This Year's Super Bowl Commercials Promise More Than Just Spectacle: Emotional Storytelling, AI and Celebrity Cameos Abound.
As the highly anticipated Super Bowl approaches, advertisers are pulling out all the stops to captivate the attention of 120 million-plus viewers. The battle for eyeballs is as fierce as the rivalry between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. This year's commercial lineup promises a diverse mix of emotional storytelling, AI integrations, celebrity cameos, and heartwarming moments.
One trend that stands out is the emphasis on emotional connections. Many advertisers are opting for ads that tug at the heartstrings, featuring families, animals, and uplifting stories. Budweiser's 150th-anniversary ad showcases a Clydesdale foal growing up with a bald eagle to the tune of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird." Lay's follows a father-daughter potato farming duo as the father retires and the daughter takes over, overlaid with a cover of Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know."
The sentimental ads are seen as a response to the increasingly divisive news cycle. According to Villanova University marketing professor Charles Taylor, "More of this year's ads openly focus on humanity and being humane to others than I've ever seen in a Super Bowl." The Ring ad is cited as an example, highlighting how technology can bring people together.
Artificial intelligence (AI) startups and bigger companies are also using the Super Bowl as a platform to make their mark. Anthropic airs a pair of TV commercials featuring its chatbot Claude, which points out that the AI doesn't have ads itself. OpenAI will air an ad showcasing its ChatGPT chatbot during the game.
Health and telehealth providers are taking advantage of the Super Bowl's massive audience to promote their services. Two pharmaceutical companies are advertising tests for prostate cancer and kidney disease. Liquid I.V. has teased an ad about staying hydrated, while Ro uses Serena Williams in their ad for GLP-1 weight loss drugs.
Several high-profile celebrities are making appearances in ads this year. Kendall Jenner appears in a Fanatics Sportsbook spot promoting the "Kardashian Kurse," where bad things happen to basketball players she dates. George Clooney stars in a Grubhub ad promoting a deal that offers "Eat the Fees" on orders of $50 or more.
The Super Bowl has become a critical platform for advertisers, with record-breaking prices commanding top spots during the big game. The event's massive audience makes it an ideal spot to reach a large and engaged viewership. As Villanova University professor Charles Taylor notes, "Live sporting events are one of the few remaining places in the fractured media landscape where advertisers can reach a large audience."
As the highly anticipated Super Bowl approaches, advertisers are pulling out all the stops to captivate the attention of 120 million-plus viewers. The battle for eyeballs is as fierce as the rivalry between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. This year's commercial lineup promises a diverse mix of emotional storytelling, AI integrations, celebrity cameos, and heartwarming moments.
One trend that stands out is the emphasis on emotional connections. Many advertisers are opting for ads that tug at the heartstrings, featuring families, animals, and uplifting stories. Budweiser's 150th-anniversary ad showcases a Clydesdale foal growing up with a bald eagle to the tune of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird." Lay's follows a father-daughter potato farming duo as the father retires and the daughter takes over, overlaid with a cover of Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know."
The sentimental ads are seen as a response to the increasingly divisive news cycle. According to Villanova University marketing professor Charles Taylor, "More of this year's ads openly focus on humanity and being humane to others than I've ever seen in a Super Bowl." The Ring ad is cited as an example, highlighting how technology can bring people together.
Artificial intelligence (AI) startups and bigger companies are also using the Super Bowl as a platform to make their mark. Anthropic airs a pair of TV commercials featuring its chatbot Claude, which points out that the AI doesn't have ads itself. OpenAI will air an ad showcasing its ChatGPT chatbot during the game.
Health and telehealth providers are taking advantage of the Super Bowl's massive audience to promote their services. Two pharmaceutical companies are advertising tests for prostate cancer and kidney disease. Liquid I.V. has teased an ad about staying hydrated, while Ro uses Serena Williams in their ad for GLP-1 weight loss drugs.
Several high-profile celebrities are making appearances in ads this year. Kendall Jenner appears in a Fanatics Sportsbook spot promoting the "Kardashian Kurse," where bad things happen to basketball players she dates. George Clooney stars in a Grubhub ad promoting a deal that offers "Eat the Fees" on orders of $50 or more.
The Super Bowl has become a critical platform for advertisers, with record-breaking prices commanding top spots during the big game. The event's massive audience makes it an ideal spot to reach a large and engaged viewership. As Villanova University professor Charles Taylor notes, "Live sporting events are one of the few remaining places in the fractured media landscape where advertisers can reach a large audience."
, but I gotta admit, some of them this year look really good. I mean, who doesn't love a good cry-jerker? 
But seriously, it's cool to see more focus on humanity and being humane to others. That Budweiser ad with the foal and bald eagle is actually pretty amazing 
. And AI integrations are super interesting - I'm excited to see what OpenAI has in store for us 
. The fact that these companies are using the Super Bowl as a platform to make their mark is a good sign for innovation, right? 
Eat the Fees... literally! 
I mean, I guess it could be, but is that really enough to make an ad memorable?
! It's about time ads focus on heartwarming moments instead of just being cheesy or trying too hard to be funny. The Budweiser ad with that adorable foal and bald eagle is giving me all the feels 
. Can't wait to see what other amazing ads come out this year! 
, honestly who needs that many feel-good ads during the biggest commercial break? Plus, AI integration feels like just another way to shoehorn technology into our faces, when are we gonna see some more realistic portrayals of what this tech can do? And don't even get me started on the celebrity cameos - Kendall Jenner's "Kardashian Kurse" is just a desperate attempt to cling to her fame.
. Remember when Hyundai showed that adorable dog getting adopted? It was like we were right there with him! 
And what about Tesla's ad featuring Sir Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard? 
Those ads are so nostalgic, I feel like I'm back in the 90s watching TV with my family. Anyway, it seems like this year's Super Bowl is gonna be just as epic, with AI and celeb cameos taking center stage 
. I mean, who doesn't love a good cry fest or an uplifting underdog story? 
It's like the advertisers are saying, "Hey, we know you're glued to your screens during the game, so let's make it worth your while." 
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. And let's be real, who doesn't need to stay hydrated or take care of their kidney function 
?
! It's like everyone wants to tug at our heartstrings before we even know who won the game 
IT'S LIKE THEY'RE TRYING TO MAKE US FEEL SOMETHING REAL AFTER A YEAR OF ALL THE BAD NEWS. I LOVE HOW BUDWEISER IS USING THE STORY OF A CLYDESDALE FOAL GROWING UP WITH A BALD EAGLE - IT'S JUST SO SADLY BEAUTIFUL! 
AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHAT ANTHROPIC AND OPENAI HAVE PLANNED FOR THEIR ADs. IT'S LIKE THEY'RE TRYING TO SHOW US THAT AI CAN BE MORE THAN JUST A TOOL, BUT ALSO SOMETHING THAT CAN CONNECT US TO EACH OTHER. 
plus ai ads? yaaas anthropic and openai are killing it 
can't wait to see george clooney in grubhub's ad, that dude is a total dream 
. And I love how some advertisers, like Budweiser and Lay's, are using heartwarming stories to tug at viewers' heartstrings 
they're just going to be playing on repeat for like 5 hours now and honestly who needs that much emotional manipulation on their Super Bowl Sunday experience? 
that's some beautiful stuff right there! i'm also loving the idea of health and telehealth providers using the super bowl to reach a huge audience - my grandma could really benefit from some of those services 