Meg Ryan.
Millions of people tuned into the Super Bowl to watch the commercials that run between each quarter of the actual NFL game.
The 2025 lineup featured more than 50 brands who used this stage to showcase their creativity, humour and relevance in front of a captive audience.
Sabri Suby, founder of digital marketing agency King Kong, said Super Bowl ads are a massive investment.
“A 30-second slot costs around $8 million, plus another $3 to $7 million in talent fees, depending on the celebrity’s status and their agent’s negotiating skills,” he told AdNews.
“But ultimately, the goal isn’t just to air during the game - it’s to be the ad that everyone talks about afterward.”
OpenAI, Ritz and Häagen-Dazs made their Super Bowl debut this year, while long-time advertisers Budweiser, Dove and Reece’s returned.
Suby said the Mountain Dew ad takes the top spot because it’s visually intense and packed with unpredictable elements.
“The way I evaluate Super Bowl ads isn’t just about what happens during the game,” he said.
“The real measure of success is what happens after - the conversations people have the next day, the remarkability of the ad, and whether people actually talk about it.”
Suby believes ‘Kiss from a Lime’ is effective because it's “outlandish” and “wild”.
“In my opinion, this was the most outrageous ad of the year. Now, the first 10 seconds could have been stronger - the hook isn’t the best - but after that, it really gets entertaining,” he said.
“It has a visually chaotic style and a nostalgic soundtrack. But it’s not just nostalgia that only an older generation would recognise, Kiss from a Rose by Seal is a song that pretty much everyone knows.
“Even if you don’t know the song, the sheer absurdity of the visuals makes you stop and think, ‘What the hell is going on here?’.”
Suby said his second favorite ad is the Matthew McConaughey Uber Eats spot.
“This ad does a lot of things right. First, it has an incredible hook,” he said.
“The moment it starts, the dialogue kicks in: ‘From the very beginning, football has been a conspiracy to make us hungry.’
“That immediately sparks curiosity - whether or not you want to watch the ad, you’re already wondering what he’s talking about. They’ve opened a curiosity loop, and now you need to see how it plays out.”
Suby said the spot “cleverly” uses an identity trigger.
“If you’re watching football, and an ad comes on that specifically talks about football, you’re naturally going to pay attention,” he said.
“They also link the sport to food, which is exactly what Uber Eats wants to sell.”
Suby said most Super Bowl ads don’t focus on direct conversion, but Uber Eats re-hooked the audience at the 20-second mark with a trivia question.
“The ad eventually breaks the fourth wall, showing McConaughey in a therapy session where he realises, of course, this isn’t actually true,” he said.
“But by the time that happens, the ad has already done its job - it’s hooked you, entertained you, and subtly placed UberEats in your mind without aggressively pushing an offer.”
Suby said Stella Artois went all-in on celebrity endorsements, creating a “powerful” spot which leverages nostalgia and star power.
“Of course, almost all Super Bowl ads feature celebrities, but this one really takes it to another level,” he said.
“They’ve got David Beckham, and what I love about this ad is its storytelling. Nothing holds attention in an ad better than a strong story.”
Suby said the ad, which opens with Beckham’s parents saying, ‘You have a twin brother we never told you about,’ is effective.
“By the 14-second mark, the audience is fully engaged. We’re all waiting to find out who the twin brother is. Then, they reveal him - and it’s another celebrity,” he said.
“There’s a funny back-and-forth about how famous he really is, comparing him to Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. It keeps the humor light and engaging, while subtly weaving in the product.”
Suby said Hellman’s mayonnaise ad, featuring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, who recreated the deli scene from When Harry Met Sally, missed the mark.
“When you're advertising on something like the Super Bowl, this is a mass market advertising channel,” he said.
“A lot of the younger generations have never watched the movie, so the cultural reference doesn't hit on them,” he said.
“You have to realistically look at the demographic of the people who are watching the Super Bowl. If half of the audience doesn't understand the reference, that’s a very expensive $8 million.”
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