Every company wants its ad to be known as one of the best Super Bowl commercials of all time, but not every advertiser is up to the task.
Far from being just a football game, the Super Bowl has evolved into a three-pronged entertainment event. Yes, there’s the gridiron matchup, but there’s equal interest in the halftime show. Because of these two draws, the event is the most expensive advertising block on television. This year there were clear winners in each category. Football-wise, the Eagles demolished the Chiefs. At halftime, Kendrick Lamar (feat. Serena) doubled down on his post-Grammys victory over Drake. And as for the commercials, women-focused spots won for sure.
The commercials are always a little wacky. Seal as a seal is certainly memorable. Adam Devine hawking a water bottle, a bit mystifying. There were two unrelated commercials about men’s facial hair flying off their faces and through the air (Eugene Levy’s eyebrows took flight after he tried a new Little Caesar’s product, while Nick Offerman’s mustache escaped thanks to Pringles), which was downright weird. Personally, I was not a fan of a winged baby telling me to go to the bathroom, even if Angel Soft makes perfectly good toilet paper. I didn’t hate Shane Gillis and Morgan Wallen rocket-launching Bud Light across the suburbs, but then Tom Brady needed his batteries changed and it was like, What are we doing here?
Yet amid the glut of mid marketing, a few spots stood out as creative, effective, and powerful. And they were all aimed squarely at women.
Dove’s plea to keep girls and women confident, showing a three-year-old racing down the street, was poignant if a little morose. Surely not all of us hate our legs! But if it keeps even one girl from quitting sports due to insecurity, its definitely worth the price of body wash.
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