Super Bowl LVI featured more than 75 commercials promoting a range of products including cryptocurrency trading, sports betting, food and movies. Here is a look at some of the most beloved commercials by fans worldwide and Benzinga employees.
What Happened: Super Bowl LVI aired on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, on NBC, a unit of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA). A 30-second ad came with an average cost of $6.5 million for advertisers.
Favorite Commercials: Here were the favorite commercials from members of the Benzinga team.
Staff Writer AJ Fabino was a fan of the electric vehicle-themed commercial from General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) that reunited the cast of the Austin Powers franchise.
“The General Motors ‘Dr. Evil’ spot was pretty well done. Didn’t learn anything from it, was too excited to see the original cast back together,” he said.
Benzinga’s Director of Customer Success Ryan Faloona liked a different General Motors commercial. This one featured a reunion of the A.J. and Meadow characters from “The Sopranos.”
But, it was a financial-themed commercial that was Faloona’s top pick.
“Bringing back the Etrade baby was my favorite,” Faloona said while adding that this was the best line: “People are taking financial advice from memes … hold on, I’ll get my onesies,” the baby said in the commercial.
Another commercial that showcased a celebrity appearing as a character was an ad from Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) featuring Jim Carrey in his "The Cable Guy" role. This ad was noted as the favorite by Benzinga Newsdesk Head Brent Slava.
Celebrities in Super Bowl LVI commercials were a common theme and one from Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA (NYSE:BUD) that featured several famous athletes was the favorite of Benzinga Editor Jason Shubnell.
“The Michelob Ultra ad with Peyton Manning and Jimmy Butler (and others) was my favorite,” Shubnell said. “The Big Lebowski tribute was terrific and Serena’s entrance as The Jesus put it over the top."
A Super Bowl LVI commercial featuring Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd was the favorite for Jake Crandall, a Benzinga Customer Success team member.
“Lay’s with Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd was my favorite,” Crandall recalls of the ad from PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP).
Super Bowl commercials sometimes lead to viewers finding out about a company or product that they didn’t know existed, which was the case for Crandall with an ad from T-Mobile US Inc (NYSE:TMUS).
“T-Mobile home internet caused me to do research on that service to see if it was available in my area and also ended up looking into their phone plans,” Crandall said.
Related Link: Complete List: Here Are All The Companies With Super Bowl LVI Commercials
Top Commercials Nationwide: A poll from the USA Today selected these commercials as the top according to fans:
Rocket Companies Inc (NYSE:RKT): Rocket Mortgage ad featuring Anna Kendrick and Barbie
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN): "Mind Reader" with Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost
Doritos: Animals featuring "Push It"
Kia: Showcasing a robo dog
Toyota Motors Corp (NYSE:TM): "Brothers"
Coinbase Commercial: One of the most talked-about Super Bowl LVI commercials was a spot from Coinbase Global Inc (NASDAQ:COIN), which featured a bouncing QR code. Those who scanned the code were prompted to download the app and earn $15 in free Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) or enter sweepstakes for a chance to win free Bitcoin.
The commercial led to more than 20 million people visiting the Coinbase website in a two-minute span, which led to a short outage for the cryptocurrency company.
Related Link: Coinbase CEO Says QR Code Super Bowl Ad Was The Company's Idea — But Ad Agencies Are Like, Ummm...
“Loved the Coinbase QR code commercial. Pretty crazy that it caused the app to crash. Hell of a marketing campaign,” Crandall said.
The QR code ad from Coinbase may have also divided the population with a younger generation immediately knowing that they needed to scan the bouncing logo. An older generation needed some help.
“They want me to stand up and scan that with my phone?” Fabino recalled his dad saying while they watched it.
Photo: "Dr. Evil," Courtesy GM
