Super Bowl 2024 will be etched into history as “The One with Taylor Swift,” but that doesn’t mean the ads won’t get their fair share of attention. While many brands paid big bucks to get their 30 seconds of fame, these are the favorites chosen by the All Points Social team.
Super Bowl Ad with the Biggest Gut Punch: Dove, “Let’s #KeepHerConfident”
This Super Bowl commercial starts strong, showing how tough young girl athletes are as they bounce back from stumbles and falls to “It’s a Hard Knock Life.” As Dove says, the knocks don’t stop girls from playing sports… low body confidence does. And then the music stops, and your visceral reaction begins. This is an effective launch of a campaign to boost the confidence of young athletes everywhere.
Super Bowl Ad That Produced the Most Tears: Google Pixel, “Javier in Frame”
Google’s Super Bowl spot hones in on one of Google Pixel’s latest AI-enabled features, Guided Frame, and masterfully demonstrates how it helps enhance the life of a disabled person – all while the audience views it through the eyes of someone with blindness or low vision. The tagline “Capture life, no matter how you experience it” is perfection. Cue the tears.
Super Bowl Ad with the Most Fun: Kawasaki, “Mullets”
Sometimes, a solid Super Bowl commercial is all about having fun. Kawasaki nailed this with its homage to mullets – business in the front, party in the back – to advertise the new Ridge sport utility UTV. Let the good times roll indeed.
Super Bowl Ad with the Best Cameos: e.l.f. Cosmetics, “In e.l.f. We Trust”
“Suits” was the most-streamed show in 2023. e.l.f. Cosmetics leveraged everyone’s favorite legal drama by dropping two of its characters into the courtroom of Judge Beauty (no other than Judge Judy) to litigate against overspending on beauty in favor of affordable, cruelty-free e.l.f. products. Joining Louis Litt and Jessica Pearson is a star-studded courtroom, including “Jury Duty’s” Ronald Gladden, Meghan Trainor, HeidiNCloset of “Ru Paul’s Drag Race,” comedian Benito Skinner (aka Benny Drama), and more. Shoutout to Donna (Sarah Rafferty) as the court stenographer. This just might become one of the most memorable Super Bowl 2024 ads.
Super Bowl Ad with the Most Slapstick Comedy: Reese’s, “Yes!”
Reese’s cranked up the funny factor and focused on slapstick comedy as part of its new product reveal, the Caramel Big Cup.
Super Bowl Ad with the Most Uncomfortable Mirror of Reality: Pluto TV, “Couch Potato Farms”
As prices for streaming services rise, more and more Americans are canceling their accounts and embracing a subscription-less TV and movie life. Enter Pluto TV, a free ad-supported streaming service that’s kind of like how TV used to be, but with many, many more channels at your fingertips. There is a non-monetary cost, though –the more free TV you watch, the more likely you are to morph into a literal couch potato.
Super Bowl Ad with the Most Compelling Puppy-to-Dog Storyline (and Clydesdales): Budweiser, “Old School Delivery”
Budweiser’s Super Bowl commercial leverages its beloved Clydesdale tradition. This time, the Clydesdales help deliver kegs of Budweiser “the old-fashioned way” after a big snowstorm hits. But there’s a deeper layer of meaning to this spot in the form of the Yellow lab that greets the horses upon their arrival. Could it be the puppy from 2014’s “Best Buds” – arguably one of the best Super Bowl ads of all time – all grown up and reuniting with his old friend?
Super Bowl Ad with the Best Use of Weird Barbie: Hellmann’s, “Mayo Cat”
What’s weirder than Weird Barbie? A cat acting as spokesperson for mayonnaise? It’s as good a guess as any. Hellmann’s captures Kate McKinnon’s trademark goofiness and well-documented love for cats in this very funny Super Bowl spot. It’s complete with a hilarious cameo by Pete Davidson.
Super Bowl Ad with the Best Big Game Punchline: UberEats, “Don’t Forget”
With this Super Bowl commercial, UberEats positions itself as the solution for when you forget all about dinner/errands and have nowhere else to turn. It shows various celebrities and people in real-life situations forgetting key aspects of their lives: Jennifer Aniston forgot working with David Schwimmer for a decade on “Friends,” Victoria and David Beckham can’t remember what the “Spice Girls” were called (“Paprika Girls?”), a person with a peanut allergy realizes too late that peanuts are the main ingredient of peanut butter, and so on. In the end, Usher says he wishes he could play the Super Bowl half-time show someday. It’s funny unless you don’t know who Usher is.
Super Bowl Ads with the Best Nod to Meme Culture: Dunkin’, “PopStar” and “The DunKings”
Once again, New England icon Ben Affleck stars in a “Dunkin'” Super Bowl ad. This time, the two-part ad storyline riffs off of the “Sad Ben Affleck” memes that make up much of the social media lexicon. Ben is fueling himself with Dunkin’ to fight back against his “Sad Ben” status by becoming a pop star. This Super Bowl spot also gets an honorable mention for the best use of celebrities to bridge the generational divide, with TikTok queen Charli D’Amelio showing Ben how it’s done these days.
Later, we see Ben’s efforts on display when his boy band, “The DunKings,” enters J.Lo’s recording studio. It doesn’t go well, but at least Matt Damon has Ben’s back.
So there you have it: All Points Social’s picks for the best Super Bowl 2024 ads. Some will be forgotten by Monday; others will become Super Bowl lore. Only time will tell.