The Super Bowl Ads That Made Me Look Up From My Phone
- Cathy Campo
- Feb 22
- 3 min read
By: Cole Garda, Staff Writer / Finance & Sponsorships Director
While a group of bright Kellogg students guided by esteemed professors were scrupulously analyzing Super Bowl ads using the ADPLAN framework, I was on my couch, mostly scrolling on my phone during the commercial breaks. This is the ad ranking from the modern viewer, who only bothers to look up when the audio and visuals in an ad are truly compelling. Or when my chess game ended. If we combine this list with the Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review, it should be comprehensive.
Rankings:
Actor Ben Stiller and singer Benson Boone as retro European disco-pop stars battle it out over Instacart’s feature that lets you pick your banana ripeness. I can’t hide my smile each time I watch. The song is great, Benson Boone does his classic flip, Ben Stiller sings in an Italian accent. I love that it’s almost impossible to discern what feature is being advertised. All around excellence. I can’t believe it was directed by the guy who made Her (Spike Jonze). The two-and-a-half-minute “director’s cut” on YouTube gives much needed insight into the on-stage rivalry.
Former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch jumps out of a plane, iShowSpeed chases one, some guy sprints through vultures, some girl almost dies on a bike, and Spike Lee… watches basketball… all while wearing the new Oakley Meta glasses! The glasses are sweet, and the action shots are awesome. I almost dropped my phone on my face when the girl fell off the bike. Plus, it went for the full, expensive minute. All the elements a person on their couch wants. Well worth the $16M ad slot.
Ah, the start of a beautiful advertising rivalry. Coke and Pepsi have carried the torch on the direct-shots-fired ad campaigns, and I hope this can turn into something similar. The ChatGPT actor is unbelievable. The demeanor and phrasing are spot on, and somehow the pacing is too. “HeightMaxxing” is hilarious. The whole experience was strangely peaceful. Dr. Dre closing it out with “What’s the Difference” sealed the deal. Claude shooting up the app store charts and Sam Altman firing back on X in the aftermath gives it a boost.
I don’t know why I liked this one so much. I think it aired later in the game after the Patriots were on their way to a loss, so maybe I was just in a great mood. I had no idea where it was going. Seeing which Pokémon they chose was fun. Lady Gaga harmonizing with JigglyPuff was the highlight. F1 Driver Charles Leclerc chilling in Monaco and Spanish soccer player Lamine Yamal at practice were great. My first thought was that there needs to be more Pokémon movies, then I Googled it and found out there are 23 of them. Maybe more live-action? Idk.
Something about the way the Xfinity guy says, “woah, this place is awesome,” really got me. Immediate nostalgia seeing the old Jurassic Park cast back on the screen looking exactly the same somehow. It made me realize how much better the old movies are. The “Escape (Piña Colada Song)” transition showing what Jurassic Park would be like if it stayed open is fun. Actor Jeff Goldblum watching Love Island by the pool is breathtaking. I also now realize that all the ads I like are a full minute long. Maybe a trend.
Not much explanation needed here—NFL tight ends promoting prostate cancer screenings (AKA, cancer of the tight end). It made me realize pharma/medical companies never use humor in their ads. It was a nice change of pace.
Unfortunately, none of this year’s ads were able to supplant the all-time greats:
Michael Jordan and Larry Bird playing a one-letter version of H-O-R-S-E for MJ’s Big Mac. Spoiler but MJ’s last shot is off the top of the John Hancock Center, calling nothing but net, of course. This is the stuff that makes hating on MJ so difficult.
And this was made BEFORE AI. Smart kid.
“Hey, Janice!” Something about the whole thing is even more funny as a business school student.
I was Yoda for Halloween for six straight years as a kid, so slight bias. Glorious ad.
Sue me.
Read about the Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review here
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