Every year on the Monday post Super Bowl there is a rundown of the best ads. This year is no different. But my question is not ‘which ad was the best?’ but… what makes a Super Bowl ad good?
In my opinion: A good Super Bowl ad comes down to (3) qualities:

1. ✔️Capture attention
2. ✔️Drive brand value
3. ✔️Stand out from the Super Bowl ecosystem

Most ads accomplish either (1) or (2). Good ads do both. Great ads achieve number 3.

1. Capture attention

The Super Bowl might be media’s biggest stage. But it’s shared with 50+ other brands. Good ads manage to stand out among the other companies betting $7M to create a lasting impression.
The most common method in 2023? Celebrity.

Ben Affleck, Adam Driver, Steve Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Nick Jonas, Serena Williams, Tony Hawk, Snoop Dog, P.Diddy, Kevin Hart were just a selection of celebrities engaged in 2023 to pull attention. Celebrity can work. But it can also turn lose impact if the ad becomes more about the celebrity than your brand. And if everyone is doing it.. does it stand out?

Dunkin Donuts concept featuring Ben Affleck works because Ben’s devotion to the brand is well known. He’s been spotted with the coffee regularly, and even mentioned that he has Dunkin ‘everyday’ in a 2019 interview. JLo’s appearance added to the buzz.
Even better: future paparazzi of Ben and his Dunkin habit will keep the schtick going. Which brings us to the next requirement of a good Super Bowl ad…

2. Drive brand value

Super Bowl attention is fleeting. A good SB ad captures attention, but also delivers on the brand’s goals after the SB ends — whether that is building awareness, solidifying brand associations, driving purchase intent — or all of the above.
Rémy Martin spent $6-7M on a Super Bowl ad, plus whatever it cost to sponsor Serena Williams. Unfortunately, their ad looked like a Nike video, and did not mention Rémy Martin until the end. I would bet that Nike benefits more from this campaign longterm than Rémy.
It’s fine to get inspired by great brands. But borrowing their brand equity without a clear differentiator will mean no one remembers your brand later.

Rémy Martin: Inch by Inch
Doritos also delivered a strong attention-capturing ad (✔️1).
Their concept featured celebrities Jack Harlow, Missy Elliot and Elton John with a good narrative and strong production. It also poked fun at culture with an awards show snub just a week after Twitter went wild over who should have won at the Grammy’s. Best of all, it capitalized on a unique brand asset: the triangle. But there was little mention of taste.
Does a triangle make me want to eat Doritos?

Dorito’s: Triangle concept
On the other hand, competitor Pop Chips produced an ad using Breaking Bad stars to highlight the taste of Pop Chips.
In case you were wondering, Breaking Bad aired its final episode in September 2013, making this concept feel a bit dated. Nevertheless, the recognizable stars captured attention (✔️1) and managed to sell a product benefit (✔️2).
After seeing both ads, I enjoyed the Doritos ad more. But I am personally more likely to buy Pop Chips next time I am at the store. What matters more?

Pop Chips: Break into Something Good

3. Stand out from the Super Bowl ecosystem

Finally, the GOATs of Super Bowl advertising understand the full ecosystem beyond their ad—other advertisers, at-home viewers, halftime show — and manage to involve that in their campaign to gain extra buzz and lead the post-game conversation.
Last year, Coinbase became the most talked about brand using a QR code to drive app downloads. What made Coinbase so successful was the simplicity — in an environment of high-production value and celebrities, Coinbase’s low-fi hark back to a screensaver (for a full 60 seconds no less) stood out.
This year — the winner was Tubi. Tubi pulled a prank on Super Bowl viewers, making it seem like the channel was changed. It made sense for the brand (a streaming platform) whose benefit is the amount of content you can watch. It also caused a stir — sending half of my party scrambling for the remote before realizing it was just Tubi trolling. Next time I see an ad for Tubi (especially once I get kicked off my parents’ Netflix account for password sharing) I am likely to try it.

Tubi’s prank ad owned the post-game conversation
Tubi ad: (✔️1) Captured attention. (✔️2) Sold the brand. (✔️3) Stood out among the Super Bowl ecosystem.
Rihanna also gamed the system with an ‘ad’ of her own. During her halftime performance, Rihanna paused to reapply her makeup using her own Fenty product. A celebrity endorsement on the world’s biggest stage? Bravo.
A lesser known ad also happened simultaneously: Rihanna stepped out in head to toe Loewe, a brand owned by none other than LVMH, who owns Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty.

The top Super Bowl ad wasn’t an ad.
Finally, Molson Coors managed to accomplish a cheeky Super Bowl play by acknowledging competition among beer brands during the Super Bowl. This year is particularly competitive: it’s the first big game after AB-Inbev gave up its exclusivity for beer Super Bowl advertising since 1989.
Their idea? Lean into the concept of beer brands duking it out in the commercials.
The ad started as a Coors Light ad. Then Miller Lite entered the scene. Who is this ad for? Finally, it was revealed to be a Blue Moon ad. Except.. all three brands are owned by Molson Coors. The company managed to advertise all (3) in a single 30 second spot, and get the room talking. Smart.

Other reflections from Super Bowl 2023

B2B might benefit more from SB ads than you would think:

One question I had while watching was: does Super Bowl advertising make sense for B2B brands? Crowdstrike, the cybersecurity firm, launched a Super Bowl ad about protecting your company during the big game.
On first thought, no, why should B2B cough up $7M for a Super Bowl ad when they could invest that into sales channels? On the other, I took a look around the room. I was at a party where half of the conversation centered around business. Why not advertise directly to groups of people mingling and start a sales conversation? 🤔

Crowdstrike’s ad could start a conversation around cyber security, teeing them up for new sales

Emotion drives longterm value

My two favorite ads came from Amazon and Farmers Dog. Both ads featured dogs. But more importantly, both ads were able to make an emotional impact — which is key to driving long term memory and brand liking.
While Farmer’s Dog presented a simple story about the love people have for their pets, Amazon managed to present a full narrative with a surprising twist at the end. It was an expensive ad buy at 90 seconds, but it was the only ad that caused everyone at the party I was at to shut up and pay attention. And that’s got to be worth something.

Amazon presented a full narrative in 90 seconds.

Savings on consumer’s minds

In a year where inflation is on everyone’s mind, many ads made sure to touch on value. Temu’s shopping ad sold the idea ‘Shop like a billionaire’ and called out specific prices. Michelob Ultra offered early access to full swing on Netflix. T-Mobile highlighted price with “just fifty bucks.” Draft Kings offered a free bet to everyone.

Looking back

I took a look at conclusions from 2022’s Super Bowl ad writeup. And, not surprisingly, many of the takeaways are similar to this year: use celebrity but only if it makes sense for your brand/concept, try to stand out among the other brands also advertising, and make sure you drive connection between your ad concept and what you are actually selling.
Next year, I have a framework for easy campaign analysis. 🕵️‍♀️

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