Super Bowl LVII brought another round of memorable, star-studded commercials as brands sought to capture consumer attention on the busiest night in advertising.
An estimated 100 million people were slated to watch the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday night.
The sports spectacle wasn’t the only entertaining aspect of the night, however, as viewers also tuned in for Rihanna’s halftime performance and the commercials.
Brands were ready for the massive turnout, as Fox Sports revealed in September 2022 that it had already nearly sold out its commercial inventory. At the time, Mark Evans, executive vice president of ad sales for Fox Sports, estimated that Fox had five or fewer 30-second spots left to fill, according to Variety.
From a PopCorners campaign featuring Bryan Cranston as his Breaking Bad character Walter White to a Doritos love triangle featuring Jack Harlow, these are some of the best – and worst – Super Bowl ads this year.
Dunkin’ starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez
Dunkin’ made its Super Bowl commercial debut this year, with the brand hiring none other than its unoffical mascot Ben Affleck.
The coffee chain’s commercial, which it had been teasing on Instagram, stars Affleck as a Dunkin’ employee on his first day, and also includes a cameo from Jennifer Lopez.
In a teaser shared to Instagram, Affleck, who was previously captured taking orders at an actual Dunkin’ location for the commercial, can be heard over the drive-thru speaker saying: “Welcome to Dunkin’ - we’re a very friendly establishment. America runs on Dunkin’. This is the Dunkin’ run partner. What do you need?”
E.l.f. Cosmetics and Jennifer Coolidge
The cosmetics brand will also be debuting its first-ever Super Bowl commercial during Super Bowl LVII, with the help of Jennifer Coolidge.
In the commercial, The White Lotus star applies e.l.f Cosmetics’ Power Grip Primer, before declaring it “looks like she came from the sea”.
“I look like a dolphin. Like a baby dolphin!” Coolidge says excitedly, before she begins making squeaking dolphin noises.
The commercial, which happens to be co-written by The White Lotus creator Mike White, pokes fun at Coolidge’s claim that she wants to play a dolphin in her next role.
Alicia Silverstone for Rakuten
Alicia Silverstone reprised her role as Cher Horowitz in a Clueless-themed Super Bowl commercial for Rakuten.
The ad, which aired during the 2023 Super Bowl, sees Silverstone in a high school classroom reminiscent to the 1995 film’s debate scene.
The actress was dressed in her iconic black-and-yellow plaid skirt and jacket combo as she recreated moments from the romantic comedy, like crashing her white Jeep and showing off her spinning closet.
Rakuten also released an “Extended Cher Cut” on its YouTube channel on 6 February.
PopCorners
Cranston, who starred as a chemistry teacher turned drug dealer in the AMC show, teased his upcoming cameo on Instagram on 4 January. “Breaking soon. 02.12.23,” Cranston captioned an Instagram photo of himself dressed as White and holding a bag of PopCorners.
The chip company shared the same photo along with the caption: “Say. Our. Name.”
Avocados from Mexico and Anna Faris
In its latest Super Bowl commerical, the produce company stars Faris as Eve in the Garden of Eden as a narrator notes that “since time began, there has been one fruit with the ability to change the world, one fruit that can alter history with one small bite”.
“One fruit with the ability to make everything better,” the narrator continues, as Faris opens a gold-lit avocado in her hands.
Doritos
Doritos has enlisted rapper Jack Harlow and legendary singer Elton John to take part in its ad campaign for the Super Bowl 2023.
The chip company first shared a teaser of its game day ad on 9 January. In the photo, which was shared to Instagram, fans eagerly crowded around a car for a glimpse of an unidentified celebrity, who happened to be holding a Dorito in his hand. In the caption, the company wrote: “A bag of Doritos BBQ, paparazzi and a mysterious person walk into a bar…”
Doritos later revealed that the “mysterious person” was none other than Harlow, when it released another brief teaser last week. In the clip, the rapper is greeted by a mob of fans before closing the car door and picking up a bag of Doritos. However, before he is able to block out the yells from the fans, Harlow hears one photographer shout a question about a love triangle.
“Is it true about the love triangle?!” the reporter asks, prompting Harlow to contemplate the question before replying: “Maybe” and taking a bite of his chip.
However, now its been revealed that the love triangle is no love triangle at all, but Harlow’s actual love affair with playing the triangle instrument. The ad spot sees Harlow searching for a new sound and turning to the triangle-shaped Dorito chip as inspiration for his next project.
Harlow then becomes the biggest triangle player in the world, but only to lose out on the award for “Triangle Player of the Year” to none other than Elton John.
Missy Elliott, Sway Calloway and Heather B also appear in the ad.
“Rest assured, the characters are our official long-term spokescandies,” a spokesperson told The New York Times, adding that, although “the iconic M&M’s characters are in fact spending some time pursuing their other passions,” they will be “right where they belong at the heart of the brand” during the Super Bowl.
The controversy hasn’t stopped the comedian from having fun with her new role as M&M’s spokesperson, as Rudolph claims in a teaser ad that M&M’s will now be referred to as “Ma&Ya’s”.
“Hi again, America. Since we all love M&M’s, and let’s face it, me, it only makes sense that I am renaming America’s favourite chocolate candies Ma&Ya’s.
Pringles
Chip companies appear to be dominating the ad space, as Pringles has also teased its game day commercial.
Last week, the company shared an Instagram photo of an unidentifiable woman dressed in a hot pink feathered outfit reaching her hand into a can of cheddar cheese Pringles. “#StuckInPringles tick tock, tick tock… 2.12.23,” the brand captioned the video.
According to Forbes, the ad by Kellogg is a sequel to the company’s campaign last year, which saw a hand get stuck in a can of the chips, forcing its owner to go about life with the Pringles can attached to their arm.
In a new teaser, Pringles revealed that the woman is no other than Meghan Trainor, who can be seen filming what appears to be a TikTok before her hand gets stuck in the can.
Crown Royal and Dave Grohl
Similarly to years past, campaigns for alcohol brands will take up a number of pricey ad spots during this year’s big game, with AdAge reporting that liquor company Diageo will make its Super Bowl debut with an ad for Crown Royal whisky.
The ad is set to be directed by Jake Scott, whose father, Ridley Scott, directed Apple’s 1984 Macintosh commercial, according to Forbes.
The 1984 ad, which was titled “1984,” showed a woman throwing a sledgehammer through a screen at a Big Brother-like figure after running from police in a dystopian world. The ad, which is largely considered one of the best Super Bowl ads ever, concluded with the words: “On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like 1984.”
As for the 2023 campaign, the brand appears to have partnered with Foo Fighters founder Dave Grohl, who reads off a list of seemingly random objects in the teaser for the ad.
FanDuel
Sports-betting site FanDuel will star Rob Gronkowski in its 2023 Super Bowl ad, which will see the retired NFL star participate in a “kick of destiny”.
A teaser for the campaign promises to be amusing, with a FanDuel employee informing Gronkowski that bettors can win a $10m payout if he can kick a field goal.
“Wait, I don’t kick, I catch,” Gronkowski tells the employee, who seems unconcerned by the difference.
Sarah McLachlan and Busch Light Beer
McLachlan has poked fun at her emotional animal cruelty commericals in an ad for Busch Light Beer. In the video, it begins with the brand’s “Busch Guy” explaining a guide for surviving life out in the wilderness. “Three things are required in the great outdoors: food, drink and shelter,” the company’s spokesperson said, while holding a can of beer in his hand.
However, right after he uttered “shelter,” McLachlan was seen sitting in a tent nearby as her song “Angel” began to play.
“Hello, I’m Sarah McLachlan,” she says to the camera in the new ad. “For just dollars a day, you can help helpless animals find shelter.”
“Wrong shelter, Sarah,” the man informs the singer, before noting that the dog she was cuddling was actually a wolf.
Sam Adams
Sam Adams dreams of a “brighter Boston” in its newest Super Bowl ad, which stars “your cousin from Boston”. In the campaign, the cousin dreams of a Boston where neighbours greet one another and Red Sox and Yankee fans embrace.
Michelob Ultra starring Serena Williams, Brian Cox, Alex Morgan Canelo Alvarez, and Tony Romo
In the Super Bowl ad, the “Dynamic Duo” play a round of golf, with the commercial noting that “Bushwood Country Club” is reopening as it plays homage to the 1980 film Caddyshack.
Ben Stiller and Steve Martin star in a Super Bowl ad for Pepsi Zero Sugar, but not without poking fun at each other. In one teaser released ahead of the big game, Martin is seen roasting Stiller for being a “nepo baby”.
Another teaser shows the two taking aim at each other’s acting skills, with Stiller telling his co-star: “You couldn’t act your way out of a paper bag.”
Kia
Kia has released a 2023 Super Bowl commercial for its new Telluride X-Pro SUV which shows one dedicated dad driving long distances to retrieve his daughter’s favourite pacifier – dubbed “Binky Dad”.
Bradley Cooper stars alongside his mother, Gloria Campano, in an amusing 2023 Super Bowl commercial for T-Mobile.
In the ad, Cooper is seen trying to coach his mother through her lines, but the two couldn’t keep a straight face and cracked up in the process.
