My 6 Favorite Super Bowl Commercials of 2023 and Why – by Meijun
Before getting into the commercials, I first want to share what I based my selections on.
Whether it’s a multi-million-dollar Super Bowl commercial or an Instagram Reel, there are a few key ingredients that I keep an eye out for to determine if it’s “successful” or not.
Those key ingredients are as follows:
Having a single clear message
A confused consumer will never be a paying customer, so always remember to ask yourself: what am I trying to say here? Then say it in the clearest and most concise way.Having a relevant and relatable insight
The consumer insight fuels the idea or message, which will result in a piece of content that will elicit an emotional connection with the consumer. Emotional connection = Brand loyalty.Having a solution to a problem
First, find out what is the pain point of the consumer. Now, what is the value proposition of your product or service that will alleviate/resolve this pain point?Having a “memorability” factor
Whether it’s “bloody entertaining”, whimsically attention-grabbing, or just OMG shocking, doing something that’s a bit outside the box and unexpected will encourage people to remember it.Having a cleverly executed product
I’m not saying you need celebrities or CGI-rendered dragons in your content. It’s about working within your capacity to create something that people will appreciate and just say “well-done” or “why didn’t I think of that?”
Now let’s get into my top 6 Super Bowl Ads, shall we?
6. Google Pixel | “Fixed on pixel”
This commercial was just really well executed without being overkilled with tech terms or showing off too much. It does a great job at immediately drawing you in with a factual insight that no matter who you are, we all use our phones to take photos and capture memories. They supported the relatability-ness by clearly indicating the problem and the solution – that we’ve all experienced that moment when our precious photo is ruined by the classic “photobomb” or our once in a life-time selfie is blurry AF. The visual storytelling of showing vs. telling us the solution in an almost tutorial-esque high energy manner was quite captivating and keeps you watching until the end. Furthermore, the addition of humor as well as celebrity figures like Amy Schumer, Giannis and Doja Cat, definitely added a few cherries on top of an already well-done cake of a commercial. I’m a solid iPhone user but this ad definitely tickled my fancy to consider switching to Google Pixel, one day.
5. Popcorners | “Breaking Good”
Even though I haven’t fully ingested the Netflix series “Breaking Bad” (please don’t judge), I still knew enough to appreciate this commercial and the references made. With that said, the strategy of taking a well known series and meaningfully spinning it to create a commercial is no easy feat…it can go wrong quite easily. However, this time, it was an exception as Popcorners scored a touchdown with this iconic collaboration with the iconic duo from Breaking Bad. From the comedy and puns to the well-known references and overall storytelling, this commercial did a great job at making the non-fried chip the hero of the story – a chip so good that it replaces meth itself. This ad just worked in my opinion.
4. Blue moon | “High Stakes Beer Ad”
Close your eyes for a minute and imagine your favorite Jackie Chan fight scene…this ad definitely reminded me of that. The action-packed fight scenes were not only well choreographed but it was quite hilarious and entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed the ad from start to finish and the constant back and forth certainly grabbed and held my attention (why did that sound dirty? lol). As you’re watching the commercial, you’re just there witnessing a “bar fight”, anticipating the winner, will it be Miller? Will it be Coors? But wait, 2 brands in 1 ad? How does that work if they’re competitors? Your mind just races to keep up and then BAM! You’re hit with a curve ball that neither Miller or Coors wins. This is actually a Blue Moon commercial. The humor, entertainment and element of surprise made this a pretty great ad.
3. NFL | “Run with it”
When was the last time you saw an ad for the NFL with a Woman being the star protagonist and hero? This commercial had a bit of everything: recognizing women for their strength and contribution to sports and society, casting a diverse representation of people, and an entertainingly comedic dialogue, all in the form of a thrilling game of football chase. You have Diana Flores, the captain of Mexico’s National Flag Football team, evading security guards, sliding down escalators, jumping across buildings, and breaking through doors. What more action can you ask for? I loved the adrenaline-pumping storyline from start to finish and even though the end did feel a bit “Nike-like”, the ad’s overall message of pushing for a fairer future for women (not just in sports), is something that I can wholeheartedly stand behind.
2. The Farmer’s Dog | “Forever”
I may be biased because I love dogs more than humans, but this one pulled on all of my heartstrings. After watching this ad, I hugged my dog and asked him to live forever because it was hard to imagine life without Guillermo, my resilient Korean meat farm rescue. This ad led with emotion from the get-go and ran with it till the end…and it worked. Besides the fact that it was spot-on with tapping into the emotions of any dog lover/owner, the overall storyline of growing old with your dog is something that is relatable and just unforgettable, especially if you have experienced it first-hand/paw. The Farmer’s Dog hit it out of the dog park with this ad, taking the insight of dog-parents wanting nothing more than having more years with their dog-children and telling that story in a simple yet tasteful way. I know it’s impawsible but sometimes I do wish for dogs to just live their best lives [forever]. Whew, so many dog puns.
1. Tubi | “Interface Interruption”
If you didn’t have a solid 15-second freak out like I did, thinking that I was missing the game, then maybe you’re a robot. This commercial pranked me 100% and I will never forget it or let that go lol. On that note, I know that there are some negative comments circling around the internet but in my opinion, whether you loved it or hated it, you will probably forever remember this Tubi Super Bowl commercial. I know that I’ll probably look back and laugh at the fact that this ad almost started a fight between my partner and I, because I thought that she was changing the channel during an epic Super Bowl final. Even though I didn’t necessarily like being pranked (I WAS LIVID with Tubi at that moment), I can’t deny the fact that it caught my attention and elicited so many emotions within the span of 15 seconds. With that in mind, I think that made it a “successful” ad. Tubi made the most out of the ad space and really thought about the context + timing of when the ad will be run. Kudos to them for delivering an annoyingly clever commercial.
How can I not mention the real winner of the night…
Fenty Beauty by Rihanna 🏆
The world tuned into Super Bowl LVII but the entire universe was watching Rihanna’s legendary halftime show. The moment I saw Rihanna applying makeup in the middle of her performance (not just any makeup, but Fenty Beauty makeup baby!), I just had to clap and say “bravo Rihanna, bravo”. Whether she was the marketing mastermind behind this idea or not, this seemingly simple strategy and seamless product placement was just pure genius. Now that’s what you call real-time marketing at its finest. Oh and just so you know, 118.7 million viewers tuned in to her show.
To conclude
I’m sure that there are probably a few more great commercials that I did not mention in this blog post but I’d love to know…
What are your thoughts on my top 6 choices?
What are a few of your favorite Super Bowl commercials and why?
What were some of the worst ones?
Tell me in the comments and let’s have a creative discussion!
Written by:
🧑🏻💻 Meijun 1/3 of TakeThree
My 6 Favorite Super Bowl Commercials of 2023 & Why
