The Touchdowns and Fumbles of Super Bowl Ads 2024

So many Super Bowl ads, so little time. We’ve mourned the losses, celebrated the victories and after marinating on this year’s Super Bowl of advertising, we’re ready to share our takeaways from the big day.? Here’s our high-level list of the good, the bad, and the Bowl’s biggest in between.

The Hit List:?

State Farm — Like a Good Neighbaaa?

When Arnold Schwarzenegger drops his “R”s as the latest spokesman for State Farm, hilarity ensues. A full nostalgia play connects the audience to their favorite Arnie moments from cinema past—and seeing a big, strong action star struggling with a small diction issue is highly comedic and endearing. If Stefán from SNL was rating this ad, he’d say, “It’s got everything—action, adventure, comedy, Jake from State Farm, a choppaaaa, and a fully integrated campaign to boot.”?

Takeaway: When a brand can tap into personality and humor to sell their product, you’ve got a winnaaaaaa.?

CeraVe — Michael CeraVe

“I’m Michael Cera, and human skin is my passion.” Did he get our attention? Yes.??

Not since Peter Saargard’s Saars Guards (a work of fiction, ofc), has a celebrity partnership been so perfectly matched in name. Michael Cera’s boyish charm mixed with the absurdist humor of a Tim & Eric sketch brought a bold take on an otherwise basic brand. CeraVe is a top dermatologist label but often gets lost in the shuffle of TikTok beauty and the Kardashian contouring craze.??

Takeaway: A celeb partnership that’s more funny than flashy takes a brand from the back of the shelf straight to the top.

E*Trade — Picklebabies

Look who’s talking now! It’s babies playing pickleball! The sports craze that’s swept a nation from boomers to Millennials set the playing field for E*Trade’s quip of whatever’s served next. LOVE-LOVE.?

Takeaway: Pairing a cultural trend with solid comedic writing will go as smooth as a newborn baby’s backhand.

The Miss List:?

Temu — Shop Like a Billionaire

“Feels like a dream, just like magic.” Uh. More like a NIGHTMARE, Temu! This ad had all the visual appeal of a cheap phone gaming app. The sing-songy message was clear—Temu is tone deaf and we’re still wondering how you can shop this app and only pay a dollar for a blender or whatever else they’re selling.??

Takeaway: With a total of 6 ads, Temu lost an opportunity to tell the audience what Temu actually IS. Plus, the tagline really needs to read the room.??

Homes.com — A Goldmine of Local Intel

How could our king Dan Levy let us down like this? Through no fault of his own, this ad was a big, hot, steaming mess. In fact, if the homes.com logo didn’t appear at the end, we would tell you it was a commercial fever dream where a bunch of creatives got together, and Madlibbed a Super Bowl ad. Hated it.??

Takeaway: Get it together. If your story’s not easy to follow, viewers will just turn back to their chips n dip.??

Squarespace — Hello Down There

A Super Bowl ad directed by Martin Scorsese (who also has a cameo) that features humans missing the alien invasion because we’re all too busy looking at our phones. The set-up is great, but the tagline “a website makes it real” is really straddling the line of clever marketing and believing that everything you read on the internet is true.??

Takeaway: In the age of misinformation, it’s important to be part of the solution not the problem.

The Huh List:

Dunkin’ Donuts — Dunkings?

This one feels like the spilt for most people. If you love a celeb-filled spot with everyone and their moms, this one is a who’s who of Boston-bred talent. But if you’ve moved on from sad Ben Affleck with coffee memes, you might be in the mood for something a bit fresher. Either way, Arnie dropping his “R”s was a lot more entertaining than Ben dropping his.??

Takeaway: You can’t go wrong with celebrity, but don’t waste the talent.??

Which ads were your favorite? What was on your Miss List? Let us know!??