In my review last week, I highlighted how early front-runners Doritos and FanDuel were smartly playing to football’s unifying appeal. As more brands release their Super Bowl teasers, we’re seeing a concerning trend: Too many advertisers are confusing star power with stopping power.
The multi-million-dollar question remains: Who will break through, get noticed, communicate a relevant message about their brand, and score an impactful sales touchdown?
Playing It Safe With Star-Studded Nostalgia
Hellmann’s revival of When Harry Met Sally with Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan and Sydney Sweeney feels like a $15 million exercise in nostalgia without purpose. While dusting off a 35-year-old movie classic might keep the senior crowd from dashing to the bathroom, this feels like playing it safe rather than playing to win.
The iconic deli scene went viral before we had social media – back when viral meant people actually gathering around office water coolers to share what they’d watched. Even throwing in Sydney Sweeney to appeal to younger viewers won’t help if those viewers don’t even know what mayonnaise is.
Nostalgia can work, but only if it drives home a reason to care about the product today.
Riding Current Trends With Mixed Results
Michelob Ultra’s pickleball play with Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara leans into today’s pickleball craze while suggesting that with a little extra gym time, seniors can play like they’re 20 again. It reminds me of that famous Snickers spot with Betty White playing backyard football – great entertainment value, but will people remember it as a Michelob Ultra ad, or just another “old folks outplaying the young” joke?
Having done this for many years, I know that getting remembered for the joke rather than the brand is a common and costly mistake.
Borrowed Interest: A Risky Game
Booking.com and Instacart both fall into the familiar trap of leaning on borrowed interest – Muppets for one, grocery store mascots for the other. In today’s fragmented media landscape, being memorable isn’t enough .Instacart crams as many grocery-store mascots as possible into one ad, hoping that familiar faces (Mr. Clean, Lucky the Leprechaun, etc.) will do the heavy lifting. It’s a clever play on brand recognition, but here’s the problem: people will remember the mascots, not Instacart.
Everyone already knows Instacart delivers major brands, so what’s the new takeaway here? Without a compelling reason to use the service beyond convenience, this ad risks getting lost in the mix.
These ads feel like they came from a “Super Bowl Commercial Mad Libs” exercise rather than a clear brand strategy.
When Good Ingredients Make A Bad Recipe
And then there’s HexClad Cookware’s Unidentified Frying Object with Gordon Ramsay and Pete Davidson – perhaps the clearest example of what happens when you have a big budget but no big idea. Ramsay is a great brand ambassador when he’s actually cooking – his name lends credibility to kitchen products. But throw him into a ridiculous UFO scenario with Pete Davidson, and all that authority vanishes.
No one runs out to buy a $200 pan because of a sci-fi parody. It’s the kind of ad that makes you wonder if anyone in the room asked, “But why?”
Having analyzed brands for decades, I can tell you that winning the Super Bowl ad game isn’t about who spends the most or casts the biggest stars. It’s about understanding where consumers’ heads are at that moment and connecting with them in a way that builds your brand, not just your buzz.
The clock is ticking toward kickoff. Given the country’s polarization this year, my money’s still on those who keep it simple and stay close to the game itself. Let’s see who else takes the field – and who remembers they’re playing for keeps, not just laughs.