Super Bowl LIX will see reigning champions Kansas City Chiefs go head to head with the Philadelphia Eagles to claim the coveted Vince Lombardi trophy.
The spectacle will attract hundreds of millions of eyes from all over the USA and the world, from across different demographics, from football aficionados, to music fans excited to watch Kendrick Lamar’s highly anticipated half-time show, to audiences keen to do a bit of celebrity spotting.
But for Adland and its creatives, it’s a day to showcase and show-off clever, attention-grabbing campaigns with advertisers paying an average of USD$8 million for a 30-second spot during the broadcast, according to Statista.
While Australian fans will have to wait until Monday to watch the live broadcast, Mediaweek asked Australian creative agency leaders – DDB Melbourne’s James Cowie, Snack Drawer’s Hannah McElhinney and Ryan Petie from Publicis Worldwide Australia – to share their thoughts on what works and what doesn’t for the already released teasers or full commercials.
James Cowie, Hannah McElhinney, Ryan Petie
Michelob Ultra ‘Ultra Hustle’
James Cowie, head of copy and group creative partner, DDB Melbourne: “Last year, Michelob Ultra did a super-cheesy spot with Leo Messi playing soccer on the beach for beers against a group of good-looking strangers. It was a cookie-cutter Messi ad, not that great, particularly for a brand like Michelob Ultra that’s done so many ground-breaking creative campaigns in recent years.
“I want to like this year’s spot. I want to like Willem Defoe in it. But really, it’s just a slightly more entertaining (and much better acted) version of the terrible Messi ad from last year. But with Pickleball. Maybe I’m being too harsh. There’s a couple of nice little moments. But it sure seems like Coors Light is smashing them all over the court at Super Bowl LIX.”
Hannah McElhinney, chief creative officer and co-founder, Snack Drawer: “Cinematically incredible, it was a joy to watch. Catherine O’Hara and Willem Dafoe are an iconic duo, and casting them as pickleball pros is inherently funny, especially in the context of the Pickleball craze.
“I’m not sure it has a huge connection to beer but I was entertained and that’s the most important thing for a Super Bowl commercial.”
Ryan Petie, executive creative director, Publicis Worldwide Australia: “I still have a bone to pick with Catherine O’Hara after she left Kevin behind at Christmas in Home Alone, but I’ll try to look past that for this review. This ad feels a little confused to me… like the team was asked to jam celebrities, trends (pickleball) and the product into a film and see what comes out.
“But the hero line ‘Play you for an Ultra?’ could lead to a giant gamification challenge to complete games and win beer – hope they take this idea there.”
Taco Bell ‘Photobomb’
JC: “I heard Greg Hahn, the CCO of Mischief, quote a line from Prince to describe what it’s like putting your Super Bowl ad out into the world. ‘If you want to play stadiums, expect to get booed.’ The truth is, when you get the whole world to mark your homework, not everyone is going to like what you’ve done. And that’s OK. The aim of a Super Bowl ad should not be to get everyone to like it. You’re trying to get enough people to love it.
“With that being said, am I one of the people who love this Superbowl ad? No, I’m not. It makes me yearn for the Taco Bell high-water mark that was ‘Viva Young’ with geriatrics acting outrageously in night club toilet cubicles all those years ago. That was an iconic Super Bowl moment. I’m not sure this one is. But Doja Cat fans might disagree.”
HM: “This is the other ‘self-aware’ commercial on the list and it’s a flop for me. The integration of Doja Cat felt like a ‘Paint By Numbers’ Super Bowl commercial, where her star power was all that was necessary rather than providing anything for her fans.
“I feel it was a missed opportunity for deeper cultural resonance and providing fans an opportunity to be in a Taco Bell commercial doesn’t feel very exciting or aspirational in 2025.”
RP: “I love that Taco Bell installed photo booths in their drive-thrus! What better way to make a boring life admin task like ordering takeaway into a slightly better experience? I’m genuinely interested to see how they’ll use the customer pics in the Big Game ad.
“Will Doja Cat have a recurring role? Did Doja Cat actually photobomb people in the drive-thrus for the last two months? That’d be awesome. BTW, personally, I’d be worried my wife would see the drive-thru photos and catch me sneaking in a dirty burrito on the way home for dinner.”
Dunkin’ Donuts ‘The Bean Method’
JC: “I like this spot, I do. It’s funny. It will show up well to the party. The script itself is super smart. Jeremy Strong’s dialogue is great. And if you’re going to use celebrities, it’s nice to see them taking the piss out of themselves. All that having been said, the downside of a sequel is that it’s inevitably going to be judged against the original. And the original last year was one of the biggest campaigns of the game, right from when the first teaser hit.
“It seems like Dunkin’ doesn’t have the same ambition this year as they did last year. Makes sense, it’s hard to walk away from a successful formula. Even so, I wish they’d taken a totally different swing at something that might have been just as great. Let’s see if they can activate around the spot in a new, surprising way.”
HM: “In this list there are two ‘self-aware’ Super Bowl commercials, this is by far the best one. In advertising, there is only a very slim window when tongue-in-cheek-we-get-it-it’s-an-ad creative is accepted by the culture.
“When too many brands are doing it, audiences want brands to sell their products and move on. This one has a nice middle ground, where it is self-aware, but Jeremy Strong is such a wildcard talent that it kind of works.”
RP: “Jeremy Strong covered in beans is a good start. And Ben Affleck taking the piss out of himself is also good. Keen to see how this anticipated return of the DunKings will roll out come Super Bowl time. Last time, Ben rapped with Matt Damon and Tom Brady to the chagrin of his then-wife, JLo.
“It’s a hard act to follow… I did some research – and apparently, this year, the ad will be pushing a $6 Sausage, Egg and Cheese Sandwich, crispy Hash Browns and a medium coffee. They’ll need to sell a hell of a lot of sausage sandwiches to pay for this Super Bowl spot.”
Hellmann’s ‘When Sally Met Hellmann’s’
JC: “Every year there’s an ad like this that does better on the Superbowl ad-tracker than I would have thought possible. And I’ve noticed that this spot has picked up a ton of pre-game PR on the US breakfast show circuit. It’s an iconic scene, I guess.
“Still, I wish they’d given it more of a twist like when Snickers did their venture into 80’s nostalgia with that awesome Brady Bunch spot with Danny Trejo a few years back. For a moment, I thought something surprising might happen when they cut to Sydney Sweeney. But no! Just the same old hackneyed line. It’s hard to see how Hellman’s uses this as a platform that goes beyond the spot itself.”
HM: “I am genuinely surprised this hasn’t yet been done by Uber Eats or another brand like that, but I’m glad the mayonnaise industry is doing well enough to afford to do this.
“No notes, executed perfectly and the product integrates seamlessly into the scene. Ads like these are like the Wicked movie, giving the fans exactly what they want and doing it well. Plus, if you haven’t seen When Harry Met Sally you still get the message that the mayo tastes good.”
RP: “Is it weird that Meg Ryan brought her own mayo to Katz’s Deli? Let’s overlook that. I love simple product promises made epic through craft. But this potentially feels a little too simple and doesn’t have that Super Bowl grandiosity that we’re expecting these days.
“If you’re going to reprise such an iconic film moment, make it worth it! The cameo from Sydney Sweeney didn’t quite save it for me. Also, as someone who has photographed a lot of sandwiches for our client Subway, I reckon the sandwich could have got the tastebuds tingling more.”
Pringles ‘The Call of the Mustaches’
JC: “Flying moustaches are cool. I mean, they’d be way cooler if Australia hadn’t already made an awesome flying toupee ad. But there you have it. Still, I think Americans will love the spectacle of this version, if for no other reason than seeing James Harden and Andy Reid without their usual soup strainers.
HM: “Fun and dumb, a winner for the Super Bowl. I love it when brands play into the culture around their products – we all treat the Pringles tube like a trumpet, so this commercial shows they get their customers.”
RP: “Pringles had me at the name of this ad: The Call of the Mustaches. The world needs more ridiculous – and this is nicely ridiculous.
“Mustaches (or moustaches here in Oz) delivering you Pringles is something that AI would never think of, and that’s why we’ll still be in a job for a little while at least. The only downside was the strong resemblance to the Virgin Australia Flying Toupee ad from a few years ago.”
Budweiser ‘First Delivery’
JC: “First, a disclaimer: I spent four years working on Budweiser in the US. I’ve done the brewery tour in St Louis. I’ve been inculcated into the power of the brand symbols, seen the eye-ball tracking research. I know what a Clydesdale foal can do to the collective heart rates of a focus group of sandwich eaters in the flyover states. And so, here we have it, the Budweiser bingo card with every box ticked.
“I can just hear the agency trying to argue against having the horse wear the neon logo on its head in that stupid last shot. Do we really need that? Yes, says the research. For what it’s worth, my favourite Bud Superbowl ad is still the parody one Barton F. Graf did for GoDaddy where Buddy the labrador gets shipped from the puppy farm. No gratuitously cynical use of Distinctive Brand Assets in that spot.”
HM: “I felt the structure of this commercial wasn’t strong enough to maintain my attention, which is what Super Bowl commercials are all about. The punchline was not worth the build and I mainly just felt sad for the horse. I recognise that there is a cultural difference in ‘beer humour’ between Australia and the US, but the fun pub-style laughs didn’t land for me.”
RP: “With such a rich history of big Super Bowl ads, the Clydesdales make a return this year in ‘First Delivery’ for Budweiser. This is my favourite of the bunch. How can you not love a baby Clydesdale?
“It has tonnes of cuteness, epic photography, good use of their distinctive brand assets, and a nice simple storyline. And the music ‘Let the Love Flow’ by the Bellamy Brothers is an awesome choice. ‘First Delivery’ is a nice addition to the Budweiser stable of Super Bowl ads, and I reckon the public will love it as much as I did.”
Seven’s live, free and exclusive coverage kicks off on Monday 10 February from 9.00am AEDT on 7mate and 7plus Sport, with a special Super Bowl preview from the NFL Armchair Experts.
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Top image: Meg Ryan, Ben Affleck, Budweiser ad