While Sunday’s game was great, it was the commercials that really won us over. Read on as our expert commercial watchers break down their favorites from the big game.
The Cloverfield Paradox
Mike Gangwere, Associate Creative Director
“Whether it was a subpar film or not doesn’t really matter to me. The fact that the movie release hype machine is changing is exciting, and that’s why I think ‘The Cloverfield Paradox’ spots are interesting. The first trailer teases that the movie is ‘Coming Soon.’ But most people probably didn’t predict that ‘Soon’ meant immediately after the game.”
It’s a Tide Ad
Charlie Culella, Associate Creative Director
“My vote has to be the ‘It’s a Tide Ad’ with David Harbour. The Super Bowl commercial has finally turned into its own commercial. Tide manages to hijack your perception of other brands’ spots and, for a split second, forces you to question whether it’s another Tide ad. Essentially, Tide keeps their brand in your head, even as you watch another commercial about ‘Dilly Dilly.’ In the past months, Tide has had its name dragged through the mud due to some teenagers attempting the newest dangerous internet challenge involving their detergent pods. To me, this ad rinses away any negative press about a dumb challenge and replaces it with smart advertising to clean up their image.”
Winter Olympics Best of U.S., Featuring Lindsey Vonn
Aubrie Lockamy, Art Director
“I gravitated toward the ads that heightened my emotional perspective of the brand. My news feed is cluttered with so much negativity, and seeing the real-life, feel-good, do-good ads gave me a sense of hope that I didn’t know I needed. The way the Winter Olympics spot and the rest of the series told a real story — and then ended with the tagline, ‘Lindsey Vonn is the best of U.S.’ — gave me the feels and a sense of pride to be an American. It made me relate with these incredible people, who are the best at what they do, by reminding me of what it takes to achieve a goal, no matter how big or small.”
Hyundai Hope Detector
Eric Andreae, Art Director
“I recently drank the Subaru Kool-Aid and bought a dad wagon after watching countless ‘Love. It’s what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.’ commercials. I didn’t expect to get punched right in the feels again by Hyundai during the game. Their 60-second ‘Hope Detector’ spot brought the company’s pediatric cancer research efforts to light in a brilliant way, triggering all the ugly cry faces.”
Our jury has spoken — they think these picks deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame. While there were so many amazing commercials between plays, these stuck out for all the right reasons and got us excited for another year of amazing ads.
