The Super Bowl is the most viewed yearly television event in America, so it’s no surprise that the advertisements to go with it are extremely important. Getting this many people to see your business is important, so companies have to make sure it counts. It’s become almost a trend to have entertaining, interesting, and funny commercials, but that’s not all that matters of course. It is extremely important for companies to let you know what they are advertising. If people remember the ad but not the product, the commercial would be a huge waste of money. With all of that said though, here are my personal top 5 Super Bowl ads of 2023.

The number 5 slot goes to Doritos. These guys tend to put out some really good Super Bowl commercials, so it’s no surprise this year they did great. The ad centers around Jack Harlow becoming famous with the triangle, spawning a huge nationwide phenomenon. Not only is this pretty funny, but it never feels out of touch or too extreme. Also, it ties into the product great, obviously playing off the shape of Doritos. Overall, this was a great and most importantly memorable commercial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYPYfEVU62U

At number 4 we have the Popcorners Breaking Bad commercial. I have been seeing this one everywhere and for good reason. Popcorners not only used Breaking Bad, a popular topic now, but they really went all out. The set design is on point and the characters are saying their famous lines without feeling too out of place. The only thing I didn’t like about it is the fact that it’s a little hard to remember the Popcorners themselves, but it was so well put together I had to put it this high.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMlemd6U24Y

For number 3, we have the M&M’s. This is a really interesting case because the ad itself was fine, but the real magic happened in the pre-promotion. The premise revolved around the M&M’s mascots getting replaced by Maya Rudolph, due to the real-life backlash the company received for changing some of their character’s designs. The mascots were never really replaced, instead using the premise to tell a joke about the whole ordeal, but it made for an entertaining commercial either way. Also, you can’t remember the ad without remembering the M&M’s themselves, so that’s a huge win for the company.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV2ARgWiGok

The number 2 spot is an odd one because it actually played right before kickoff. This was an ad for Prime, the famous energy drink created by internet celebrities Logan Paul and KSI. The commercial features the two drinking Prime, partying, and having other famous internet personalities comment on how good the drink is. That’s not the important part though, the important part was that the commercial was hype. Anyone over the age of 25 would probably think it was all just sensory overload, but that’s not their target demographic. Their target demographic is kids who want partying, chaos, and to see their favorite internet celebrities. While not a good commercial on paper, it worked out really well for Prime. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebha0MzwtU8

Before we get to the final pick, I want to give the cosmetic line E.L.F. the award for the worst commercial. The only good thing I could say about it is that the brand was very prominent, but even that gets turned into a downside. The main pain point is that nothing was fun to watch. Everything relied on Jennifer Coolidge, who was just annoying to listen to. Relying on celebrities is always a bad idea, but picking a bad one is even worse. The premise of the commercial was that the products were very “sticky”, and there were a lot of unfunny jokes about Jennifer fumbling around due to this. Also, due to this people will probably think of these products as being gross or a hassle to use, so now that people know the brand is attached to this they might tend to avoid it. Despite this being relatively short, it was a pain to get through. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzE68RiXbT8

Alright, now we finally get to the number 1 spot. There have been some funny, topical, and even hype commercials, so what beats all of that out? The answer: fear. The commercial starts out with an announcer talking about a big play as images of fans cheating for their team are shown. This goes on for a bit until there is a sharp cut. The text “Heart attack risks can more than double when your home team plays” appears on screen, accompanied by the deep sound of a heartbeat. You only then realize that the heartbeat has been there the whole time, and that’s what has been changing the images. The ad then picks back up, but now the heartbeat is getting faster and faster, louder and louder. More images start flashing up quicker and quicker. Even though you know what’s going to happen it still feels inescapable. And then, silence again. This time, no heartbeat. You know what happened. Finally, the brand shows up on screen: Aspirin, a heart attack prevention medicine. This ad is phenomenal. It gives you a nightmare scenario and shows itself as the way to avoid it. Even more perfect is that scenario could happen to you right now, watching the game. The commercial gives a clear call to action with them as the solution without even asking anything of the viewers. It’s the most unconventional number one pick, sure, but it is definitely deserving of the top spot.

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/2U1n/bayer-aspirin-cardio-iconic

And that’s a wrap. This year had a really good lineup of commercials, which is great to see. Sure there were a lot of bad ones but I tended to like most of the ones I saw. Hopefully, they keep getting better and better as time goes on. Next time the Super Bowl comes around, try to pay attention to the commercials a bit more. A lot goes into making a good one, so trying to pick your favorites is pretty fun most of the time. Good night sports fans, and see you next year.