Super Bowl 60: A Safe Night for Advertisers
Super Bowl LX featured a dominant performance by the Seattle Seahawks, who defeated the New England Patriots 29-13. While the game lacked on-field drama, many viewers hoped the commercials would provide the excitement. However, the ads largely fell short, with brands relying heavily on celebrity cameos and familiar humor, failing to push creative boundaries.
“The work this year felt extremely tame,” said Berk Wasserman, executive creative director at BarkleyOKRP. “Given where the country is right now, that’s not a major surprise. But outside of being political, most brands didn’t take many risks with humor or push the boundaries of what’s been done before.”
Celebrity fatigue set in quickly, with 102 famous faces appearing in ads—the most in six years. According to XR data and Meltwater analytics, viewer sentiment was mostly neutral, with only 38.8% of social media commentary being positive. That lack of enthusiasm suggests few commercials will have lasting cultural impact.
AI Ads Flood the Broadcast
Artificial intelligence companies made a significant advertising push, some spending up to $10 million for 30 seconds of airtime. Despite AI being a hot topic, the ads were a mixed bag. Many failed to deliver compelling narratives or resonate emotionally with viewers.
One exception was Anthropic’s ad for Claude, which mocked a competitor’s plan to insert ads into chatbots. The commercial won the prestigious Super Clio award for its clever messaging and humor. “This ad breaks category norms by positioning brand philosophy as the concept itself,” said Omid Amidi, co-chief creative officer at McKinney.
Not all AI brands fared as well. AI.com’s vague and confusing debut ad backfired, leading to site crashes and skepticism. Svedka’s AI-assisted ad, featuring its Fembot mascot, also failed to impress. “Drinking is at a 90-year low. Consumer mistrust of AI is growing. Svedka missed the moment,” said Nicole Greene of Gartner.
Emotional Spots Offer Relief
Amid the AI-heavy lineup, some brands leaned into emotional storytelling. Lay’s “Last Harvest” portrayed a touching generational shift on a family farm and ranked second on USA Today’s Ad Meter. Dove continued its campaign to encourage girls to stay in sports, and Budweiser’s patriotic spot with Clydesdales and an eagle chick topped the Ad Meter.
Rocket Mortgage and Redfin also struck a chord with a nostalgic ad set to a Lady Gaga version of the “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” theme. “Rocket Mortgage emerged and won me over with the most human and hyper-relevant question of the night: ‘Won’t you be my neighbor?’” said Bryan Davis of Mekanism.
Cultural Sensibilities and Missed Connections
Brands tried to tap into cultural relevance, often with mixed results. Poppi featured Charli XCX and Rachel Sennott, while Pringles and Fanatics used Sabrina Carpenter and Kendall Jenner, respectively. However, Ritz’s ad featuring Jon Hamm, Bowen Yang, and Scarlett Johansson was widely criticized. “Three high-priced celebrities, a fake tropical island, and a script completely detached from how anyone actually thinks about crackers,” said Allen Adamson of Metaforce.
Other attempts at nostalgia, like Xfinity’s “Jurassic Park” and Dunkin’s “Good Will Hunting” spoof, relied on de-aging technology that left many viewers uncomfortable rather than entertained.
Taking Big Swings
Despite the overall safety of most ads, a few brands took creative risks. Levi’s returned to the Super Bowl after 20 years with “Backstory,” a high-concept piece focused on denim-clad butts backed by a James Brown track. “Levi’s was firing on all cylinders,” said Ted Wahlberg of Mower.
Manscaped and Liquid I.V. embraced absurdity with singing hair clumps and toilets. Acclaimed director Yorgos Lanthimos brought cinematic flair to ads for Grubhub and Squarespace. “The Squarespace ad was a short-yet-jarring, cinema-worthy experience,” said João Viégas of GUT New York.
Coinbase’s karaoke-style Backstreet Boys spot was polarizing but showed a willingness to break from the norm. “It was refreshing to see something so unproduced, if only for a minute,” said Mike Baron of Mower.
Health and Wellness Brands Make a Mark
Health and wellness messaging was prominent. Novartis cleverly used football analogies in its prostate cancer awareness ad, and Boehringer Ingelheim featured Octavia Spencer and Sofía Vergara in a Hollywood-style spot promoting health screenings. Liquid I.V. stood out with its humorous hydration-focused ad featuring singing toilets.
In contrast, Hims & Hers and MAHA Center fell flat. The former’s cancer test ad was criticized for promoting a test with questionable efficacy, and the latter’s Mike Tyson-led spot drew online ridicule.
“Health care brands are increasingly recognizing that behavior change starts with emotional permission, not information or clinical data alone,” said Heather Coyle of Triggers.
Conclusion
Super Bowl LX’s ads reflected a cautious tone, with many brands choosing safe, celebrity-packed strategies over bold concepts or emotional resonance. While a few standout efforts demonstrated creative courage, the overall slate lacked the punch historically associated with advertising’s biggest night.
This article is inspired by content from Original Source. It has been rephrased for originality. Images are credited to the original source.