Australian creatives have shared their thoughts on this year’s Super Bowl ads, with spots from Pringles, Planet Fitness, and Uber Eats earning praise.
Brands reportedly paid up to $US6.5 million for a 30-second spot during the broadcast which is reported to reach more than 100 million people.
Criteo aired its first Super Bowl commercial which reflected on its work to build an open internet where consumers are in control of what they discover and how companies can interact with their data.
Meta, previously Facebook, also advertised with an ad featuring an animatronic dog finding his way back to his former life via the metaverse.
AdNews asked Australian creatives to share which ad was their favourite, or worst. This year’s ad from Pringles, about a man who gets his hands stuck in a Pringles can, was highlighted as a favourite.
“Thank goodness for Pringles then, a diamond in the rough this year,” says Ogilvy Network AUNZ’s Toby Talbot.
“Mercifully free of retired NRL quarterbacks and irrelevant Hollywood A-listers.”
Toby Talbot, Ogilvy Network AUNZ chief creative officer
Some shockers this year. What never ceases to amaze me is how much money is spent making - and running - Super Bowl ads, yet how undeniably awful most of them always are. Thank goodness for Pringles then, a diamond in the rough this year. Mercifully free of retired NRL quarterbacks and irrelevant Hollywood A-listers. Wraps great storytelling and an epic power ballad around a genuine insight into how we eat Pringles.
Runner-up: Michelob Ultra for ‘Superior Bowl’. Best looking and sounding spot by a country mile. Bringing Steve Buscemi back to play his Donny character from the Big Lebowski is a masterstroke.
Worst ad: For me, getting Chloé Zhao, director of Nomadland, to direct a cheesy Budweiser Clydesdales spot is like using a Japanese chef’s knife to grout your floor tiles.
Matt Stoddart, TBWA\Melbourne and Eleven Melbourne group creative director
BMW’s Zeus and Hera ad was both my best and worst spot. It's so bad it's good and you can’t help but smile the whole way through. From the moment you see Arnold Schwarzenegger as old man Zeus, sunbathing on a giant slice of inflatable watermelon you’re absolutely hooked. And with a tagline of 'Electricity in its ultimate form', it couldn’t have been anyone else. The spot is well shot, well crafted, and has just the perfect amount of over-the-top lightning bolts from Arnie’s wiggly fingers.
Toby Moore, Special creative director
My pick is FTX. I mean, it makes sense: crypto seeks widespread legitimacy. So what better proof of its rock-solid foundations than dropping a wodge on a Super Bowl ad? And what an epic it is. Basically, Larry David making bad calls one after the other through humanity’s greatest moments of invention. Worth seeing alone for Larry with a Friar Tuck bob. For mine, his last couple of lines were unnecessary. The previous 50 seconds have proven Larry’s no judge. But it didn’t hurt it too much. Those lines are coming from Larry so what the heck, keep them in for those not paying attention.
Bede Gannon, Wunderman Thompson Australia associate creative director
Ladies and gentlemen, this is democracy manifest. Thank you to Adnews for asking me to spill a few thoughts for your reading pleasure. So, today a game was played (that I have zero understanding of) but the real entertainment came between the sessions of sportsball, wedged in there. Much like our hapless hero’s hand in what was my favourite spot - Stuck In by Pringles. There’s lots to like about this. The perfect track. Amazing grading. A fascinating story. The little details that helped complete the picture (the childs’ drawing on the fridge), but it was the sheer absurdity that made me lol. Let’s all give it a one-handed clap.
Henry Kember, Host/Havas group creative director
I'm not a parochial person. But I’m going home-town hero on this one. Uber Don’t Eats is made from all the ingredients you expect to find in an SB spot: celebrities, broad humour, a sunny Modern Family-esque film world. Where it diverts from type is a fully bonkers idea (and a nicely bent line) that’s not a pun, not borrowed interest, and by no means a long bow. Hell, it's bone headedly simple, and memetic as hell—just hear the TikTok sound and you know where to post your own questionable UGC attempt. Which, if questionable enough, will become excellent content for the brand. Now go bite some tinfoil.
Justin Ruben, CHEP Network executive creative director
The Super Bowl, the biggest day of the year for NFL fans and Hollywood agents. First off, kudos to everyone who made an ad. I can only imagine the number of Zoom calls and times people said “You’re on mute” that went into these. Not sure if there was an overall theme to the work this year, but more comedic then the last few years and no mention of COVID.
In terms of the ads, I’ll start with my favourite:
Best:
FTX: Amazing to get Larry to do this, very funny and well produced.
Uber Eats: Funny premise, but I only wish Gwyneth would’ve eaten her Jade egg.
Amazon: I’m sure people think Alexa already reads your mind, but fun performances.
Worst:
Sketchers: I’m suspecting Willie Nelson was definitely on drugs when he did this.
Scott Huebscher, VCCP executive creative director
My pick is Planet Fitness "What's Gotten into Lindsay?" In a year when advertisers tried way too hard to be funny, it was one of the few ads that had a clear message, used a lot of big name celebs well for a series of quick and smart gags all in a tight :30. (I'm going to pretend I didn't see that endframe.) The story it told was simple; Lindsey looks great because she's been working out at Planet Fitness... rather than a long, drawn-out pointless story that went nowhere -- I'm looking at you, Pringles.
Simon Brock, Digitas Australia executive creative director
Samuel Adams made me laugh, Google made me feel, and Expedia deftly skewered consumerism with brilliant contextual relevance. But the real winner is US bidet brand, Tushy, whose bold ‘Super Bowel Monday’ competition has earned global attention and infiltrated conversations around the biggest moment in advertising – without spending a cent on official partnerships or traditional channels. Yes, it’s gross. But it's ‘the s***’ when it comes to effectively leveraging the occasion for a challenger brand in a challenging category.
Simon Lee, The Hallway partner and executive creative director
I kind of want to be able to just have a laugh at the antics of the raft of celebrities featured in so many of these ads (and I did have a chuckle or too), but I can’t help but feel that right now brands should be using the Super Bowl opportunity to help make a dent in the big societal and ecological issues America and the rest of the world are facing. I guess this is why Salesforce’s Team Earth ad resonates with me. I agree with Matthew McConaughey’s words: “While the others look to the Metaverse and Mars, let’s stay here and nurture ours” and I really like his closing line “The new frontier, it ain’t rocket science, it’s right here”. I just hope that Salesforce is also putting their money where their movie star’s mouth is.
Nathan Moraza, Clemenger BBDO Sydney senior copywriter
I loved the Pringles spot this year. Getting your hand stuck in a Pringles can has become a recurring meme for the brand over the last 10 years. Instead of steering away from what could be perceived as a complaint, they've embraced it and turned it around - eating Pringles IS worth a lifetime of your hand stuck in a can.
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