There’s almost nothing Likeable looks forward to more than the annual Super Bowl ads (except our annual debrief on said ads), and this year certainly didn’t disappoint. Since the crypto takeover over the past few years, we were relieved to see some fresh new ideas for this year’s Super Bowl. We saw 40% of brands in this year’s big game creating memorable campaign hashtags, a strategy that is designed to utilize social crossover and campaign reachability. Some of the most notable hashtags from the game, based on the number of mentions, included #UltraClub from Michelob Ultra, as well as #RealOrActing from Pepsi.
With ads aired during the Big Game costing a pretty penny this year, audience attention comes with an almost $7M price tag per ad. These brands want to make sure they’re bringing their A-game, and making their spot shine. After all, it’s what a lot of us are really in it for, right?
Kansas City may have won the game, but here are the ads that won our attention:
Tubi had us all wondering who in their right mind took the remote and how fast we could kick them out of the party. This creative 15-second spot started off looking like live commentary but quickly pivoted to scrolling through the Tubi user interface. Since this one definitely caused a nationwide “no wait stop,” we’re confident in saying this one took the cake this year.
Alright who else fell for it? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/cpzt2vqw5L
— Tubi (@Tubi) February 13, 2023
Doritos is always a fan favorite when it comes to Super Bowl ads, and they certainly didn’t let us down this year. The ad featured Jack Harlow, whose song “First Class,” was the fifth most streamed song in the US in 2022. The e-boy turned popstar took inspiration from BBQ Doritos while recording in the sound booth to incorporate the triangle into his new tracks, and subsequently influence the world. Well done, Doritos, we’re officially hungry.
Liked it? Loved it? Broke the replay button? Quote tweet our #SuperBowl LVII ad with your reaction and tag us for a chance win a prize! #DoritosTriangleScheme pic.twitter.com/v83ouDX6AB
— Doritos (@Doritos) February 13, 2023
The Farmers Dog ad just about brought us to tears, and rightfully so. If you didn’t already want to give your best fur-iend the best food money can buy, this ad would get you there. It brought us through the life of a girl and her dog growing up together, being there for all the important moments in life.
Nothing matters more than more years with your best friend. That’s what inspired us to make our latest commercial. You might have caught it if you’re tuned into a certain game this evening 👀🏈 Here's the whole story of "Ava and Bear." pic.twitter.com/J6iIGoqRAR
— The Farmer's Dog (@thefarmersdog) February 13, 2023
Dunkin customers in Medford, MA, were in for a treat in the drive-through with Ben Affleck manning the window. The national fast food breakfast chain had customers being served up their morning treats by the actor, who happily obliged for some fan photos along the way. Our main takeaways from this wonderfully executed bit were that Boston accents are unmatched, and America, does indeed, run on Dunkin.
they say go big or go home so Ben went big and came home to Massachusetts pic.twitter.com/PctBV6McLR
— Dunkin' (@dunkindonuts) February 12, 2023
Workday put all of us corporate rockstars in our place in this star-studded ad promoting their finance and HR services. The service used rock legends such as Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Clark Jr, and more to clarify that us corporate employees have no business taking their hype for our own vernacular entertainment. Thanks to Ozzy, we’re currently trying to cut “rockstar” out of our day-to-day interactions as you read this.
Coming to you live from the fourth quarter! Let's rock this. 🎸
Ready for an encore? Watch our #RealRockStar #BigGame commercial with @ozzyosbourne, @GaryClarkJr, @joanjett, @PaulStanleyLive, and @BillyIdol! 🤩 https://t.co/eH8Rt4O5Im pic.twitter.com/Bc9QomkaZe
— Workday (@Workday) February 13, 2023
Honorable Mention: Rihanna obviously stole the show while debuting her soon-to-be newest family member, and even got to promote her beauty line in the process, without the hefty ad price. During her iconic Super Bowl halftime performance, the singer used a product from her own beauty line, Fenty, to touch up her makeup. Not only was this a genius way to promote the product, but she also definitely earned some PR points by effortlessly pulling off this creative stunt.
It’s safe to say that Rihanna had a Kim Kardashian-esk ‘break the internet’ moment so intense that Twitter actually suffered outages, and countless iconic memes came from the event. Aside from queen RiRi setting a new standard for halftime performances, brands also shook things up by taking a different approach this year with their strategies. We saw 40% of brands in this year’s big game creating memorable campaign hashtags, a strategy that is designed to utilize social crossover and campaign reachability. Some of the most notable hashtags from the game, by the number of mentions, included #UltraClub from Michelob Ultra, as well as #RealOrActing from Pepi.
With ads aired during the Big Game costing a pretty penny this year, audience attention is worth almost $7M price tag per ad. These brands want to make sure they’re bringing their A-game, and making their spot shine. After all, it’s what a lot of us are really in it for, right?
Don’t have that kind of cash to drop on TV ads? No worries, we can still make your socials shine, just reach out to us here.
