So the biggest spend in advertising happened yesterday, where a 30-second TV spot costs about $5 million in America. Yes, it was Super Bowl 52 – the most ostentatious annual sporting event on the planet. The Eagles won, and Tom Brady didn’t – both equally amazing and unexpected. But let’s go to the really amazing and unexpected – the ads.
Super Bowl ads always reflect the mood of the US and this year, it was clear things have been too serious as of late. Americans want to laugh, and laugh at some of the biggest celebrities. From cars and snacks to beer and laundry detergent, the big brands came out to play, bringing everyone from Keanu Reeves to Anthony Hopkins. Here are our top five touchdowns:
- Stranger Things David Harbour for Tide – this on-going advert gets more ridiculous and more hilarious with each additional commercial
- Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman break into a spirited lip sync battle over Doritos and Mountain Dew
- Chris Pratt goes all method actor for his Michelob audition
- Football greats Eli Manning and O’Dell Beckham Jr re-enact the ‘Time Of Your Life’ lift from Dirty Dancing for NFL (it looks like some ad creative was inspired by MoneySupermarket)
- Amazon doesn’t leave anyone sitting on the bench, by recruiting Gordon Ramsay, Cardi B, Rebel Wilson and Anthony Hopkins to take over when Alexa loses her voice
Who won the Super Bowl for us? Tide, for the sheer creativity of it all and for memorability – it’s hard to get cut through when the biggest brands in the world bring their absolute A-game, but Tide cleaned up the competition. Happy watching!