CR's choice of the 2021 Tremendous Bowl adverts
For advertisers in the US, the Super Bowl is the biggest event of the marketing year. A lot of money is spent creating blockbuster ads in order to reach large audiences both in-game and online.
For the past few years, advertisers have been posting their pre-game spots online to generate interest in the Super Bowl ads. We are also used to certain brands returning year after year. Not so this year as major advertisers such as Coke, Pepsi and Budweiser decided to suspend it in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic and financial uncertainty.
This allowed some newbies to perform, but other than that things were mostly as usual, with big celebrities and cheeky humor that was central to most of the spots. Politics was low on the agenda – perhaps unsurprisingly after recent events in the country – and the pandemic was only subtly alluded to.
A lot of ads will run during the Super Bowl. As usual, we've gone over them all so you don't have to. In no particular order, here is our pick of the best:
Doritos, #FlatMatthew; Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
Many of you may remember the children's book character Flat Stanley from your youth – well, this is Flat Matthew McConaughey, who just doesn't feel like himself these days. Until then he gets a foretaste of the new 3D Doritos.
Oats, wow, no cow; Agency: Oatly Mind Control Department / Forsman & Bodenfors
Turning up oats at the Super Bowl might seem odd enough, but then it delivers this ad with CEO Toni Petersson singing in a field. Ad fans may notice that this is actually a rerun of an ad originally created in 2014, but I doubt this will bother many viewers and instead be too busy chanting “Wow, no cow” over and over again.
Amazon, Alexa's body; Agency: Happy Generals
This spot, released last week, has already had over 76 million views on YouTube as people laugh at Michael B. Jordan becoming the Alexa of our dreams.
General Motors, No Way, Norway; Agency: McCann Worldgroup
Will Ferrell shows that advertising for electric cars can be as ridiculous as any Super Bowl car ads as he tries to slapstick war with Norway – which sells more electric cars per capita than the US.
Rocket Mortgage, Safe is Better; Agency: Highdive
Here's another blockbuster big star vehicle that Tracy Morgan is putting in epic efforts to demonstrate the importance of clearly defining your finances when buying a home in this location for Rocket Mortgage.
Jeep, the middle; Agency: Döner
It wouldn't be the Super Bowl without a sobering commercial examining life in America, and here Jeep delivers a two-minute spot with Bruce Springsteen reflecting on the recent political turmoil in the country without naming names.
Cadillac, scissors speakerphone; Agency: Leo Burnett
Another type of car ad as Cadillac uses the acting skills of Timothée Chalamet to play Edgar Scissorhands, the son of Edward. Like his father, he fights in everyday life, but then finds freedom in the hands-free calling of the Cadillac Lyriq.
Tide, the Jason Alexander Hoodie; Agency: Woven Collective
Celebrity appearances enter the realm of the surreal here when Seinfeld's Jason Alexander is trapped in a hoodie that needs to be washed. At least I think it was.
Verizon can't blame the delay; Agency: McCann
This Verizon spot starring Samuel L Jackson is epic in CGI to illustrate that his 5G game offers extremely low lag for gamers.
Anheuser-Busch, let's get a beer; Wieden + Kennedy
Most brands skipped mentioning the pandemic in their Super Bowl commercials (although that ad for Bud Light Seltzer was referring to the chaos of 2020 – it just wasn't the kind you were expecting), but it's tough Not to think about it at this point for Anheuser-Busch (owner of brands such as Budweiser, Michelob Ultra, Stella Artois). A thoughtful meditation on the value of a drink with friends that almost avoids falling into total sentimentality and instead serves as a poignant reminder of some of the simple things that many of us are currently unable to do.