I watched all the Super Bowl ads so you don't have to

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Hey honeys and hustlers,

Good morning to the social media teams who worked Super Bowl Sunday and the social media teams only. I spend a lot of time giving paid ads a lot of bad press. But not nearly as much as brands spent on Super Bowl commercials. So let’s see if their investments paid off. Super Bowl ads have some incredible storytelling. From heartwarming stories to clever humor, these commercials represent some of the most creative and ambitious marketing efforts we’ll see all year. I’ll share my top commercials and break down what makes them work so well (in my extremely biased opinion).

Before we jump in — Congratulations to the Eagles and all their fans (and by that I mean, I love you Jalen Hurts 🥰), and thank you for letting us watch commercials while you played the big game.

Uber Eats

It’s got a lot of layers, like Greta Gerwig’s nachos. I personally appreciated the twists and turns as we took a ride with Matthew McConnaughey’s imagination. It reminds me of his new newsletter that he also narrates. They took a page out of Dunkin Donuts’ book from last year and made multiple variations of their ad for social media. One even featured Sean Evans, the ultimate wing guy. Smart campaign with all the right people.

Nike

The girls understood the assignment. They were the underdog and the favored. Feminine and fierce. Subdued and larger than life. We love a story where we see people beat expectations, and Nike nailed that. In their first Super Bowl commercial in 27 years, they were able to show they’re betting big on their women athletes. A huge statement.

Google Pixel

What’s better than a phone? A phone that helps you through life’s biggest moments. Google Pixel saw the Apple M4 iPad commercial and said, “Let’s do the opposite of whatever that was.” They positioned Google Gemini as the AI that works with you, not the AI that replaces you. Smartly done.

Jordan Brand

The fact they got clearance for this song tells me they’ve been planning this for a while, no matter the outcome of the game. This was technically shared after the Super Bowl, but it was made in honor of the Super Bowl, so go with me on this one. They used a play on Jalen Hurts’ last name to tell the story of their guy, who definitely got a fine for wearing Jordans in the end zone following the game (that I’m sure they’re also happily paying for), who proved his haters wrong. I liked the tone of this one, it’s so different from many others. It takes a spicier attitude with a softer touch. Not all stories have happy endings (sorry again Chiefs fans!).

On Running

They took the chance to call out a common misconception about their logo. The Swiss fitness shoe brand teamed up with their signature tennis shoe creator, Roger Federer and Elmo to do the best thing ever: explain it to me like I’m 5. Even a kid can understand that On Running has a logo that looks nothing like the letters it represents, but even the pros still love them and choose to wear them, so they must be good right?

Pfizer

It's a heartwarming story about beating cancer mixed with some photos that just make you wish you could see every kid ring that cancer-free bell. All the feels. I’m rooting for this kid to be the next Rocky. If I had to guess, I would say that Pfizer is aiming to increase public trust in their ability to create positive health outcomes through pharmaceuticals.

Ram Trucks

A parody of a nostalgic story? Works like a charm. Glenn Powell committed to the bit, did an awesome voiceover, and incorporated some of that good ole’ Texas flavor that meshes really well with the brand.

The return on investment for these ads?

Brand storytelling that earns cultural capital and positive association in the long term. The Google Pixel ad is so good, it almost makes me forget that they took off major cultural dates from the Google calendar, like Pride Month and Black History Month. Almost. Nike’s ad almost makes me forget about how they treated Allison Felix after she had a child. Almost. There’s always some level of strategy involved with spending $7M, and for all of the brands mentioned above, I’m sure they captured just enough laughs and heartstrings to accomplish their goals. What companies do you want to see do a Super Bowl ad next year?

Our Latest Podcast Episodes

Have felt like short voice notes. I’ve really enjoyed recording some shorter episodes to give me a breather for the longer ones. The last 3 episodes have been about:

✅ work-life integration
✅ how to never run out of creative ideas
✅ the 80/20 rule for social entrepreneurship

And today, I’m starting the next wave of deep-dive episodes! Arlan Hamilton is up first.

13 days down, 15 more to go! I’m almost halfway through the month! What’s been your favorite episode so far? Respond to this email or leave a comment and let me know!

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave us a review! (Reviews help more people find the show.)

Please Hustle Responsibly,

🤙🏾✨

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