The Super Bowl is one of the most exciting days of the year for advertising fanatics.
According to survey data from Luma Research, more than half of all Super Bowl viewers tune in just to watch the ads.
This year brought many a celebrity to viewers' screens with everyone from Will Ferrell and Matthew McConaughey to Michael Jordan, Bruce Springsteen and Dolly Parton starring in ads at the Big Game.
Some of the highlights for Australian creatives included Doritos’ ‘Flat Matthew’, Amazon’s ‘Alexa’s Body’ and Special Group’s ‘Wayne’s World’ ad for Uber Eats.
Read their favourites below.
Leo Burnett creative director Michelle Walsh
My favourite ad is ‘Welcome to the World, Baby’ from Huggies. It’s thoroughly entertaining and cute as hell from start to finish – and that’s from a woman who wasn’t born with the baby gene. I particularly love how this spot observes the world through the baby’s eyes, bringing to life childlike wonder in such an insightful, humorous way that’s sure to resonate with every new parent. It’s superbly written, artfully directed and the product is celebrated without overstaying its welcome.
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne executive creative directors Jim Curtis and Ryan Fitzgerald
As the stars get bigger and bigger, and the budgets edge closer and closer to those of actual Hollywood films, it’s refreshing to see an idea that flips this script and plays with the media moment itself.
Miller Lite decided to pocket the $US5.5 million media money and create a print ad with the sole purpose of distracting people from the spot of its number one competitor.
The ludicrously long URL not only stole attention, it also nullified the calorie difference between the two products. By simply typing the URL, you will burn the one extra calorie that Miller Lite has compared to Michelob Ultra. Nice.
whiteGREY Melbourne executive creative director Garret Fitzgerald
My pick of the Super Bowl bunch would have to be Doritos 3D – Flat Matthew. The merit of this spot lies in the framing of a problem for the product to solve – no mean feat when the product is a novelty shaped chip. The premise of being a 2D human leads to all kinds of consequences that make for great watching. I particularly enjoyed the moment in the café where he can’t be seen side-on. The disclaimer of ‘Do not attempt if you’re a 3D person’ was also a nice touch too when ‘Flat Matthew’ threads his way into a vending machine. The delivery of the tag in that trademark Texan drawl completes the piece.
DDB Melbourne executive creative director Anthony Moss
I liked a lot of ads this year, like Uber Eats and GM. And I hated a few too, that just follow the usual Super Bowl ad formula of replacing the idea with a massive celebrity, or five and an expensive track. Like Cheetos and Bud Light. But Flat Matthew by Doritos found a way to use a celebrity, and epic song and a great idea that comes from the product. Add a couple of funny cameos and some great CGI and you’ve got a great spot. Even the disclaimer was funny. Well done Doritos.
Analogfolk Sydney executive creative director Richard Morgan
You know you’re living in strange times when the real-life Super Bowl is weirder than the ads playing in it. That is, I began by selecting the ‘Flat Matthew’ Dorritos ad as my highlight, featuring a mere 3mm-thick Matthew McConaughey making his way through the world. Tuning into the game later, I soon realised that all those 30,000 adoring, cheering fans in the stadium are actually, well, cardboard cutouts. Silly me for imagining otherwise. Still, for me the misfortunes of a horizontally challenged guy navigating everyday perils like vacuums and strong breezes, proves the best antidote to complex times, is laughter.
Taboo associate creative director Steph Kitchin
The Super Bowl. It’s like Christmas Day for ad-lovers everywhere. As Aussies we can only dream of having the budgets these guys have. That’s why I like to look beyond the Hollywood celebs and into the storytelling and execution. The ad I found the most memorable in 2021 was Doritos’ Flat Matt spot to launch their new 3D chips. The combination of constant lols, clever scenarios and really well-crafted CGI made it a clear stand-out. They’ve used the classic formula of exaggerating the product’s extreme opposite in a very polished way (thanks to The Mill's primo VFX). Even without McConaughey, the core idea lives on.
Wunderman Thompson Melbourne creative director Annie Price
My Super Bowl pick: ‘Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade’.
This is my pick because it’s a perfect, humorous nod to the annus horribilis year we just had.
A beautifully simple thought, deftly handled and well directed.
The track is unexpected but perfect. You want to watch the spot again to pick up moments you might have missed on first viewing and every one of those moments are cleverly observed.
My favourite is the cyclist crashing into the garbage bins and the guy watching on in laughter copping a lemon to the head as karma. I also love the performance from the manic bus driver. She’s fabulous.
Edge executive creative director and partner Simon Langley
Normally the Super Bowl ads that get my attention are either funny – and there’s quite a few this year, or brands that cleverly ‘hack’ the Super Bowl to avoid the huge cost. After 2020, I was leaning towards a comedy spot - god knows we all need a laugh…but then I watched a spot that, for me, felt like it nailed the sentiment in the US at the moment. The Jeep spot with Bruce Springsteen is epic. The narrative is powerful, it’s beautifully crafted with stunning cinematography and has a great use of celebrity, getting The Boss himself to deliver the VO. Given he’s avoided endorsing brands his entire career, you have to tip your hat to all involved.
BWM Dentsu Melbourne creative Hannah Payton
Anything - and I mean anything - that reminds me of the Four Seasons Total Landscaping story has my vote.
The infamous Rudy Giuliani gaff was arguably the funniest thing to come out of 2020. And now Fiverr have capitalised on this comedic gold with Opportunity Knocks.
Fiverr’s product ties perfectly with Four Seasons’ virtual-obscurity-turned-overnight-success-story. And honestly, there’s just something so satisfying about a parking lot in Philly becoming a spokesperson for small businesses.
Host/Havas senior planner Alyce Cowan
Much like the game itself, a lot of the Super Bowl spots were pretty lacklustre. It felt like brands were making up for an absence of blockbuster releases by shoving celebrities into every nook and cranny. The ones that “shoved" them in the best? For me that was Amazon Alexa and General Motors. Firstly, using People’s 2020 Sexiest Man Alive aka Michael B. Jordan to become the most beautiful Amazon Alexa vessel is probably the best product dramatisation I’ve seen. I mean, it’s a product demo the world will actually pay attention to. Secondly, GM with Will Ferrell. A spot that was able to land GM’s corporate ambition around EV, with all the fun and grandiosity you want from a Super Bowl spot. With a script that could only be delivered in Ferrell’s signature comedy and so much chatter around it that Audi Norway has responded to it (in a hilarious way) it was a clear stand out from the celeb-filled pack.
The Hallway creative director Jessica Thompson
So many ads we see for eco-friendly innovations lean impotently into our sense of global citizenship. “Buy this thing so the children of tomorrow will have penguins and air.” Or whatever. Not GM, though. In this spot, starring Will Ferrell being unflinchingly Will Ferrell, GM puts its stock squarely in the patriotic fists of Americans and reminds them THEY'RE FROM THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. I love this ad and I love this insight. ‘No way, Norway’ turns sustainability into a competitive sport, and while we can’t guarantee how Americans feel about Mother Earth, we certainly know how they feel about winning. Also, the campaign’s hero ad and three teasers are just funny, and they spurred a magnificent response from Audi Norway that you should definitely watch next.
By All Means creative partner Toby Cummings
Jimmy John’s ‘Meet the King (Extended Cut)’.
In a dull field riddled with gratuitous celebrity endorsement, self-congratulation and pity wallowing, it was bloody great to come across a fun, clever ad built on a solid idea, great storytelling, and masterful execution. Directed by Australian Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) and out of Anomaly’s L.A. office, this is all class. And one of the funniest ads I’ve seen in a long time. I’d happily watch a movie length cut of this cold cuts ad. Bada bing.
Innocean senior art director V. Wassim Kanaan
There’s a few awesome spots in this year’s Super Bowl. Though I found many of them blended together like State Farm and Rocket Mortgage (both pretty funny though!).
The one that punched through to the top was Uber Eats – Wayne’s World. They didn’t just run a Super Bowl ad featuring celebrities. They made pure entertainment and stood out by having fun with the Super Bowl genre, and of course ‘subliminal’ advertising.
The best part is millions seem to enjoy it with the spot having way more views than other Super Bowl ads within days of launching .
303 MullenLowe executive creative director Bart Pawlak
Never before has selecting a Super Bowl spot resulted in sweat trickling down my otherwise expressionless face. I was genuinely wondering if I could pick one. Where was the calibre of ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ or ‘The Force’ for Volkswagen? And then I saw Wayne’s World for Uber Eats and breathed a significant sigh of relief. Nostalgia kicked in, of course, but its humour also felt so effortless compared to everything else. And what a lovely idea to use an iconic, fictional community TV show to plug ‘eating local’. To quote Wayne and Garth, “I’m not worthy!”
Thinkerbell creative director Tom Wenborn
It seems like an all too common trend in Super Bowl commercials is to spend all the idea money on a celebrity. What 90% of half-time ads lack in concept, they make up for with a John Travolta or Mila Kunis.
Bucking the trend was Jessica Long's story from Saatchi&Saatchi for Toyota. An inspiring story, beautifully told in 60 and insanely well executed. It definitely gets my pick.
Having said all that, I'll still be ordering Uber Eats tonight in the hope Wayne, Garth or Cardi deliver it.
Design Studio creative director James Gilmore
Who knew Amazon Echo could be so charming, even sexy. Alexa's body took it for me this year. Feeling more like an episode of Black Mirror than a prime time Super Bowl ad. This is a heavy blend of dystopia, sexual tension and an icky product truth.
Michael B. Jordan has been brought in to give Alexa a personality and a body ody ody! Seducing our protagonist, and infuriating her partner in increasingly ridiculous situations. My Alexa can barely set an alarm, let alone water the lawn.
Behind all that sexual tension, the uncomfortable truth is hard to ignore. We all give Alexa et al. an increasingly intimate view of our daily lives, data and interests. And I admire Amazon for leaning into a genuine consumer fear and building a big budget piece of work around it.
Whether it gives a positive impression of Alexa, I'm less sure.
Archibald Williams associate creative director Lucy Kough
I loved it when Alexa lost her voice a couple of years ago. This year to celebrate the new shape, ‘she’ has become a ‘he’ and a rather sexy Lexi at that. Black Panther star, Michael B. Jordan makes even the most mundane commands hot and steamy in this fantasy of one female Amazon employee. There is no big strategic idea at play here yet the strong script and performances made me giggle when I wasn’t expecting to. Especially when the husband scrambles to kill the mood lighting. Amazon delivers a solid ad without having to parade into Super Bowl quirk and randomness.
TBWA Sydney chief creative officer Evan Roberts
Amazon's Alexa's Body.
Simple, well-crafted and thoroughly enjoyable, all the things you want in a Super Bowl spot. Best supporting actor nomination for the husband, whose reactions were a constant source of hilarity.
Digitas Australia associate creative director Thomas McMullan
Holding a collection of eye-meltingly expensive TVCs up on a pedestal seems pretty regressive in 2021, but even then this year’s batch of unsurprising celebrity cameos feels underwhelming.
So kudos to Squarespace for continuing to make a meaningful connection between a simple website-building tool and your unfulfilled dreams. In a painful era of brands telling us they “understand” us, it’s refreshing to see a positive, future-focused message with a real purpose for the product.
Note: Actually using Dolly and transforming a feminist anthem into a hustle economy jingle is obviously problematic, but it’s still the best of a lacklustre bunch.
Clemenger BBDO Sydney executive creative director Darren Wright
Anyone remember Celebrity Death Match? This year’s Super Bowl offerings reminded me a little of that. More celebrities that you can shake a stick at, battling it out to be crowned the heavyweight champ of Superbowl spots. At one point I had Michael B. Jordan taking on Will Ferrell for the belt. But out of nowhere came Reddit’s five-second TV spot. No big budgets, no big names. Just a clever idea, a brilliant bit of writing and a not so subtle nod to the GameStop story…. “powerful things happen when people rally around something they really care about.” Nice.
KWP On Social social media managers Georgia Ion and Lili Danvers
“Wow, wow.”
If you didn’t sing “no cow” in your head after reading the above, you haven’t seen Oatly’s Super Bowl commercial. After the ad was banned in their home country Oatly took a $5 million gamble and we reckon it might just pay off.
It’s got it all: cut-through that floats to the top, like a turd in a punchbowl of celebrity-ridden, high-production short films. An authenticity underscored by the fact it’s written and performed by Oatly’s very own CEO. Com-mem(e)orative T-shirts that have already sold out. And of course, a jingle that slaps (and we hate using that word, but wow!). *Chef’s kiss*
Noisy Beast creative director (digital + content) Melissa Peters
Cadillac’s Scissorhands is more than the highlight of 2021’s Super Bowl. In a few beautiful moments it also became the Scissorhands sequel no one was asking for and I never knew I needed. Ryder reprising her role as Kim Biggs and Chalamet bringing us Edward’s son Edgar, is everything. Could this be the first Super Bowl ad to turn into a movie sequel? Waiting for the full-length feature film. Special mention to Huggies Welcome To The World Baby, featuring the newest of babies, born to the world on big game day. And Drake…yes, thank you State Farm for bringing us ‘stand-in’ Drake.
Showpony copywriter Abby Moulton
Anheuser-Busch - Let's Grab a Beer
It’s not filled with celebrities or a top 10 track. It isn’t even overtly branded from top to tail. It’s just a beautifully crafted cinematic video, talking more to the beer category than the brand itself.
With a string of moving moments (including a montage’s compulsory wedding and funeral scenes) we see beer the driving force for coming together, reminding us again there’s not a lot a catchup over a cold one can’t fix. (Convinced me).
It’s a nicely written love letter to beer and a cultural truth well told.
M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment group account director Luke Haynes
VW - Tree Superbowl XXXV (2001)
Fire up the tardis, we're going back to 2001. Such a fascinating era when we look back to it. The technicolour afterglow of the 90s was fading fast, the dotcom bubble was bursting, Wheatus were on the radio, Pete was about to win Big Brother S1.
In a time of cultural confusion, the reserved simplicity of this ad speaks loudly. We see grown men throwing sticks into a tree, as if to dislodge a stuck football. It’s enough to jog the childhood memories of any sports fan. There’s almost no dialogue, we’re allowed to drift.
And four simple words deftly bring together two competing messages – power and safety – that the Golf GTI packs so much punch that you’ll need to control your urges.
It takes confidence to make this ad, which VW backed up by buying out the entire auto category for the broadcast.
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