We heard there was a big game last night. But did you see those commercials? Each year we have a handful of clear favorites among them all. In year’s past, it has been all about the Bud-weis-er, Doritos and GoDaddy. But this is a new era. According to AdWeek, ads during this year’s game were reportedly going for $500 million for a 30-second spot and only 10 ad spots remained halfway through January. 

Despite a few fails, catch a few of our early favorites and winning spots below.

Pre-Game Crush

Each year, brands release the goods in the days leading up to Sunday and this year was no different. Early trailers for a new Crocodile Dundee movie featuring Margot Robbie, Chris Hemsworth and Danny McBride had everyone on high alert. But was the feature film too good to be true? As it turns out, it was all just an ad for Tourism Australia. Clever Aussies.

Hold the Phone

You didn’t plan on watching the game, did you? Not if you wanted to win a brand new Mercedes Benz. The car company’s “Last Fan Standing” competition required big fans (of neither team, apparently) to hold their finger on their phone screens, following a moving vehicle, as long as they could stand it. The last person holding their finger on the screen won the AMG.  Unfortunately, the site crashed due to the sheer number of participants. This one falls under favorite idea, but failed execution.

One in a Billion

You don’t have to be witty or shocking to make a memorable ad, proven by the night’s first official commercial from Toyota. Following eight time Paralympic gold medalist Lauren Woolstencroft through her life of beating the odds despite her physical disabilities, Toyota proves you can beat the odds through determination and hard work. A feel good concept we can all be inspired by, alongside the message of their commitment to bring mobility to all through technology. With the Winter Olympics beginning this week, it’s a perfect tie-in to current events. Grab a tissue!

Everything is Tide

It seems Tide has been quite popular lately, though not for many good reasons. Last night’s series of ads featuring David Harbour kept Tide on our minds all night long. “So does this make every other Super Bowl commercial a Tide ad?” really blew our minds. With a couple commercials in the first half but considerably fewer in the second half, we were guessing each commercial was a Tide ad. Well done, Tide.

Fire and Ice

Though this one was simple, it really hit the mark for us. Combining lovable celebrities, catchy tunes and two complementary snack products, Doritos v. Mountain Dew is a matchup we’re loving. And did anyone else catch the corresponding Twitter poll ads? We chose Ice.

Dirty Dancing with the NFL

The NFL has no need to advertise its product during its own National Championship, but we’re glad they did. This lighthearted ad featured some of our favorite classic choreography made better with an awkward football player reenactment. I wonder how much they paid for this advertisement?

At the end of the night, we thought brands did an excellent job of balancing inspirational, lighthearted content with powerful, thoughtful storytelling. Though slight nods to the political and social environment did occur, this year’s ads were overall positive, uplifting and fairly drama-free (besides the feuding fast food establishments).

What was your favorite ad? Which was the biggest flop? Tweet us the video at @cca_creates.
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Header Photo by Nídia Piza on Unsplash