On Sunday night, millions of Americans sat down on their couches for a thrilling Super Bowl 58. Accompanying the fantastic game were friends, family, food and most importantly, Super Bowl ads. I have had a deep connection with Super Bowl commercials ever since the time I was a little boy, watching Super Bowl 47 Between the Ravens and the 49ers. I distinctly remember the chain of M&M Super Bowl commercials broadcast during Super Bowl 47, introducing brown M&M\u2019s to the M&M mix. The star of the commercial, the red M&M, enters a party and upon seeing the brown M&M and assuming it is naked, announces, \u201cI didn\u2019t know it was this kind of party,\u201d before ripping his shell off and dancing to \u201cI\u2019m Sexy and I Know It.\u201d As a little kid, and still today, this is the kind of humor that I most appreciate in ads. To me, the best commercials are the quirky, laugh-out-loud type, that seamlessly blend their product in with quality comedic entertainment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When The New York Times<\/em> and other news publications released their favorite Super Bowl ads of the year articles on Monday morning I was displeased with their choices. What The Times and other news outlets seemed to admire in the collection of commercials was the \u201cspectacle\u201d of it all. How grand, and over the top these commercials could be. Mentioned in this grouping featured Beyonce\u2019s Verizon commercial, the new Bud Light ad featuring Post Malone and Peyton Manning and the Martin Scorcese-directed Squarespace ad. Sure, these are high-budget ads led by top-tier A-list celebrities, but they just don\u2019t intrigue me. I realized that my ideal qualities in commercials simply do not align with mainstream ad marketing right now. And that\u2019s a sad realization for a lifetime Super Bowl ad fan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, some standout commercials had a special feel to them. Last year when I wrote my review on my Top 5 Super Bowl Commercials, I talked a lot about the growing Gen-Z influence I was seeing in these commercials. I\u2019m not sure if I saw that influence notably grow from last year, but I definitely saw some ads that were targeted toward my age demographic. It\u2019s no coincidence that these ads ended up being my favorites. There were scarce options, but here are my picks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Duolingo Do your lesson, no buts.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n What the 6-second Duolingo ad made up for in length was its ingenuity. The commercial features the Duolingo bird mascot\u2019s butt expand and blow up and form a baby bird. While confusing at first, it doesn\u2019t take long to catch the \u201cDo your lesson, no buts\u201d message accompanying the bird on screen. This message perfectly fits with the Duolingo brand model: a language-learning app that thrives on everyday usage. The commercial took a risky approach with the lack of information presented to the viewer, but in my opinion, it was well done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. The DunKings Dunkin\u2019 \u2018The DunKings\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, it is very hypocritical for me to like this commercial as I said before I hate the big \u201cspectacle\u201d commercials, but this one was surprisingly too good to leave off the list. The commercial features Ben Affleck and his band the \u2018DunKings\u2019, Matt Damon and \u2018Touchdown\u2019 Tommy Brady, as they perform their new single at Jennifer Lopez and Fat Joe\u2019s recording studio. Unfortunately for the DunKings, J-Lo hates their music and boots them from the studio. What separates this commercial from other \u201cspectacle\u201d commercials is the excellent callbacks in the characters\u2019 dialogue. Matt Damon\u2019s \u201cHow you like them donuts\u201d is in obvious reference to his iconic line in Good Will Hunting, and Ben Affleck telling J-Lo she is \u201cblinded by the pinstripes\u201d after she rejects their song proposal, in a funny callback to her past relationship with Alex Rodriguez. The wordplay, storyline and casting were all spot on, making for a near-perfect commercial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Ice Spice Starry Commercial Starry | Super Bowl 2024 | It\u2019s Time To See Other Sodas<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the last year, Ice Spice rose from the Bronx rap scene to national stardom, becoming somewhat of a national phenomenon. It\u2019s no surprise she was featured hugely on Super Bowl Sunday. In the commercial, Ice Spice is at the club with the Starry Lemon and Lime mascots who are her new boyfriends, when she sees her old ex, Lemon-Lime Soda. Despite telling Spice that he still loves her, Spice opts to stay with the refreshing, crisp taste of Starry. Dismayed at the news that Spice won\u2019t take him back, Lemon-Lime Soda spontaneously combusts into a stream of lemon-lime soda in a crying fit. The commercial ends with, \u201cIt\u2019s time to see other sodas,\u201d capping off a brilliant commercial with funny dialogue and the laugh-out-loud quirkiness that I love in commercials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n