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Verizon
Break out the blue sequins, polish up your skates, and start sending those congratulatory gifts to Taylor Swift. As the country participated in the gratuitous orgy of capitalism also known as Super Bowl LVIII, the real ones know that even though the Chiefs emerged victorious in an overtime victory over the 49ers, the bona fide highlights of each Sunday of the Super Bowl are those super places. Judging by past reasons, some years the commercials are downright bizarre, while other times they mostly focused on heartbreaking sentimentality. There was even a year when Mr. Peanut died (shudders)
For the 2024 edition of the Big Game set in Las Vegas, advertisers decided to bet on the spectacle: important revelations (Wicked! Beyoncé!), big stars and repeat favorites (Jennifer Coolidge, Ben Affleck, Tom Brady). Every 30 seconds had a price tag of $7 million.
These are some of the most outlandish, optimistic and questionable ads that ran during Super Bowl LVIII.
Beyonce
Verizon
BOTO? Bar-Bey? “Drop the new music?!” Only Beyoncé can turn Verizon, a company also known for those banal “Can You Hear Me Now?” ads, into a hashtag-inducing commentary on the lengths celebrities go to to break souls (I mean, break the Internet). You and my Queen not only starred in this fun and epic commercial, but also previewed new music in the form of the second installment of their three-parter. Renaissance project: the superstar’s long-rumored country album (teased immediately afterward with a pair of new singles: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages”). It’s another W for the shining star.
The Scorseses
square space
Forget Taylor and Jason: the most exciting dynamic duo this year was Marty and Francesca. Yes, the legendary filmmaker and his Gen Z actress daughter have been making magic on TikTok for a while. (Did you see the one where the director found Hollywood’s new star? your dog?) Luckily, the powers that be at website building company Squarespace wanted in on all the fun and featured the two in an endearing father-daughter sneak peek in which the duo joked about trying to create a website. It was the lead-up to the Big Game commercial, with a punchline that only die-hard New Yorker Marty could come up with.
Temu?!
temu
The once dark shopping center covered terrorized the American public with a gang of ads that bordered on global harassment. While we’re all for giving Jeff Bezos’ aforementioned orange arrow monster some healthy competition, for the love of all things holy, let it happen without forcing us to watch one more Temu commercial. For evidence, check out the internet’s reaction to the attack, which falls somewhere between traumatized and hostile.
J.Cool
Discover It Card
Since his well-deserved resurgence as part of the cast of The white lotus, Coolidge has been a frequent promoter for ancient navy and elf cosmetics (with their ad about elves airing during the Big Game last year). Now add to that repertoire the Discover credit card poster with an ad similar in style and humor to all the others.
TO 30 rock Meeting
Reserva.com
The vacation planning website is no stranger to silly ads featuring today’s top comedians (see: last year’s ad featuring Melissa McCarthy). For 2024, the site recruited Tina Fey for a quasi 30 rock Reuniting with castmates Jane Krakowski and Jack McBrayer for a fun spot where everyone pretends to be Fey for a day. However, the icing on the cake was a cameo from Glenn Close, and yes, Fey was just as surprised as you. The whole thing seems to have paid off: Even before its premiere at the Big Game, the YouTube clip had already racked up nearly 100 million views.
Jenna Ortega & The Grandmothers
Dynamite Doritos
Word to the wise: don’t mess with a grandmother on a mission. For this fun and raucous Doritos ad (which complements their rolled tortilla chips called Dinamitas), we embark on a wild ride when two tough guys grandmothers (named Dina and Mita, naturally) are betrayed to the highest degree when someone… gasp! — beats them to the last bag of chips. Starring Jenna Ortega and Danny Ramirez, the script change announcement served as a slick and triumphant relaunch for the crunchy snack brand.
Swifties
cetaphil
Choose your own opinion: A) What an absolutely adorable place about the sacred bond between fathers and daughters and how Taylor and Travis brought the country together in sweet, loving harmony. B) How dare this greedy company profit from the relationship between two people to sell skin cream by featuring copyright-free images of friendship bracelets, red t-shirts, and the numbers 13 and 89? Worse: may have been removed from a TikTok creator without credit.
Bennifer loves Dunkin’
Dunkin’
What is it with celebrities and their penchant for fooling around with Dunkin’ Donuts? In the crucified critic of Adam Sandler Jack and Jill, the only bright spot was star Al Pacino rapping about the store’s fictional cappuccino drink, Dunkaccinos. Then last year, after photos of Ben Affleck tripping over Dunkin’ Donuts products went viral, he starred in an actual ad for the brand (a super-marketing move that reportedly led to the biggest sales day in Dunkin’ Donuts history). the company). Now we have Affleck, along with his wife Jennifer Lopez and his friends Matt Damon and Tom Brady, betting fiercely on Dunkin’ once again. (And throw in Jack Harlow and Fat Joe for good measure.) What kind of carb control does this company have on our nation’s celebrities?
Mr. T.
Skechers
Listen, fool! When Mr. T speaks, we have no choice but to open our damn ears and listen. Sneaker company Skechers cleverly recruited the ’80s icon, along with NFL broadcaster Tony Romo, in this clever ad that reflects on how there’s no letter “T” in Skechers…putting Mr. T in Skechers. Make sense? Good. I pity the fool who doesn’t follow such a simple and fun premise.
The anti-vaccine whose own family members can’t stand it
American values
We all know Robert F. Kennedy is a crackpot conspiracy theorist, like that distant, flamboyant uncle you run into at family functions and chat politely with as you count down the seconds until it’s over. His PAC’s decision to replicate his uncle’s iconic and catchy campaign ad, one of the best ever created in the medium, along with 1960s-era imagery, was slimy and opportunistic (only Ask your nephew Bobby Shriver., who said his late mother would be “horrified by his deadly views on health care”). RFK Jr. even, in a strange move, apologized if the ad “caused anyone in my family pain.” On twitter while apparently distancing herself from him and also posting the announcement on her Twitter profile. Make it make sense.
The one from Uber Eats
Uber eats
Continuing its great tradition of presenting a wild commercial filled with cameos from disparate celebrities, Uber Eats has done it again this time with ads like those of yesteryear. Friends (Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer), notable artists (Jelly Roll) and even an out-of-touch self-proclaimed millionaire (Victoria Beckham) and her husband (David Beckham). Cameos are nice when they surprise. But filling an entire commercial with seemingly incongruous ads is like waiting for a ride that goes around in circles.