Every year, the Super Bowl rolls around on the first Sunday of February, and demands national attention as the best teams in the National Football League (NFL) go head to head. Unlike other games, however, the Super Bowl is known for its advertisements . On a typical game night, ad time means snack time, but not on Super Bowl Sunday. Super Bowl ads are known for being funny, featuring celebrities and being extra expensive for advertisers. This year, the starting rate for 30 seconds of ad time was $5.6 million according to Sporting News. In addition, because ads are so expensive, advertisers do their best to make memorable and entertaining ads for one of the most watched events of the year. Some have already said this year’s ads weren’t as good as usual and I’d agree. However, there were some that still caught my eye.

My top five ads from this year were from State Farm, Rocket Mortgage, Cadillac, General Motors and M&M’s. Although this year was not as much of an iconic year for entertaining, funny, or tear-jerking ads, I still enjoyed them. The State Farm advertisement featured 2 of the best quarterbacks in the league, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers, as well as “Jake from State Farm” and a stand in for each. The ad, called “Drake from State Farm” notably had actor Paul Rudd as Patrick Mahomes’, and rapper Drake, as Jake from State Farm. Another favorite ad was from Rocket Mortgage called “Certain is Better.” The ad featured Tracy Morgan, Liza Koshy and Dave Bautista, showing various funny possibilities that were a result of uncertainty. Each possibility started with a scary scenario like meeting a bear in the woods, followed by Tracy Morgan saying he “thinks they should stand still.”  The Cadillac commercial was a sort of ode to Edward Scissorhands. Starring Timothée Chalamet and Winona Ryder, the ad shows a boy with scissor hands, named Edgar, enjoying the luxury of a hands-free car in a world where he struggles doing everyday tasks with his scissorhands. The M&M’s ad revolved around using M&M’s as a way to apologize. The ad features Schitt’s Creek writer and actor Dan Levy. My last advertisement of note was General Motors’ “No Way Norway”, featuring Will Ferell. The car brand is seeking to increase Electric Vehicle (EV) sales in the U.S., in a passionate comparison to Norway, who currently leads in EV sales. The ad also featured Kenan Thompson and Akwafina.  

Brands like Paramount and Doritos also used Super Bowl ads to introduce new products and services. In a series of ads that aired throughout the Super Bowl, Paramount announced their streaming platform, Paramount +, coming March 4. The ads were filled with countless well-known characters from popular shows and movies that will be available on the service. Doritos announced 3D Doritos in an ad starring Matthew McConahey, who lived a 2D life until trying the new chip.

Although not as exciting as usual, the Super Bowl ads this year were still considerably more entertaining than the ads during a usual game. Super Bowl Sunday will always be a big day for people across the country, whether they watch for the half-time show, the game, or the ads.