- Budweiser- Old school delivery. A truck driver about to take a delivery of beer to the tavern in an isolated mountain town discovers that the weather is too extreme. At his horse’s encouragement, he hitches up the wagon and delivers the beer the old school way. Things done right: any superbowl commercial with animals in it is a yes for me. The music choice (The Weight by the Band) and general sense of camaraderie inspired watching people do nice things for each other, all solid. What could’ve been better: The story didn’t actually make any sense- firstly, why does this apparently single truck have so many horses when he’s probably never home- and also, why is the beer delivery at this house where he hitches up the wagons, instead of in a warehouse?
- Mountain Dew, Having a Blast. Basically just Aubrey Plaza being weird and quirky, with Nick Offerman making a guest appearance on a dragon. What worked: They’re beloved, and Parks and rec fans love a reunion. What didn’t work: I don’t feel like the comedic possibilities were really tapped into other than each scene location being non sequitur. It feels like Mountain Dew, and the ads run in general the last couple of years- preferred to showcase celebrities and hold back on the comedy, to temper the risk of incurring controversy.
- Robert F Kennedy presidential bid announcement. This wasn’t strictly a commercial but I can’t stop thinking about it. Took the famous 1960 Kennedy presidential ad exactly, and essentially just pasted Robert Kennedy’s over JFK’s face in a couple of shots. What worked (sort of): Nostalgia sells. Additionally, the JFK era has a sort of rose-colored mist around it and any Kennedy running for office would be remiss not to tap into that. What could have been done better: It was unoriginal, which made the candidate feel inauthentic- the effect was antithetical to what I assume was the intent. I feel like there were more, subtler ways to nod to the original Kennedy ads without stealing the whole thing. It also just felt disrespectful somehow.
- Here to Stay, Apartments.com- two newly arrived space aliens are being questioned outside their spaceship by suspicious military personnel when Jeff Goldbloom steps in and explains that they’re just renters looking for an apartment. What worked: Everyone loves Jeff Goldbloom. Good callback to Independence Day (even though the aliens in those movies are distinctly not welcome on earth).
- The Wait is Over, Popeyes- Ken Jeung plays a man who chose to be cryogenically frozen to wait for the perfect chicken wing. He’s awakened, tries a perfect wing from Popeyes, and then asks what else he’s missed. Queue funny montage of his encountering drone delivery, designer dogs, and massage chairs, all while eating wings. What worked: it was the only Suberbowl commercial I watched that I actually thought was funny- and uncontroversial! Brand integration was solid as well. What could’ve been improved: Clearer messaging about what they were selling? Maybe I just didn’t get it right away because I kind of thought Popeyes always sold wings.
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