Super Bowl LVIII had an interesting array of ads throughout the night, from corny jokes to ultra-emotion-evoking campaigns. This year's ads were spotty, to say the least.
While there are some big winners on this list, there are also some major flops.
Let's get right into our biggest ad flops from Super Bowl LVIII...
BIGGEST FLOPS
Unfortunately, they can't all be winners, and some brands are numb to the fact that their ads just simply don't live up to the hype or the standard.
No punches are being pulled here, so for our first flop, we have Uber Eats.
UBER EATS
While a lot of hype was built around Uber Eats' "Whatever You Forget" commercial, it simply did not deliver as expected.
Even with a star-studded cast, they bounced all over the place and couldn't wrap things together very well. It didn't feel like an Uber Eats commercial.
It felt like it was more about the celebrities than the company and it took attention away from the brand.
INSTACART
Initially, I wasn't all that disappointed with Instacart's ad from Super Bowl LVIII. They had a song that caught the attention of the viewer a little more, and they conveyed the ability to be somewhere and also be shopping at the same time which was a solid move.
After rewatching the ad, I just don't think the execution was there. I think they could have done without the song and kept things a little busier in the sense of having the video pan to the same person doing multiple tasks and also shopping.
I felt like it was too corny to be taken seriously by viewers, and from what I've gathered, people don't even remember there being an Instacart Commercial.
PLUTO TV
Although the idea of the couch potato farm was quite good, the execution of Pluto TV's ad was not.
Pluto TV did a good job covering the bases of what they offer and relating their offerings to being so good that people become couch potatoes, but the mood of the ad did not fit the content.
They should have played into the irony of the couch potato more instead of trying to keep a more serious look about them. Again, good idea, just poor execution.
BIGGEST WINNERS
Now onto our biggest winners from Super Bowl LVIII, and frankly, some might come as a surprise to you.
HOKA
What might be one of the simplest ads from Super Bowl LVIII, in my mind crushed it.
Hoka's "Fly Human Fly" ad was simple in its approach, but effective in what they wanted to convey to the viewer.
It starts with a man running in the woods (connecting with their trail and outdoor running audience) and then pans to a bunch of people running on air in the sky.
This brilliance comes from Hoka's attempt to convey to people that running in their shoes will make you feel like you're flying, running on a cloud, and not wearing any shoes because they are comfortable and light.
What I love is that Hoka NEVER once talked about their products or their features, they let the creative do the talking.
This is my personal #1 from this year's Super Bowl.
E.L.F. BEAUTY
I must say that even though I am not a woman and do not use beauty products, this ad was truly incredible for so many reasons.
E.L.F. put a spin on Judge Judy (using Judge Judy) and called her "Judge Beauty" and they used a courtroom setting while featuring two attorneys from the hit show "Suits" which had a meteoric rise this year thanks to TikTok.
They were able to get people's attention with their celebrity cast and used celebrities who are relevant right now and known to their audience. Additionally, E.L.F. conveyed the message that their products are high quality at an affordable price for their audience and did so by relating it to the scene.
In order to relate it, they used "overpaying for beauty products" as a crime and ruled Gina Torres guilty and sentenced her to "E.L.F. Beauty."
10/10 Ad from E.L.F. Beauty!
Simply put, Google might have done the best job evoking emotion through storytelling out of every ad from this year's Super Bowl.
They portrayed a man who was half blind and showcased how the Google Pixel 8 uses AI to detect faces in order to capture precious moments through its camera.
Without getting into too much detail, I commend Google for this one!
MICROSOFT - COPILOT AI
Like Google, Microsoft did a great job evoking emotion in their target audience. They spoke directly to people who are looking to accomplish something and their song choice, thematics, and mood aligned perfectly to make the ad even more powerful.
Microsoft spoke directly to those they wanted to target, evoked emotion by framing their message as people who want to prove doubters wrong, and showed the use cases of Copilot AI and how it can help people accomplish what they want to accomplish.
CERA VE
Using Michael Cera to promote Cera Ve was one of the wittiest moves by a brand this year. Clearly relating Cera Ve to Michael's product and idea, they reached the audience they wanted by using a familiar face and playing into Michael's movie role persona perfectly.
While simple in its approach, the wittiness of this ad grabbed it a top spot among our winners.
Conclusion & Tier Rankings
This year's Super Bowl ads overall were a disappointment in my eyes, but their were some diamonds in the rough that shined more than others.
My top 3 ads from Super Bowl LVIII are
1.) Hoka - "Fly Human Fly"
2.) E.L.F. Beauty "Judge Beauty"
3.) Google "Guided Frame"
My full tier list is listed below from A - F. Let me know your thoughts on this year's Super Bowl ads!
A
Hoka
E.L.F. Beauty
Microsoft - Copilot AI
Cera Ve
Reese's
B
Stok
Apple Music
Doritos
Verizon
Volkswagen
Dove
Mountain Dew
Hellmann's
C
Etsy
DoorDash
Popeye's
Youtube TV
Lindt
Oreo
Discover
M&M's
Kia
Paramount+
NFL
Michelob Ultra
Disney
State Farm
Dunkin'
Turbo Tax
MGM
BMW
Bud Light
Coors Light
Pringles
Nerds
Starry
Budweiser
Pluto TV
Toyota
D
Uber Eats
T-Mobile
FanDuel
Bass Pro Shops
Squarespace
Astellas
Skechers
Apartments . com
Booking . com
Poppi
Kawasaki
E-Trade
F
Snap
Progressive
Drumstick
CrowdStrike
He Gets Us
Homes . com
Temu
Pfizer
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