Super Bowl 2022 has come to an end after a face-off between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals, during which brands made the most of their impressive marketing budgets during the big game’s uber-expensive commercial slots.
Despite a scheduling conflict with Valentine’s Day, Super Bowl LVI drew a large audience, partly for the sporting event and partly because of the halftime show, which saw a performance by Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige, and Kendrick Lamar.
From an Uber Eats ad starring Gwyneth Paltrow to a Planet Fitness ad featuring Lindsay Lohan, these were some of the best Super Bowl commercials of 2022 - and the worst.
Bud Light Hard Seltzer featuring the Mayor of Flavortown himself
For Guy Fieri’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial, the Food Network star starred mostly as himself, except he was reiminaged as the mayor of the Land of Loud Flavors, in which everyone sported the same iconic bleach-blonde hairstyle.
Of the opportunity to star in the comercial, Fieri told AOL: “This is a monumental time in my life.”
Bic Lighters featuring Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg
Longtime friends Stewart and Snoop Dogg teamed up for the lighter company’s commercial, which saw the rapper and the celebrity chef joking about the various uses for the lighters, such as “smoking a turkey”.
“You know this Bic easy-reach lighter would be good for lighting…” Snoop Dogg stated at one point, prompting Stewart to finish: “Candles? It sure is.”
After Snoop suggested the pair try the lighter on their “favourite activity,” Stewart responded: “You mean…” before the commercial cut to the friends roasting marshmallows over a bonfire.
The reality of having a cat as a pet for Chewy
In a commercial for Chewy, a cat purred contentedly on her owner as she watched him order a number of treats through the Chewy app.
Once the order had been submitted, the cat thought aloud: “Okay, now you can pet me.” After a brief stroke, however, she jumped down from her owner’s lap, thinking: “Okay that’s enough. You’re literally so annoying. Just kidding, love you.”
Uber Eats, Gwyneth Paltrow, and her infamous candles
In a teaser clip uploaded by Uber Eats, the Goop founder took a bite out of one of her infamous This Tastes Like My Vagina-scented candles.
“This candle tastes funny,” she said as she nibbled from the candle, which had been delivered in her Uber Eats order, before adding: “Not bad, but funny.”
Quaker offers its take on the infamous beer commercials
In Quaker’s Super Bowl ad, the oatmeal brand took a page out of the various beer commercials we see each year, with the ad noting that “in America, we celebrate the big game with big grains”.
“But there’s one grain to crack open Sunday morning,” the commercial continued as a trickle of condensation dripped down the side of an oatmeal container. “Oats.”
The commercial, which then saw two jars of oatmeal slammed together in a cheers, concluded with the tagline: “Pre-grain before the big game.”
Uber Eats and Jennifer Coolidge
In another Uber Eats clip released ahead of the big game, Coolidge expressed her surprise at finding a lipstick in her Uber Eats delivery - before assuming it must be food and licking the purple formula.
After a few licks, The White Lotus star proceeded to take a bite of the lipstick, before declaring the makeup “tastes like purple”.
Coolidge’s confusion continued as she found a makeup brush in her delivery, which she also proceeded to eat.
Planet Fitness and Lindsay Lohan
In Planet Fitness’s Super Bowl ad, the gym wondered what has “gotten into Lindsay,” who has “never been sharper,” is sleeping better than ever, to the anger of paparazzi, and who has “traded DUIs for DIYs”.
PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, and the Mannings
In a commercial created by PepsiCo and its subsidiary Frito-Lay, brothers Peyton and Eli Manning were gearing up to watch the game with cans of Pepsi and bags of Lay’s when they were interrupted by the offer to road trip to the Super Bowl alongside Jerome Bettis, Terry Bradshaw and Victor Cruz.
Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson against Amazon Alexa
In a commercial for Amazon’s Alexa, the married couple depicted what life would be like if Alexa really could read minds. As expected, the skits proved why it’s better for the technology not to exist.
Uber Eats featuring Trevor Noah
The comedian also featured in an Uber Eats Super Bowl commercial - but rather than taking a bite out of a candle or some makeup products, Noah attempted to snack on a stick of deodorant and a lightbulb.
The full ad saw other customers make similar mistakes, leaving viewers both amused and disgusted.
Booking.com found a new spokesperson in Idris Elba
In the preview clip, the actor rehearsed for his role as the booking website’s newest spokesperson, only to be told by fellow spokespersons Isaiah Mustafa and Jonathan Goldsmith that he needed some work.
In the final commercial aired during the Super Bowl, Elba, who was taking his role seriously, was confronted by a family over the pronounciation of his name. After correcting them, the family acknowledged the actor’s “British humour”.
Doritos, Cheetos, Megan Thee Stallion and Charlie Puth
In the trailer for the game day ad, the rapper, who could be seen eating from a bag of Doritos, attempted to gain access to her trailer only to find the door locked. As Megan Thee Stallion looked on, the arm of what appeared to be a sloth then reached out from inside the trailer to remove the star’s name from the door, prompting her to reply: “Uh, excuse me?”
In the full commercial, released last week by Frito-Lay, the two musicians are depicted as animals, who proceed to sing a rendition of Salt-N-Pepa’s Push It after getting their hands on Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Doritos Flamin’ Hot Cool Ranch chips.
