend’s game.”

• Some major themes for ads that did actually air tonight were:

  • “Celebrity stuffing” aka putting as many famous faces in your 15-second spot as possible (BMW, T-Mobile, Oreos, Homes.com)

  • My Unexpected Tom Brady theory™️ (Dunkin Donuts, Bet MGM)

  • Aliens (Squarespace, Apartments.com, Planet of the Apes)

• T-Mobile’s celebrity audition tape spot was a nugget of a good idea that just wasn’t fully developed. Did we see something similar during COVID? This felt like it was picked up off the 2021 cutting room floor.

  • I clocked that both T-Mobile and Nerds had direct Flashdance references. Why do I sense a remake coming, starring Addison Rae…

• Maybe I’m not the target audience, but Fan Duel’s edited Carl Weathers in memoriam ending felt a bit flip and jokey.

• Kate McKinnon’s mayo cat was a delight early in the game. I absolutely must know - was this changed from Hellmann’s to Best mayo cat on the West Coast??

• Google Pixel’s low vision ad was perfectly executed, even if it was entirely predictable. (The first time the phone said “2 faces detected” I called that baby would make 3 by the end.) This spot was an excellent example of how accessible design improves usability for all.

  • Conversely, I was very disappointed that CBS introduced the ASL pre-game performers only to fail to show any of their signing during America The Beautiful or the national anthem.

• Poppi is the brand everyone in the ad/marketing/PMM world will be talking about this week. “The soda your kids and grandkids will think of as soda” is the kind of positioning that’s so good it makes you want to yell (ok, maybe just me?).

• The first half of NFL Africa’s long 2+ minute spot was high energy with gorgeously colorful footage, a charming main character, and lots of celeb cameos (2024 theme!). Unfortunately, the last 30 seconds got weirdly saccharine and slow, and the Belgian Malinois - a breed traditionally used by police and military forces - felt… off. This would’ve been so much stronger if they maintained the vibrancy and excitement through the end. (And swapped in an Africanis dog, known to be smart, tough, athletic, and loving. 🥺 )

• Pluto TV is proud to grow couch potatoes. A fun, light-hearted concept that lends itself to plenty of spin-offs down the road - a point plenty of brands don’t seem to consider.

• Some folks online complained that CeraVe gave away their punchline too far ahead of the Super Bowl, but as someone who didn’t see any of the lead-up, it was perfection. (Especially when you compare it to the controversial spot by one of their biggest competitors, Cetaphil.)

  • I’m fascinated that both safe, bland legacy brands decided this year was the time to take a risk/invest in a spot. My conspiracy theory is that they’re both seeing significant growth due to skincare subreddits and SkinTok, and they want to capitalize on that newfound momentum.

• For the second year in a row He Gets Us spent tens of millions of dollars on ad space during the Super Bowl. There are already a lot of think pieces about this group and their strategic choices, so rather than pile on, here are some well-regarded charities that tackle housing and hunger.

• Verizon’s Beyonce spot felt tired and dated. Trying to “break the internet” a full ten years after the infamous Kim Kardashian magazine cover?? Barbie references more than 6 months after the premiere? A big yawn for me, though I’m sure her fans ate it up and Verizon almost certainly believes they got their money’s worth.

• In a similarly tired vein, any brand that is STILL using We Are The Champions or Don’t Stop Me Now for their ads must, unfortunately, go straight to prison. It’s lazy and uninspired. Someone, please let Pfizer know they should turn themselves in. (They can keep working on cancer drugs while serving their time.)

• Last, but not least: I just know, in my heart of hearts, that a junior data analyst and associate paid marketing manager were poring over SEM performance spreadsheets and realized that one of the top converting keywords for Skechers was “sketchers,” thus inspiring this little gem. Give them a raise, wherever they are. ❤️ 

I’d love to hear about your faves (and your duds) as well. Shoot me an email or drop a comment and let’s compare notes. In the meantime I’ll be here, thinking about Dan Levy pitching Homes.com’s new tagline.