Generally, advertisements are something people loath when watching TV. However, every year during the Super Bowl, the commercials are supposed to be just as exciting as the game itself. At Super Bowl LX, however, something felt different. The ads weren’t terrible, but they didn’t feel memorable or iconic for the right reasons. Compared to the last few Super Bowls, which gave us funny moments and commercials we quoted for weeks, this year’s lineup felt a little flatter and more predictable.
In past years, Super Bowl ads seemed like mini-movies. Brands took risks, told creative stories, surprised us with unexpected twists, or leaned into humor to create the most memorable advertisement possible. Unique brands for all kinds of products took advantage of their 30 seconds of glory to promote their brand to the world in the most unique, memorable way possible.
This year, though, I couldn’t help but notice that most commercials leaned heavily into themes like artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and sports betting. While these topics are relevant to the world today, they don’t exactly scream excitement.
“I definitely was disappointed with the lack of creativity,” said high school junior Justin Fisher. “It felt like every few ads had to do with AI, which got old pretty quickly.” Artificial intelligence was undoubtedly the most common theme for all advertisements during the big game. In fact, 15 out of the 66 ads (23%) were involving AI, according to iSpot.
Another trend that stood out was how safe everything felt. Celebrity cameos were everywhere, but instead of elevating ideas, it felt like they were the idea entirely. Beyond that, many of the concepts were just simply weird.
Junior Noël Eigenmann said “What are these ads?” multiple times while watching the game in response to advertisements like the Svedka ad, which featured dancing AI robots. Super Bowl ads have set such a high standard over the years that anything less than brilliant feels underwhelming. When people know a company is paying millions for a 30-second time slot, they expect something groundbreaking. Instead, many commercials leaned on tech trends rather than imagination.
Still, it wasn’t all disappointing. Pepsi, Lays, Pringles, and Dunkin Donuts all had ads that stuck out to me as highlights of the commercial segments. Lots of new companies were featured in ads bringing new products to the superbowl stage. On top of that, celebrities were everywhere within the ads, with Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski finding their ways into multiple commercials.
One lackluster year doesn’t mean the magic is gone forever. If anything, companies will see this as an opportunity, working hard to deliver a creative and humorous piece of media. Hopefully, the Super Bowl commercial segments can reclaim their esteemed reputation with a strong showing next year, creating new memories beyond the excitement of the game itself.
