Super Bowl commercials are known for being the star of a brand’s advertisement. Many companies put thousands of dollars into curating an ad that’s perfect for viewers watching the big game. These were my top five favorites from this year’s selection of commercials.
5. e.l.f. Cosmetics
At number five, we have e.l.f. Cosmetics with their skit titled “Judge Beauty.” In this commercial, they enlisted Judge Judy Sheindlin, the iconic figure behind the court shows Judge Judy and Judy Justice. She takes on the role of a courtroom judge, ruling on the “crime” of overspending on makeup, aligning perfectly with e.l.f.’s mission of offering quality makeup at an affordable price.
e.l.f. has marketed itself as a brand that offers affordable, yet high-quality makeup that stands up against more expensive brands. The purpose of the skit is to challenge the idea that good makeup goes hand-in-hand with a large price tag. Since its popular TikTok releases, e.l.f. has grown a significant fan base and has continued to release trendy products on a steady basis.
Making a clever move, e.l.f. leveraged the rise in popularity of legal drama Suits by including actors Gina Torres, Sarah Rafferty, and Rick Hoffman. These three played Jessica Pearson, Donna Paulsen, and Louis Litt respectively on Suits and added a larger appeal to the commercial. This ad was simply entertaining to watch as I’m a fan of Suits and was a creative way to display the goal of the company.
4. Dunkin’
Dunkin’, our Massachusetts buddy, enlisted Bostonians Tom Brady and Matt Damon to join Ben Affleck in advertising the new DunKings menu. The ad is a continuation of the 2023 Dunkin’ ad where Jennifer Lopez surprised Affleck at his job. This time around, Affleck decided to do the same to Lopez. The three together in their Dunkin’ tracksuits barged into the studio and broke out into songs representing their band “The DunKings.”
Lopez plans to release a new album this year titled “This Is Me… Now” in which The DunKings hoped to star. Unfortunately, the combination of their voices scared away all possibilities of being a feature and left them to settle for their name as a Dunkin’ menu.
The collaboration between Lopez and Dunkin’ worked to promote both her upcoming album and the new Dunkin’ menu and was an extremely entertaining skit to watch. As everyone knows, New England runs on Dunkin’, and using the Bostonian icons to present this in a funny manner was even better for viewers to see.
3. Google
Google’s ad was a promotion for their Google Pixel 8 highlighting the special Guided Frame feature. This accessibility feature announces who is in the frame in the picture and was used to tell the story of Javier, a man with a vision impairment.
The ad takes the viewers through large moments in his life with his significant other showing the importance of this feature. It allows for the users of the phone to be able to take a picture with everyone in it, despite their abilities. Initially, the ad shows one person in the frame in a few events, then slowly shows two people in the frame in a few events, and ends with three people (his kid being born).
For me, this ad was a super sweet and touching way to advertise this feature on the Google Pixel. It allows for so many more people with disabilities to take pictures like others.
2. Verizon
Verizon used its time during the Super Bowl to enforce the idea of its unbreakable 5G network. Beyonce easily broke the internet and caused drama everywhere, but no matter what she did, she wasn’t able to break the 5G network. She announced that she was running for BOTUS (Beyonce of the United States) along with flying into space, none of which broke Verizon.
At the end of the ad, Beyonce states “They’re ready. Drop the new music,” hinting at her second album in the Renaissance trilogy coming out March 29th. Right after the ad, she released two songs off the new album “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriges” both in the country/pop genre.
Both Beyonce and Verizon combined their needs extremely seamlessly in an ad that catered to both brands. Beyonce was able to gain even more traction for her upcoming album while Verizon continued to endorse its strong network. The ad is high on the list for me because of the excitement around Beyonce’s new music.
1. Dove
At the number one spot, is the Dove commercial which shines a spotlight on a variety of little girls in sports. The goal of the ad was to promote the Self-Esteem Project, an initiative that works towards helping parents and mentors find a manner to encourage young kids to overcome their fear of body image and improve their self-confidence.
The ad presented many different girls having a hard time with the sport that they played. Towards the end, they showcased a shocking statistic that 45% of girl quit their sport by the time they are 14. Kids quit for many different reasons, but Dove hinted that the main reason girls quit is due to their lack of confidence.
This ad deserved the spot that it’s in not only because of its profound message, but also the way that it advertised Dove as caring, calm, and family-oriented. The ad touched on the universal experience of struggling with one’s body image and simultaneously emphasized how Dove was attempting to help young kids have a more positive mindset toward their bodies.
