Super Bowl 2024: 3 Key Themes

Where Big Game commercials once had the power to mint cultural catchphrases and iconic moments, many of the ads that connected with fans tapped into old IP (with an emphasis this year on cast reunions) and familiar faces for sure-fire appeal across a culturally and politically divided America. (The same could be said for Usher’s halftime show.)    

Among them, travel site Booking.com has racked up 109.8 million views on YouTube since February 2 with a 30 Rock theme, featuring Tina Fey alongside sitcom co-stars Jane Krakowski and Jack McBrayer.

Topping USA Today’s Ad Meter (voted on by the public), insurance giant State Farm’s Like a Good Neighbaaa commercial reunited Arnold Schwarzenegger – repeatedly mispronouncing “neighbour” in the brand’s strapline – with Twins and Junior co-star Danny DeVito. The ad’s trailer has amassed 34.5 million YouTube views.

BMW scored the highest likeability score in iSpotTV’s sentiment analysis, with veteran actor Christopher Walken suffering fans’ impressions of him, referencing his roles across a long career.

Popular commercials from brands in categories from skincare to snacks stood out with surreal but sweet-natured humour lightly parodying traditional advertising and entertainment conventions, from perfume ads to bombastic action movies.  

Most notably, US budget skincare brand CeraVe riffed on the softly seductive vibes of old-school fragrance ads in a gauzy sequence showing actor Michael Cera imagining he’s behind the brand – reaching peak surrealism in the extended cut when he communes with a unicorn-horned dolphin. This was preceded by three weeks of offbeat stunts – such as a TikTok video (1.1 million views to date) in which creator Haley Kalil seemingly bumps into Cera autographing CeraVe products in a drugstore.

The quirkiest ad came from language app Duolingo, leveraging Gen Z’s passion for its slightly unhinged owl mascot, Duo. Just five seconds long, the ad (six million TikTok views within 24 hours) shows Duo’s rear end ballooning into a mini-owl. Concurrently, the brand sent app users notifications stating: “No butts – do a lesson now!”

Doritos scored well (ranked fourth most likeable on iSpotTV and 10th on USA Today’s Ad Meter) with a play on action movie stunts featuring a multigenerational, all-Hispanic cast. Young actress Jenna Ortega and her two abuelas (grandmothers), Dina and Mita, chase a man who’s snagged the last bag of Dinamita chips. The over-the-top sequence ends with the abuelas flying down a zipline to snatch the snack.

While brands swerved divisive issues (such as overt sustainability or inclusivity themes), both Google and Dove resonated with viewers by showcasing social-good initiatives, avoiding overly sentimental or sombre scenarios.

Google has tallied 37.8 million YouTube views since February 2 by demonstrating how its Pixel 8 phone helps blind people or those with low vision take photos. Made by blind British filmmaker Adam Morse, the minute-long ad was partly filmed through petroleum jelly to convey what the protagonist sees. He’s shown taking photos as he starts dating a woman, moves in with her, and ultimately becomes a dad – a sweet but not saccharine ending, with the tagline: ‘Capture life no matter how you experience it.’

Landing sixth in USA Today’s rankings, Dove spotlit its Body Confident Sport coaching programme (a partnership with Nike), combatting the insecurity that often hits girls at puberty. Soundtracked by It’s the Hard Knock Life, it shows real home video of young girls falling down as they compete in sports. On-screen copy reads: “The knocks don’t stop girls playing sports; low body confidence does.” It ends positively, with a teen swimmer joyfully jumping into a pool.