Super Bowl LVII. 2023 ads were overall disappointing. No Hall of Fame entries. A charitable way to look at it: grounded, normal, and focused on intimate and genuine moments of human connection. A more negative take: they were a bit boring and many missed the mark. You got the feeling brands were advertising famous people instead of their products.
Rank #1Michelob ULTRA
Brighter Boston
Mixed feelings about this one coming in at number one. Shows how weak the field was this year. It is only loosely connected to the product (a lighter beer) but seeing Boston clichés turned on their head in a nice way is super fun.
Rank #2Tubi
Interface Interruption
Only 15 seconds but an amazing prank commercial. Created by viral marketers Mischief, they made you think someone was sitting on the remote and changing the channel. And it tricked tons of people.
Rank #3The Farmer's Dog
Dog
Not funny at all. But as a dog food commercial, about a dog, it hit you right in the feels. Anyone who owns a dog is on the verge of tears, so it is memorable.
Rank #4T-Mobile
Bradley Cooper Mom Tries to Make a Commercial
Not really related to the product, but the fun mom-son chemistry makes it worth the watch.
Rank #5Uber
Uber One
Not related to the product. But it has funny moments, and the song is unfortunately an earworm.
Rank #6Pepsi
Great Acting or Great Taste?
Two fun actors, clever setup, and it actually makes you want to go taste it for yourself.
Rank #7Dexcom
Feels Like Magic
Not funny but they showed exactly what the product does. Nick Jonas actually has diabetes, and this commercial made it feel cool to monitor your blood sugar. Not a fun spectacle, but a super effective commercial.
Rank #8Dunkin'
Drive Thru Ben
Takes the classic someone famous working a normal job idea and does it well. Chaotic editing, and a strong ending.
Rank #9PopCorners
Breaking Bad
This is only funny if you know Breaking Bad. If you do, this is spot on and quite funny. They use classic lines and moments from the show perfectly.
Rank #10GM
Why Not an EV
Felt like it could have been stronger, but 3 reasons why this makes top 10: Will Ferrell, callback to the amazing Norway EV commercial, and clever premise.
The worst commercials
Rank #11M&M's
New Spokesperson
This. Was. Weird. Yes everyone was talking about M&M's but this didn't make you feel good. And if you missed the long, winding lead up to it, the idea went right over your head. A waste of millions of dollars.
Rank #12Blue Moon
Coors vs Miller
Took a brilliant concept from Tide, that a commercial could be for another brand, and then proceeded to hit you over the head with it. They literally say "It's a Coors commercial, NO Miller commercial." Took away all the cleverness and complexity and tried to force you to get it.
Rank #13TurboTax
Dancer
I can't believe this got made. A mediocre dancer, for 30 seconds. 7 million dollars. And TurboTax has spent 20 years lobbying to force Americans to pay to file their taxes.
Rank #14Workday
Stop Saying Rockstar
This one just made me sad. It had such potential, specifically the last 10 seconds. Imagine KISS going to office workplaces, stopping people from calling each other rockstars. They should have doubled down on that moment. It could have been Terry Tate, Office Linebacker again.