Nostalgia Bowl

Last night's Big Game brought with it a major sense of nostalgia with some of our favorite actors and nods to TV shows from the ’90s and early 2000s along with a halftime show that had Millennials and Gen X singing, “It’s the one and only D-O-Double G”. While some of us got to reminisce, we also got to take a look at the future – the future of the internet with the Metaverse, the future of finance – with the most expensive QR code ever, and the future of normalcy as we get back “on the road again”. As a marketer, the game is fun to watch but we’re really in it to see all the executions of months and months of hard work brands and agencies put into their spots.?

Opinions are like…you know what…everyone has one, but these are my favorite:

1. Kia “Robo Dog”

Who doesn’t love a puppy – Kia merged a crowd-pleaser puppy but made it electric. A classic concept that used an SB trope but modernized it, just like Kia is modernizing their cars. This was #4 on the USA TODAY ad meter, but I think it deserves numero uno.?

2. Expedia “Stuff”

Ewan McGregor brings back the travel bug we have all been looking for in this spot for Expedia. As we get ready for a year of potential travel again, and a sense of true new normalcy – it sells the brand but also has a great macro message about experiences over things. This one worked really well for me.?

3. Meta Quest 2“Harry the Hound”

An ad that tugged at the heartstrings. While we may not all agree on our feelings toward Meta and virtual worlds, this spot gave us hope that if used for good, Meta has the power to bring people together in a way that they never even imagined. Who wouldn’t want to get their old band back together for a night or two? What do you think Lucy, one more show in the Metaverse?

4. Verizon “Jim Carrey as The Cable Guy”

Jim Carrey is back and still as funny as ever. Verizon tapped the actor to reprise his role as the cable guy from 1996, it was a great moment of nostalgia for me and the rest of my SB party. It positioned Verizon as understanding the future by commenting on its past.?

5. Chevy Electric “New Generation”

Chevy Electric made the best case for not releasing your spot before the game. Chevy debuted their new generation of the electric trucks using both an old and new generation of Sopranos?characters,?sending fans of the show into a tizzy causing Chevy to trend across social channels. A great example of the element of surprise.??

Honorable mention: Coinbase

Can’t talk about melding the past, present, and future without talking about the most expensive QR code out there. With the $14 Million dollar spot, Coinbase created a QR that bounced around for a minute to the tune of an old DVD screensaver prompting curious watchers to scan and download the app. From the talk on social this ad “crashed” their website….but I’m thinking that was a planned accident to get more buzz,? considering the agency team behind the work. The old case study line “....and, it was so successful our website even went down.”?

What are your thoughts on my top spots?