Some of us watched the Super Bowl for the game. Some of us watched for Rihanna's halftime performance. But all of us watched for the commercials!
As marketing and advertising experts, we love seeing which brands decide to drop $7 million for a 30-second ad and what they choose to do with that valuable time.
The top themes this year were nostalgia and comedy, with a little heart-string tugging mixed in. In case you missed an ad or two, you can find them all here.
Here's a look at the best 2023 Super Bowl ads ... according to the Left Hand Agency team!
Lauren Ridgley, CEO
"My favorite is the Bud Light commercial featuring Miles Teller and his wife Keleigh Sperry. I promise my vote isn't because I am a big Miles Teller fan. I love that this ad showcases Bud Light in every day situations - even the mundane. So often the beer commercials show people at huge social functions or in the mountains fishing, etc. This struck the right cord and suggested the beer is easy drinking for the ordinary moments in life. It was a low-key low-production value spot and it won the day for me!"
Cole Osborne, Digital Programmatic Co-Lead
"I'm choosing the T-Mobile Bradley Cooper ad. That was genuinely funny and it didn't have the same approach as other advertisers just throwing in celebrities to draw attention. The interaction and informality of the ad made it funny and shows that they didn't need to spend big on production to make the ad work. Reminds me of Mint Mobile with Ryan Reynolds (also partnered with T-mobile)."
Zakiiya Mackey, Media Buyer
"The most creative ad must go to Tubi! Viewers thought someone changed the channel which caused quite a rift in many households. The Super Bowl commercial spot looked like it had returned to the game from a commercial break, then someone used a remote to scroll over to the Tubi TV App for something to watch. Their marketing team did a great job!"
Sarah Williams, COO
A second nod to the Bud Light on-hold music commercial! Sarah picked this as her favorite because, "it felt authentic while also making light of something we all sadly fall victim to, the dreaded hold music. I loved the playful nature and turning something horrible into something so fun."
Cayla Seligman, Paid Search Lead
"My fave Super Bowl spot was the Squarespace/Adam Driver commercial because... Adam Driver."
Stacy Woelber, Media Buyer
Unable to pick just one ad, Stacy shared two favorites from Jeep and Kia. "I love Jeeps and you can’t really go wrong with dancing animals. It’s a feel good ad. And, the Kia Binky ad – as a parent, I could relate to it! When a child loses their favorite stuffed animal or pacifier, it is the end of the world."
Ryan Pitz, CGO
His pick was Google's Fixed on Pixel ad because it was "a super-relatable and funny ad showcasing some amazing photography tech. Fingers crossed that it comes to iPhone soon!"
Shikha Patel, Media Coordinator
"My favorite Super Bowl ad this year was the Michelob Ultra commercial with Serena Williams. One, because I love Serena Williams and two, because the commercial does a funny twist on her playing golf as a new sport instead of tennis which she is an absolute expert at."
Carissa Polo, Content Lead & Social Media
"Binky Dad was the hero at my watch party! Kia took a relatable family vacation experience and turned it into a dramatic, action-packed recovery mission. What sells it for me is the twist at the end that pulls us back into reality and reminds us that even through larger-than-life adventures, raising a kid is hard and sometimes hilariously humbling."
Lyonel Nicholas, Digital Programmatic Co-Lead
"The commercial I had to choose is of course the Tubi commercial. When this commercial came on I thought that I was accidentally sitting on my remote and started to change the channel. If I was watching the game closer I would have noticed that these were not the real commentators (or were they? I really don't know). Nevertheless, this quick and clever commercial was sure to have many people looking for their remotes frantically."
Maia Brusseau, Account Director
"As an avid Foo Fighters fan, I had to pick the Dave Grohl Crown Royal ad. Aside from seeing one of my favorite musicians star in a commercial for a drink he's loved for decades (it's true, look it up!), I actually learned something from it. I had no idea that I owe our neighbors to the north a huge "thank you" for inventions like peanut butter, batteries, and most shocking of all, football!
I also think that the Steve Martin Pepsi One ad deserves a special mention, along with the Bud Light vs Miller Light ad that ended with an interesting twist that kept everyone's attention at the watch party I attended."
Do you agree with our team's picks? Drop us a line, or follow us on LinkedIn or Facebook to share your favorite Big Game ad!
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