On Sunday night, the ‘Super Bowl of advertising’… the, uh, Super Bowl… happened and, needless to say, social media went into melt-down all over again as arm-chair ad-execs ranted and raved over the ads that most energised and enraged them. X-CMO’s own NFL-fan / ad-man Simon Vincent gave us his verdict on which ads hit the hardest and which fumbled on the goal-line.
Unexpected.
That was probably the word that described Super Bowl LIX the best. Unexpected that the reigning Champion Kansas City Chiefs would fall to such a humbling defeat. Unexpected that Kendrick Lamar would try to bring back 70s flares (was this his Rihanna pregnancy moment?) during his halftime show. Unexpected that, despite their news channel’s unashamedly over-zealous support of him over the years, the FOX broadcast barely cut to the present President Trump at all during the game.
But there was also something of the unexpected about the famed, $8m-per-30-second-slot ads.
We did not, for example, predict that we would see two brands with essentially the exact same commercial. We had not predicted that we would see an advert for a religious organisation with a soundtrack that was once performed by self-styled ‘Anti-Christ Superstar’ Marilyn Manson. And we would not have wanted to predict that we’d see Seal as a, uh, seal.
But more than that. Many people could not have predicted that the three ads that won the Super Bowl would be the three least Super Bowl-y ads of the night.
Should we have done, though? Let’s get to that in a minute.
First, let’s examine what makes a typical (read: average) Super Bowl ad. All the tropes were all on show for all the world to see on Sunday. Big production values, tonnes of celebrities, oodles of forced American football references and most importantly – moooost importantly – loads of product. After all, you’re paying $8m for this slot, right? You gotta take the opportunity to shove your watery beer down your customers’ throats.
Figuratively speaking, of course.
And yet, the best Super Bowl ads of years gone by – think Apple’s 1984, think Always’ Like A Girl, think (controversial choice, but my personal favourite) Coinbase’s QR Code – barely had any of those things.
And here we are, in 2025, and the few brands that have learnt the lessons of the past were the ones who made the rare and unexpected ads that made the most impact. I suppose that part, at least, was somewhat expected.
The ads I’m talking about are Dove’s ‘These Legs’, Nike’s ‘So Win’ and Google’s beautiful, beautiful Dream Job.
The first continues a tradition that the P&G brand has developed of sticking up for those in need of help. Of being their advocate. Of fighting their corner. But in a simple, understated, intensely human way
“At three, these legs are unstoppable. At 14, she’ll think they’re unbearable” it says over a single shot of a young girl running around her neighbourhood. The message: we need to help young women to feel body confident. That’s it. No celebrities. No product. Just a very relatable, human image and message.
Nike’s Weiden and Kennedy-created (of course) ad did feature celebrities in the form of Sha’Carri Richardson, A’ja Wilson, and Jordan Chiles (all US Olympians) as well as other female athletes. But, in true Nike fashion, it didn’t “celebrify” them. Instead of putting them on a pedestal, it showed how others have put them down. And then, in trademark Nike, black-and-white, profile-shot-interspersed-with-action-shot visual identity, built them back up.
Finally, a Super Bowl ad dedicated entirely to women’s sports, delivered by Grammy-winning female rapper Doechii, over the sounds of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’. Mic drop.
The Super Bowl really had a Nike commercial dedicated entirely to WOMEN’S SPORTS, y’all.
We prayed for times like this 🥲
— Bri Lewerke (@brilewerke) February 10, 2025
And last but by no means least, we have Google. The company who bought us the tear-jerking Dear Sophie was back at it again, showing a Dad practising for a job interview, having spent time out of work while raising his daughter.
“When you’re ready, tell me about the job that taught you the most,” says Google’s Gemini AI assistant from his phone.
What follows is a two minute montage of a father taking “constructive criticism” (young daughter refuses his food), “working long hours” (waking in the night for feeds), “multitasking”, “becoming really organized” and “making quick decisions” (any parent will be able to fill in the visuals in their own head here) all while Gemini urges him to try to sound more confident, helps him address specific parts of his new role’s job description and finally, gives him the re-assurance that he’s ready for the real interview.
It’s nostalgic, warm and real. All the things most people believe AI not to be. And yet it works.
Because here’s the secret. What you sell is not what your customer buys. You sell healthcare products, they buy self-confidence. You sell trainers, they buy motivation. You sell a phone, they buy a tool that helps them get back into the world of work after a prolonged absence.
Showing products doesn’t communicate that. Showing their benefits for their users does. That’s why the average arm-chair critic doesn’t expect ads like this and doesn’t get ads like this.
Didn’t think about this at all. Lost in a sea of “here’s an emotional advertisement.”
You know what stood out. The ChatGPT ad.
— Blake (@BlakeC) February 10, 2025
But don’t worry, Google probably don’t want overly literal misanthropes like Blake C buying their product anyway.
“I’m emotional. That’s who I am” said Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni after the last time his team went to the NFL’s biggest game. Many cited that trait as the reason the Eagles lost that game two years ago. The same people were praising him for it as he lifted the Lombardi on Sunday night.
People are emotional. That is who we are. The best ads acknowledge that fact and speak to it, turning our sentimentality into our strength. And so it turns out, the unexpected best way to talk about what you sell in a Super Bowl ad, is not to talk about what you sell at all.
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