Not only does the Super Bowl draw football fans – and this year Swifties – but many tune in just for the highly anticipated commercials that air throughout the entire game. This year, a thirty second commercial cost $7 million, on average, according to CBS News. With this amount of money being spent on a short snippet of advertisement time, this year’s commercials were expected to be the best ads of the year. Here are the best and worst ads of Super Bowl LVIII.
BEST:
Once again, Google gave us an emotional ad that highlighted the importance of how technology affects the lives of its users. The advertisement told a story through the perspective of a sight-impaired person who struggles to take photos, but, with the help of Google Guided Frame, an artificial intelligence-powered feature, he is able to capture special moments in life. Not only did this segment grab viewers’ attention, it also told a story that makes viewers reflect on their relationship with technology and the ways it can help people in many different ways.
The CeraVe commercial provided a good laugh as Michael Cera claimed “Cera-Ve” as his. He could not believe how soft his skin was, even receiving a compliment from a dolphin on how moisturized his skin appeared to be. The advertisement ended with a reminder that CeraVe is made with dermatologist insight, not Michael Cera. Viewers raved about his cameo on social media claiming it to be one of the smartest partnerships in awhile.
The Verizon commercial features Beyonce attempting to break the company’s network as she opens up a lemonade stand. She is simultaneously a game streamer under the name IamSlayonce, creates BeyoncAI, Bar-Bey, runs for BOTUS (Beyonce of the United States) and performs in space. While all of these blow up the internet, the Verizon network stays strong. She is never able to break the network, but the combination of intelligent names and slogans intrigued viewers and provided good entertainment.
WORST:
Temu, a Chinese owned company that provides low-cost goods, aired the same commercial multiple times throughout the game. The advertisement, a cartoon with a jingle about being able to shop like a billionaire on Temu, faced a lot of backlash. Many highlighted the annoying repetition of the commercial while others claimed it was misleading. Temu has previously been involved in controversy for being unreliable and stealing personal information, so, after three Super Bowl ads, it seemed everyone had enough.
In an attempt to reference Jesus and Mary Magdalene, people were depicted washing others’ feet through the entirety of the commercial. At the end, the statements, “He washed feet. He gets us. Jesus.” appear on the screen. ‘He Gets Us’ ads are sponsored by a group named Come Near, a religious organization attempting to spread the, “life and love of Jesus.” Not only did the concept leave viewers confused, but many felt that the Super Bowl is not the place for religious ads.
Alongside He Gets Us, viewers felt the Super Bowl was not the place for the American Values commercial. It used clips and slogans relating to former President John F. Kennedy to promote his nephew Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s candidacy. Members of the Kennedy family took to social media calling out the ad for superimposing the former president as a way to promote the candidacy, resulting in an apology from Kennedy Jr. the following morning.
With a nail biting game, exciting half-time performance and overall successful advertisements, Super Bowl 58 had something for everyone.