These are some of the most striking Super Bowl commercials 1:53
(CNN) --
Great celebrities, but often not-so-great ads.
The Super Bowl presents a formidable challenge for advertisers, who are trying to justify the giant price tag of 30-second ads (up to $7 million each, according to Variety, for commercials between the start and finish of the game) by creating campaigns that they feel as big as the game.
"Breaking Bad" stars Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston reunited in a PopCorners ad.
(Pop Corners)
This year, the scales tipped heavily toward celebrity talent, in several cases grouped incongruously, in commercials that were loud but often didn't make much sense.
For starters, it helps when the talent has some sort of logical connection to the product, or at least figures into the creative in a way that advances that message.
Being cute on its own can be fine, but it's rarely particularly memorable.
Using that logic, kudos to Rakuten, a shopping site, for recruiting Alicia Silverstone to reprise her role in “Clueless” as the shopaholic Cher, a role she donned as an old private school uniform;
and bad for a celebrity-studded ad for Michelob Ultra featuring Serena Williams, Brian Cox and many others in a bizarre "Caddyshack" tribute.
On the other hand, this year's crop of beer ads was mostly flat, especially given the high bar Budweiser has routinely set for past Super Bowls.
The main exception would be the Miller-Coors-Blue Moon ad, which was fun, if a bit confusing.
advertising
As noted ahead of the game, the crypto ads that sought to make a splash at Super Bowl LVI were left out of this year's display, a reminder that newer product categories are daring to enter the Super Bowl derby under their own risk.
Where were the other highlights, which were outnumbered (as usual) by the mids or lows?
Here's a breakdown of who scored and who fumbled on the biggest stage on TV.
While this doesn't include every ad that aired, if an ad featured four or more celebrities, let's assume it leaned toward the "loser" column.
WINNERS
Movies
: The movie business hasn't recovered to pre-pandemic levels, but the number of announcements of upcoming blockbusters (and others that are expected to be) felt like a collective vote of confidence in cinema.
Hollywood may never fully recover in the age of streaming platforms, but the studios seemed to warn that they won't give up without a fight.
Alicia Silverstone (left) reprized her role as "Clueless" in a Rakuten ad.
(Rakuten)
From that list of titles, give "The Flash" a thumbs up, which should spark enormous interest in that title from Warner Bros. (which, like CNN, is a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery), and put the spotlight on in the movie instead of star Ezra Miller's off-screen trouble.
Let's give an honorable mention to "Indiana Jones" and "Creed" among the sequels, which also included pregame spots for "Transformers" and "Guardians of the Galaxy."
Also featured: “Air,” based on Michael Jordan's deal with Nike.
Ram
: There were several electric car ads again, but give Ram the gold medal for his cheeky double entendre about "premature electrification."
Rakuten
: Would Silverstone pass up this opportunity to indulge in a bit of that “Clueless” nostalgia?
Like...
T-Mobile
: Bradley Cooper and his mom were so adorable, especially when she told him that while he's been nominated for stuff, he hasn't won anything.
Much better, unfortunately, than his homage to "Grease" with John Travolta.
Pepsi Zero Sugar
: Steve Martin and Ben Stiller gave acting mini-classes.
So do they really drink this?
Probably not, but it was fun to watch them pretend that they were.
PopCorners
: Just the idea of a “Breaking Bad” reunion gets high marks (plus the line “We don't eat our own supply”), even though the product might not have been the ideal vehicle for it.
Farmer's Dog and Amazon
: Two Winners Over Our Canine Companions: Watching a dog's life unfold and thinking about losing one served as one of the few true tearjerker moments of the day;
and on a lighter note, friending a destructive dog, via Amazon.
CrowdStrike
– If only the cybersecurity company had been around during the Trojan War.
A great visual idea.
Google
– Another ad that brought together unlikely celebrities: Amy Schumer, Doja Cat, and NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, but in a clever demonstration of how your product can "fix" old photos.
Kia
.
If you forget your baby's pacifier, this is definitely the car for you.
Disney
– On the occasion of its 100th anniversary, the studio put out an ad to demonstrate the sheer depth of its content and its intricate grip on childhood memories.
Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen
: After the histrionics of Fox's pregame show (no matter the issues with the sound), the announcers, in their first Super Bowl, rose to the occasion and didn't get in the way of action and reminded everyone that it was a football game after all.
Watch Super Bowl LVII commercials 1:19
NOT BAD, BUT...
General Motors and Netflix
: GM has partnered with Netflix shows to power its electric cars, with Will Ferrell leading the way on shows like "Bridgerton" and "Stranger Things."
Not great, but at least it felt big and inventive.
Dunkin'
: Ben Affleck (mostly) and Jennifer Lopez put a celebrity spin on the idea of a star working in a donut shop.
Paramount+
: The bonus of featuring Sylvester Stallone on a streaming show, apparently, is one more star to help promote "Paramount Mountain."
HeGetsUs.com
.
The ads for this evangelical campaign certainly drew attention by reminding people, for example, that Jesus was a refugee and that he loved everyone.
Yet despite being one of the few ads about anything real to air this Sunday, the target of his message seemed unclear, a perception reinforced by the details about the group behind him.
Workday
: Rock stars differentiate between calling someone a rock star and actually being one.
A fun idea, nonchalantly executed.
Etrade
: No one ever got baby talk wrong, but with that being said, baby talk is a pretty boring trick.
Weather Tech
: A strong argument for “Made in America”.
LOSERS
Beer Ads
– Miles and Keleigh Sperry Teller seem like a cute couple for a beer.
What the ad didn't do was justify that it was a Bud Light.
Ditto for Budweiser connecting a six-pack Bud to "Six Degrees of Separation" (or Kevin Bacon), which had the right vibe but felt a bit over the top.
Booking.com
– Hey, who couldn't use a vacation?
But why are we seeing Melissa McCarthy sing about it?
Doritos
: Jack Harlow, Missy Elliott and Elton John pushing triangles?
Another case of trying to be too trendy and just looking boxy.
Downy Unstoppables
– Danny McBride likes him so much he would change his name.
But it was all quite McBobo.
DraftKings
: Kevin Hart and a host of other celebrities showed up, but will he be remembered as a big Super Bowl ad?
Don't bet on it.
Hellmann's
: Jon Hamm and Brie Larson in a fridge?
Yes, the mayonnaise goes with ham and Brie, but as Hamm said at the end: "That's weird."
Remy Martin
: Serena Williams' speech was moving, but the product was completely an afterthought.
Planters
: A Mr. Peanut's Friars Club-style celebrity roast felt like a weak attempt to please consumers.
Jeep
: The slogan “Freedom is electric” (freedom is electric) worked.
The digital dancing animals, not so much.
Pringles
: Another version of the hand caught in the cans campaign?
It feels like his creativity is stuck in the 90s.
Squarespace
: Adam Driver is pretty overexposed already, but that commercial, with dozens of him, made him really overexposed.
Tubi
: Someone should have dissuaded the ad agency and marketing team from going down that weird rabbit hole.
M&Ms
: The only real comment in that Maya Rudolph spot was “???”
Limit/Break
: Yes, I saw the barcode.
No, I didn't scan it.
Super Bowl LVIII