Some companies bought ads during Super Bowl LIX that failed to make clear the purpose of the product being advertised, essentially setting fire to an $8 million investment (the cost to buy a 30-second ad, not including millions of dollars in production costs).
Overall, the ads were not memorable (or good):
What exactly are they advertising? Baffling ads during the big game have grown in recent years and were especially prevalent Sunday. An on-screen Ray Ban logo helped clue viewers in that Chris Hemsworth and (an almost unrecognizable) Chris Pratt hawked glasses in the first of two spots that had something to do with Meta, but what exactly? Dan Levy, Heidi Gardner and Morgan Freeman said “Homes.com” many times in the first of two ads but said little about what the site offers. Adam Devine seemed excited to send people free Cirkul water bottles, but if he talked about what makes them different or superior, I missed it. John Stamos sang about a streaming service this TV columnist never heard of called Zeam but its cursive logo is easily misread as “Zean.” And some of those ads for AI-infused products and services seem like they’d be meaningless to large swaths of the audience, like they were better-suited to a business trade magazine than a mass viewing event.
Messiest ad: The Dunkin ad in the first commercial break after kickoff was a hot mess. It moved fast and proved hard to keep up with. Jeremy Strong made fun of his method acting reputation, which was amusing, but that’s an inside joke made worse because Strong was unrecognizable bobbing up from a vat of coffee grounds.
Best introduction: MSC Cruises, a Swiss company that’s not as well known in the U.S. as cruise brands like Carnival, Princess and Royal Caribbean, played on its outsider status in an effective spot where American star Drew Barrymore translated British actor Orlando Bloom’s British slang for American audiences while showing off a MSC ship.
Brand integration of note: A “Take Me Home, Country Roads”-themed spot for Rocket.com bled into the game as Fox continued the song beyond the ad and name-checked the sponsor inside the bounds of the telecast. A Duracell ad, designed to look like it was part of the game, featured Fox broadcaster Tom Brady getting new batteries.
Most moving ad: The Google Pixel 9 spot for a dad describing his parenting in job interview lingo offered warm fuzzies presumably touting the phone’s AI capabilities. Maybe? I think?
What are they doing together? The Instacart ad that brought together familiar characters from multiple brands (Pillsbury Doughboy, Chester Cheeto, Jolly Green Giant, Kool-Aid Man, etc.) briskly and easily depicted the value proposition of its service.
Mondays had a moment: Not only was the downside of Mondays the focus of an amusing, sloth-filled Coors Light ad, “salty” actress Aubrey Plaza also hissed that she’s “the human version of Mondays” in a spot for Ritz crackers.
Most disturbing spot: A seal with performer Seal’s face sang new lyrics to “Kiss from a Rose” for a new flavor of Mtn. Dew that was memorable for how creepy it was. Runner-up: Tubi’s “fleshy cowboy hat head” spots that were intended to promote the many genres available for viewing on Tubi, but I only know that was the intent because I read an interview with a Tubi executive; the ad barely made that clear.
Kumbaya lip service: An anti-hate spot starring Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady and an NFL brand spot with kids saying, “I must be respected, protected, never rejected” felt wildly at odds with our current moment as U.S. government officials disrespect trans people and defend anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Weirdest similar body hair spots: A Pringles ad featured celebrities’ flying mustaches and a Little Caesar’s spot focused on Eugene Levy’s flying eyebrows.
Cute but on-the-nose: Reuniting “When Harry Met Sally” stars Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, so she could moan in orgasmic response to adding mayonnaise to a sandwich, was cute for nostalgia’s sake, but unimaginative.
Overcompensate much? The Bud Light Big Men on Cul-de-Sac spot radiated machismo in a desperate attempt to recover from bigoted responses to the company’s 2023 social media promotion featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Best line in an ad: In a straightforward ad that lacked the frantic pace of many of this year’s Super Bowl spots, Harrison Ford spoke about the freedom of choice and humble heroes (“pride is a terrible driver”) as he pitched an electric Jeep that makes him happy “even though my name is Ford.”
Muppets nail the pitch: The Muppets have a long history in TV commercials, but it’s sad that Booking.com put the characters to better use in its ad than current Muppets owner Disney has in many recent Muppets productions.
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Most unexpected twist: Not sure what an alien getting crushed in the doors of his UFO has to do with Totino’s Pizza Rolls, but it was not where I expected that ad would go.
Channel surfing
ABC’s “The Bachelorette” will not air a new season as usual this summer; the reason why is unknown. It’s also unclear if or when the show might return. … Kathy Bates won a Critics Choice Award Friday for her role in CBS’s “Matlock,” and gifted her trophy to “Matlock” executive producer Eric Christian Olsen, formerly an actor on of “NCIS: Los Angeles,” after his family lost their home last month in the Palisades fire.
You can reach TV writer Rob Owen at rowen@triblive.com or 412-380-8559. Follow @RobOwenTV on Threads, X/Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook. Ask TV questions by email or phone. Please include your first name and location.