Every year, the Super Bowl isn’t just the biggest night in football; it’s the biggest night in advertising. For many, the commercials are the event: they get ranked, debated, and sometimes remembered longer than the final score. This year, however, our group chat consensus was surprisingly unified: the game and the ads were underwhelming. Other than the streaker on the field, the game was drama-free, and the ads rarely delivered the kind of collective “did you see that?” moment the Super Bowl typically brings. 

Which may reinforce the question we often hear in the industry: Is a Super Bowl ad actually worth it?

While we have no connection to this brand, we were fascinated by the rare behind-the-scenes look shared by the pharmaceutical brand Ro, which advertised in the game for the first time this year. In a blog post, their team reframed their investment (roughly $233,000 per second, excluding other costs), noting that the Super Bowl is one of the few moments each year when more than 100 million people watch advertising. Whether you agree with the ROI or not, the post is an interesting read. 

With that context in mind, we asked our team to weigh in – which ads worked, which didn’t, and what made them memorable (for better or worse).

Pat Morgan, Chief Creative Officer
Favorite:  Levi’s Jeans - Backstory

I like this one because it cleverly highlights the brand’s longtime cultural relevance and coolness while transfixing the viewer with the product benefit in action. Levi’s make your butt look good, so here are a bunch of good-looking butts to prove the point. The fact that there are celebrity butts sprinkled in made it feel like a bit of a scavenger hunt or trivia question, extending conversation and creating an additional reason to rewatch the spot. Smart stuff.

Watch Pat’s Favorite

Favorite:  Anthropic/Claude AI - A time and a place

I like this one because it cleverly highlights the brand’s longtime cultural relevance and coolness while transfixing the viewer with the product benefit in action. Levi’s make your butt look good, so here are a bunch of good-looking butts to prove the point. The fact that there are celebrity butts sprinkled in made it feel like a bit of a scavenger hunt or trivia question, extending conversation and creating an additional reason to rewatch the spot. Smart stuff.

Watch Pat’s Favorite

LEAST Favorite:  Raisin Bran - Will Shat

They inexplicably took beloved cheeseball William Shatner and turned him into a creepy, unwanted presence that does the exact opposite of making me want to eat anything. I’m a sucker for some good juvenile humor, but I don’t want a poop joke within a thousand miles of my breakfast cereal.

Watch Pat’s Least Favorite

LEAST Favorite:  Manscaped - Hair Ballad

This one felt like it was created in a lab dedicated to the scientific discovery of the ultimate way to make human beings avert their eyes from a TV screen. “Wouldn’t it be hilarious if we animated piles of pubic hair and had them sing?” asked a creative team member in the brainstorm. Uhhmmmm, no. No, it wouldn’t.

Watch Pat’s Least Favorite

Tom Hutchinson, Managing Partner
Favorite:  Jurassic Park -Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum for Xfinity

I thought this was a clever way to demonstrate the fragility of today’s digital infrastructure and the need for reliable technology to reduce the risk of critical breakdowns.
Nostalgic and humorous, while still conveying the product's superiority.

Watch Tom’s Favorite

LEAST Favorite:  A Creepy Hairball for Manscaped

Not what my Superbowl party goers wanted to see while chomping down on their chicken wings and pizza. A thunderous “Ewwwweee” from the crowd. No need to say more.

Brennan Hill, VP Client Experience

Overall, the ads felt lackluster—likely because brands are pulling back and questioning the ROI, or whether it’s worth competing in an already crowded ad environment that often fades into background noise as people talk and socialize while watching the big game.

That said, the spot from Rocket Mortgage stood out in a positive way. It’s an emotionally driven, authentic reflection of what their business actually does and connects with a message that feels especially relevant right now. Watch it now.

I also enjoyed the piece from Lay’s, particularly after having the opportunity to spend time on several farms and wineries this year. The people behind these operations bring incredible passion to their work, contribute significantly to our everyday lives, and are often overlooked. Seeing the generational commitment and pride that goes into these farms firsthand was genuinely inspiring. Watch it now.

Amy Crowley, Copy Director

I’ll admit, I had a hard time paying attention this year. The game never really pulled me in, and honestly, neither did most of the commercials, with very few moments that made me stop what I was doing and watch, with one exception: Chris Hemsworth (who, to be fair, tends to be memorable in any setting). The Alexa spot with Hemsworth leaned into public anxiety about AI and the fear that Alexa is always listening. I understand the strategy of addressing the elephant in the room, but I’m not convinced that making fun of that fear is the smartest move in this case, especially when the brand is still working to earn trust around the technology. For many, it reinforced the concern rather than easing it, even though the spot itself was exaggerated and entertaining.   Watch it now.