Some years, the most intriguing part of an otherwise unremarkable Super Bowl is the funny and memorable commercials that air. This year, Eagles fans will likely be more locked in to the game itself as the team takes on the Kansas City Chiefs. But that doesn't mean the ads won't be compelling, too.
Companies have already begun rolling out teasers or the full commercials they'll be running during Super Bowl LIX, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9, on FOX.
"It looks like it's going to be a very lighthearted year, a lot of humor, as usual a lot of celebrities, but a lot less social commentary than there has been in years past. … It's very neutral out there," said Steve Merino, chief creative director at Aloysius Butler & Clark, a Delaware-based ad agency with an office in Philly. "You're seeing some things in terms of where the economy is, and you can really start to see what industries are doing well and what industries are struggling."
Super Bowl commercials usually follow cultural trends. In 2022, they were all about crypto and electric cars. In 2023, there was a focus on less-expensive goods, like snack foods and fast food restaurants. Last year was more about snack food, but there was also a movement toward products and messages aimed at women — potentially a product of Taylor Swift's fanbase tuning in to the games to watch the singer support her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
"You kind of see what's going on in America right now, not only in the economy, but also in America's purchasing patterns," Merino said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, commercials took on a more somber tone. Social movements, like Black Lives Matter, also were incorporated into ads. This year, the Los Angeles wildfires have already had an effect on who's buying commercials.
"There's quite a few advertisers, including State Farm, that just backed out," Merino said. "And it makes sense. It's a bad look to say, 'Hey, we're spending $8 million plus all the production to run an ad,' when you should be putting that money toward buying people's homes. So, news impacts marketing dollars for sure."
Which teams are in the Super Bowl may also have an impact.
"If you're a more local advertiser, this is one of the years where people in the Philadelphia and Kansas City markets will be watching the commercials less than other markets," Merino said. "Everyone's like, 'Yeah, cool ads. Are we gonna win?'"
AI is trending
So what are the products being pushed the most this year? There will be an uptick in ads for weight-loss pharmaceuticals, Merino predicts. Viewers can also expect to see commercials demonstrating how companies are using newer technologies like artificial intelligence, including in ads for Ray-Ban Meta glasses and GoDaddy's AI website-making capabilities, he said.
"(AI) is a big push now, and that's only going to go up. But things like crypto — remember, crypto was big? — there's no crypto spots running this year," Merino said. "So it's just interesting, like, what are the technology trends at the moment? And AI is certainly one of them."
Vehicle ads are also falling by the wayside this year. Cars used to take up about a third of Super Bowl ad spots, Merino said, but now it's down to about 8%. With prices at an all-time high of about $8 million for a 30-second ad, Merino said it makes sense that some companies and industries would refrain from putting out Super Bowl commercials unless they have something revolutionary to share.
"Big brands will literally go into the year and be like, 'Do we have anything Super Bowl worthy to say? Do we have a new product? Do we have a new message?' Because otherwise, what's the point of of spending $8 million to not say anything? … If you don't have anything new to say, don't spend $8 million to say it," Merino said.
Lots of teasers
Reese's, one of Merino's favorite Super Bowl advertisers, does have something to say this year with the debut of its new "Chocolate Lava" cups. In a teaser for the company's spots, an elderly woman rides a scooter up a volcano screaming "Lava!" Another teaser shows a bride tossing her bouquet aside to run toward the lava.
"I can already tell those spots are going to be hilarious," Merino said.
Releasing teasers is another trend that Merino has noticed this year, as nearly every Super Bowl advertiser has given audiences small morsels of what to expect from their 30 seconds during big game. This may be simply to get their money's worth.
"You're spending $8 million for 30 seconds," Merino said. "So the last thing you want to do is let that money go to waste. … They want consumers to be looking for their ads. Rather than a one-time spike, they want to widen their bell curve so they have a little bit more awareness going up to it."
One company that Merino said has nailed the teasers in the lead-up to the Super Bowl is Doritos. They've been running a contest that called for the public to create and submit their own Doritos Super Bowl commercials for the chance to have their ad aired during the game and receive $1 million. The company's been airing some of the top contenders throughout the competition.
"They've turned one 30-second opportunity into a monthslong promotion, and that's just great marketing," Merino said.
Star-studded ads
Bud Light also gets high marks from Merino for its Super Bowl commercial teasers, which star rapper Post Malone and comedian Shane Gillis, a Mechanicsburg native, rocking dad-inspired 'fits to drink beer in the driveway and speak to a Ring camera.
"You can just tell with those two, it's actually going to be really funny," Merino said.
There will, of course, be countless celebrities recruited for Super Bowl commercials, like Matthew McConaughey for Uber Eats, David Beckham for Stella Artois, and Adam Brody, Nick Offerman and James Harden for Pringles. Simply having a famous person in a commercial isn't enough to make a Super Bowl ad cut through the noise, though.
"It's a really hard time to stand out with celebrities because there's so many, and there's so many A-listers," Merino said. "It doesn't work just to have a celebrity; it has to connect back to the brand. Otherwise, everybody has a celebrity. That's table stakes these days."
There are always some flops. Merino said he doesn't understand why WeatherTech makes a Super Bowl ad nearly every year.
"It's the most boring ad that you've ever seen," Merino said of WeatherTech's previous attempts to market its vehicle carpet protection liners. "They don't say anything new, and I don't understand why they're doing it. They're just really wasting a ton of money."
There are tons of smaller brands becoming first-time advertisers this year hoping to make a splash as bigger companies pull back on their Super Bowl ad spending. The water bottle company Cirkul is trying to build awareness for its "niche" brand, Merino said. First-timers may struggle to find their footing amid the sea of more-established advertisers.
"You're going to see a couple of ones where you can tell that they haven't done this before," Merino said. "Can they rise up to the moment? It'll be interesting to see because if you haven't done this before, it's not the easiest thing to do."
How can brands stand out?
The best way for commercials to gain audiences' interest during the big game is to bring something different to the table, Merino said.
"It's something you haven't seen before," Merino said of the best Super Bowl ads. "The ad has to live up to the hype of the game. So it's either an idea that you've totally never seen before, or an execution that you've never seen before, or, ideally, it's a great product that you've never seen before, and you tie all those things together."
Examples of unique ideas executed during past Super Bowls include what Merino refers to as "guerilla-style ads" that appear to take over your TV, like Tubi's in 2023, or ads that featured QR codes for viewers to scan with their phones.
"One thing I think advertisers have realized is that every single person, while they're watching TV, is also on their phone," Merino said. "So they want the engagement in real time. You're going to see a lot of QR codes on screen. You're going to see that takeover where people are like, 'Did this just happen to your TV? Did my TV just do this?' If you can engage people in real time, that's a great way to turn that 30 seconds into a larger marketing opportunity. So watch out for a lot of QR codes and a lot of 'Do this right now and you'll win a prize' type of gimmicks."
While it may be difficult to top the Birds' (hopefully) dominant performance against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, Merino is confident some of the commercials will still be able to grab viewers' attention during the "most glitz and glamour three hours" of their lives.
"It's going to be a lighthearted year," Merino said. "And the best brands that do a really good job consistently being funny are going to be the ones that I think people are going to be talking about, and that's what the brand wants you to do the next day. They want you to say, 'Did you see the one with (blank)?' and it's them."
