If you’re like most of the American population, you probably tuned into the Super Bowl on Feb. 12. The event was incredibly memorable, as the game was extremely close, and Rihanna did a phenomenal job with her halftime performance.
I don’t normally watch football, but I always make sure to tune into the Super Bowl specifically for the commercials. Everyone knows what I’m talking about, those catchy advertisements that get stuck in your head way after the game. I’ve had the Burger King commercial song stuck in my head for days, and I don’t even eat meat. Even after the game is long over, there are people still talking about some of the best commercials of the year, and these jokes live in the pop culture world way after everyone is done talking about who won.
When it comes to the Super Bowl, companies from all over the globe put their best advertising teams together to create the most impressionable commercial that will be replayed for weeks. It’s as if all these companies are having their own competition with each other to create the best ad.
Many people would ask why companies use the Super Bowl to create the flashiest advertisements, but the event is the perfect formula to attract attention. If you combine the large number of people watching with the fact that it’s live, you’re bound to have a substantial number of individuals viewing, commenting on and remembering these ads.
Nielsen, a communication research company, documented that around 113 million viewers tuned into the Super Bowl this year, making it the second-highest-viewed Super Bowl game ever. This year, some companies were paying upwards of $7 million for a quick one-minute ad to make an impression on all the people watching. In the age of streaming, most of us never see full commercials, so when major companies finally have our attention, they must be smart about it. The Super Bowl creates this perfect combination of millions of people glued to their television with the inability to fast forward through the ads, ultimately giving companies a huge platform. That said, the stakes are high for these companies to be remembered.
This is where companies such as T-Mobile, Pepsi, Dunkin’ and General Motors get to have some time to shine with their products and services. I find the fact that I sit through the entirety of the Super Bowl solely for these commercials fascinating. This compelled me to find out why I, and so many others, love Super Bowl commercials so much.
So how do these companies hold the attention of millions of people watching (especially those of us that don’t even keep up with football)? After reviewing the best Super Bowl commercials of 2023, I’ve come down to two themes that seem to be the focus in every commercial: Celebrity cameos and emotional stories targeted to tug at your heartstrings.
Using celebrity cameos is one marketing tactic that always sucks me in. It doesn’t help that most of the time, these celebrities are being their witty and hilarious self, which adds to my liking them even more. Many of these companies rely on our soft spot for our favorite celebrities and their most notable roles. The masterminds behind these commercials know that we’ll recognize our favorite actor or singer and be more compelled to sit through the commercial instead of getting up for more Super Bowl party snacks.
One that really stood out to me this year was Pepsi’s commercial, “Great Acting or Great Taste,” where Ben Stiller narrates us through the ad as various characters and even reprises one of his most infamous roles, Derek Zoolander. Pepsi was not only relying on my and many others’ love for the humor in Zoolander, but that I, and many other individuals, will enjoy the nostalgic aspect of the classic comedy.
Another way that I get looped into watching the Super Bowl is the emotional ads, especially when they revolve around animals. Maybe I’m sensitive, but these ads always leave me wiping tears from my eyes in-between bites of artichoke dip. The Farmer’s Dog “Forever” commercial had me running to grab tissues with its beautiful portrayal of Bear, the childhood dog that’s been with the main character through all her life events. Do I have a dog of my own? No. Was I ready to buy a lifetime supply of The Farmer’s Dog products? Yes, absolutely. Based on the general reaction of many other viewers, everyone else was feeling their heartstrings tugged in the same way.
Whether they be humorous, enlightening or bittersweet, the marketing teams behind some of the world’s top brands have figured it out and leave me excited for the next Super Bowl, even if I’m only watching the commercials. Even if you’re not the biggest sports fan, I highly recommend watching the Super Bowl to see some of the best commercials from the largest companies in the world.
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