End Zone to Ad Zone: A review of some of the commercials played during Super Bowl LVIII

For any football haters, the most anticipated part of the Super Bowl each year isn’t the actual game — it’s the endless stream of commercials in between plays.

The Super Bowl holds the most coveted air time for advertisers and networks alike — even in the age of streaming. While this year’s catalog of new oddball commercials may have been overshadowed by an overtime thriller and Chiefs victory, I decided to give my take on some of the best.

Most self-deprecating: Dunkin with Affleck
Playing on his Boston background and infallible friendship with Matt Damon, actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon actually rap an original jingle for Dunkin Donuts over a generic yet funky 80’s style beat. Nobody will ever say it was good, but hey, we’re talking about it so there must be some cultural impact.

We all know celebrities were the backbone of this year’s broadcast, from Taylor Swift to Lebron James. When they weren’t filming football, the camera always found a familiar, famous face in the crowd.

But there has to be a line that an ad agency won’t cross, right? I was proven wrong while watching 30 seconds of a shameless tracksuit band led by Affleck. Unfortunately, using celebrities in your commercial doesn’t make it any less cringeworthy.

For Dunkin Donuts, of course they are going to have Affleck rapping his heart out for the “DunKings” while Jennifer Lopez, Damon, Jack Harlow and even Tom Brady get helplessly embarrassed in the process — reminiscent of a poorly performed SoundCloud rapper concert.


Most nostalgic: Vince Vaughn and Tom Brady for BetMGM

It’s truly not a modern Super Bowl without former National Football League quarterback Tom Brady — like it or not, he always comes back. Similar to former tight end Rob Gronkowski’s infamous annual kick, Brady repeatedly getting rejected feels like a self-gratifying cameo for a champion of a past era. Even if it was only two years ago.

The minute-long clip showed everyone joining BetMGM, except for Tom, who wins too much. This running joke actually resonated with me, with the dreaded Patriots dominating the NFL for almost 20 years.

Now, this commercial only reminds me that in today’s football, I’m glad that my team is the one that can’t stop winning.

Most star-studded: Suits cast for e.l.f.

“Suits” is the obsession binge everyone found four years after the show actually ended. When the hit series came to Netflix last summer, it felt like any other viral fad that would dwindle after a week or two, but I was wrong.

Playing off of their success with a mock court between the show’s stars Ginna Torres and Rick Hoffman — who played Jessica Pearson and Louis Litt respectively — highlight the advantages of cheap makeup. The two argue in e.l.f. court — which handles makeup related “cases” that, of course, are all their products — defending their client with the benefits of the companies beauty products.

They are accompanied by Judge Judy, because honestly who else could make it more over-the-top? Everyone had fun in a nostalgia-dependent ad that focused more on cameos than the brand, barely even showing e.l.f.’s products.

Going into the Super Bowl, we had not one but two “Suits” reunions to take advantage of people’s nostalgia. But, the e.l.f. trial that had more in common with reality TV, than the original show.

I can say that they piqued my interest for their products in one of several television reunions we saw during the game’s commercials that didn’t feel quite as cheesy as the others.

Most Disappointing: Reese’s

A traumatic flashback of the last big change at the Super Bowl — killing off the Planters Peanut — flooded into my head after the teaser for Reese’s supposedly big change. The “big” change was the addition of caramel to the Reeses cup. A subtle change they blew way out of proportion.

This ad felt irrelevant, and unlike a typical Super Bowl commercial. They depended more on the spectacle of the event instead of the content they present, allowing this $7 million commercial to fade into the background.

Most cinematic: COORs Light

I mean what screams football if not a classic beer commercial?

On game day, Coors had one of the only commercials that stood out compared to its competition. They call the Light Express to deliver a solution to their thirst just in time. But not before traveling across the entire country. I couldn’t help but laugh when the train blew by the beach and they took a not-so-subtle shot at Corona’s classic commercial series with celebrities like Snoop Dogg drinking on beachside chairs.

Thinking about how much money went into this with the quality of the CGI, it’s obvious how much companies depend on these 30 seconds on the air.

When the Chill Train finally pulls to a stop, we see the conductor LL Cool J in the classic celebrity cameo that has dominated most of the advertising.

But what did stand out was the more original ideas like the train — standing apart from decades of similar commercials, a task many fail. The effort paid off for everyone watching.

Biggest Surprise. CeraVe with Micheal Cera

Following an under-appreciated campaign, CeraVe gave an ad to their “Creator” and actor Micheal Cera, who finally got the credit he deserved for a billion-dollar product. After actually buying and handing out hundreds of bottles in New York last week, this teaser finally shed light on some seriously strange marketing collab for the two sides.

Unfortunately, none of that is true after watching the fever dream of a promo Cera created get rejected by the lotion’s board of directors, in one of the most meta-ads of the event (sorry Deadpool) by making an ad for an ad about the ad. If that last sentence didn’t confuse you, congratulations.

This was the only ad that took a swing at guerilla marketing, a risky tactic in this fast-paced society where it can be scrolled by in a second without another thought. But nonsensical nonsense with a backbone in wordplay is a proven formula for these commercials, and I’m not complaining.

Worst of All Time? Yeezy

When getting settled into the couch in preparation for the next six hours of football, I never imagined I would see Kanye West single handedly insult the entire marketing profession. His $7 million ad — which he proudly announces cost $0 to actually produce — embodies a poor home video where he rambles incessantly like a maniac about YEEZY.com.

Filmed on his phone camera and shaking the whole time, what his purpose for doing such a stupid thing cannot be comprehended by us mortals.

“You can get shoes. And that’s it.”

How he was allowed to be on national television was a questionable decision, and one that made fun of the hundreds of people who put months of work into these commercials.

This single handedly made me hate him more than I already do. But the only response I get after watching it is confusion. When I finally typed the address on google, I was surprised to learn the website was even real.