A Blitz of Insight on This Year’s Ads

Super Bowl Monday—it’s practically a holiday for creative ad people like us. While most of the country is recovering from wings and questionable couch-coaching, we’re here dissecting the real showdown: the commercials. 

Some brands brought their A-game, some played it safe, and a few left us wondering how that made it past the pitch stage. 

Ads hit different people in different ways, so instead of a single agency-wide point-of-view, we felt it more relevant and meaningful to provide different personal takes on the ads. 

So, now that the dust (and confetti) has settled, we asked some of our crew here at 5BYFIVE to share some of their thoughts and reactions to the ads – a little of what worked, what lacked, and what it all might be telling us about the future of advertising.

Andrew Young:

I liked the Little Ceasar’s Eyebrows ad. Funny, creative, and good usage of celebrity. 🥸
Bud Light and Totino’s were close seconds. 

Key takeaway or insight: 
Go big and be memorable. The Super Bowl is the moment to reach people you may not usually reach, and make an impression. 

Danielle: 

My fave was the STōK commercial for sure. I'm a Welcome to Wrexham fan so I appreciated the whole team cameo. 

I thought the stand up to all hate commercial was impactful - straight to the point and honest.  

I also thought the Angel Softs Potty Break commercial was smart and funny. It solved a problem people had, first and foremost, and was an ad second. Of course, it had a nice little connection to the brand, but I liked that it wasn't just an ad.  

What surprised me? Multiple ads with flying facial hair. Not on my bingo card, but I can't say I hated them. 🥸

Derek: 

I did like the Little Caesar's one with Eugene Levy. I feel like they actually used the celebrity in a unique way and it wasn't just cool because it was someone famous. 🥸

Key takeaway or insight: 
The ads felt a bit safe this year in the approach they covered. Either they used celebrities just to have someone famous, or they went for shock value without it actually being interesting.

Tony: 


A few Super Bowl ads I liked were:



Hellman’s – Remake of the famous When Harry Met Sally scene.
Uber eats - Football to sell food conspiracy.
Hexclad - Aliens with Gordon Ramsay.
Michelob Ultra - Pickleball Hustle.

These stood out to me because: 1) They’re funny and entertaining, and 2) They all have brand highlighted at the very end. 

Mark: 

The Good

Uber Eats – Conspiracy Theory & Hunger: I thought this was the best funny ad of the game, leveraging the event and tying it in with the product in a clever way. However, Matthew McConaughey felt unnecessary.
Liquid Death: This ad cleverly leaned into its unique (and intentionally confusing) branding, while simultaneously clarifying itself for those not in the know. It was funny, memorable, and well-executed. (Still not a Fat Mike fan, though.)
Instacart: I thought this was a smart way to leverage well-loved brands with a creative twist that led to a strong product reveal at the end.
Fox Indy Car Racing: The driver profiles were engaging, witty, and well-executed stories—enough to make me want to start watching Indy Car.

The Meh

Squarespace: The concept was clever, but comparing themselves to newspapers feels like an odd choice. Also, why was it set in Wales? Ireland? Where? And what was with the riding-off-the-cliff thing at the end?
Little Caesars – Flying Eyebrows: It was funny, but lacked substance and product tie-in. As I was collecting my notes for this, I had to look it up again because I couldn’t remember the product or the brand—so maybe not a success.
Nike – "Just Win": Fine, but no Just Do It.
Bud Light – "Big Men on the Cul-de-Sac": OK, but nowhere near Real Men of Genius

Vijoy:

I really liked the Google Pixel dream job ad. A harmonious blend of showing the tech, how it can be used in real life, and emotional storytelling that is relatable and illustrates that the brand “gets it.” 

The promo of IndyCar racers to promote the race were solid. People like sports because of the drama. They need to be behind a person, a cause. If you don’t know the players, it’s hard to care. These ads were done perfectly. Engaging, interesting, and approachable. They were each like speed-dating one of the racers to get to know them. Once you know them, you might start rooting for them. Once you want them to win, look out…you’re a fan now. 🏁

Mountain Dew Seal as a seal. Disclaimer: I had a friend involved in this ad’s creation. But even if I didn’t, this ad was so far out there that it was memorable. Ok, ok, hear me out: Sometimes the purpose of art is to confuse people. Love it. Hate it. But don’t ignore it. If the name of the game is to be talked about (I would argue that it is), then this ad did what it came to “dew.” 🦭💋🍋

Julliette:

My favorite was Google Pixel’s commercial because it brings up one of the most fundamentally important job that most people have: Parenting. I love that it combines parenting and job searching, and it gets you thinking of the hard and soft skills that you work with every day, outside of work hours. It’s definitely very heart warming and the storytelling is very well done 😊 👦👦👧👧

What Does Any of This Even Mean?

Honestly, maybe not anything. 

What resonates with one audience might fall flat for another, and that’s the beauty (and challenge) of creative storytelling. Some brands aim for humor, some lean into nostalgia, and others take big swings hoping to spark conversation long after the game ends. 

But overall, one noticeable concept throughout is that Super Bowl ads are becoming less about selling products and more about creating moments, influencing culture, and just getting people to talk. 

Have brands been relying too much on star power to disguise mediocre ideas? 
Yes. 
Sorry, not sorry. 😬

But whether a spot made us laugh, cringe, or scratch our heads, every ad is a reminder that creativity is subjective, strategic, and, at its best, unforgettable. 

And if we’re still debating them on Super Bowl Monday, well—that’s a win in itself.
 

Vijoy Rao

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