Touchdown! The lineup of Super Bowl 2024 ads was one for the books! The Chiefs may have brought home the trophy, but in the marketing world, it’s all about the best commercial. It was a packed roster this year, making it a challenge to choose our top three most memorable ads. However, we managed to narrow down the list, and here are the spots we think scored big!
Emotional Impact – Google Pixel “Javier in Frame”
When it comes to Super Bowl commercials that leave an emotional impact, you can’t argue that Google Pixel excelled at pulling our heartstrings. The mobile phone’s Super Bowl 2024 ad spotlights its guided frame technology, which uses audio updates to tell users when faces are in frame. The spot follows Javier, who has severely blurred vision, as he takes pictures of various life milestones. Initially, the photos are of just him, then him and his dog, then him and his partner with a close lens on the evolution of their relationship. You can hear the phone saying, “Two faces in frame.” At the end, he captures a picture of his family with his new baby as the phone says, “Three faces in frame.” Google embraced its message and technology by tapping director Adam Morse, who has been blind since the age of 19 and with the voice-over done by musician Stevie Wonder, who lost his sight as a newborn.
The spot was incredibly touching, leaving us with a sentimental connection to the ad. What was most impactful about this ad was seeing the world through Javier’s eyes, and how the phone’s technology can help capture the most important moments in his life no matter his struggles. As a viewer, you can imagine how this new product feature will help so many people take photos and save a lifetime of memories.
Getting a Laugh – Dunkin’ Donuts “Dunkings, Ben Affleck”
Super Bowl LVIII had an abundance of celebrity-filled commercials. Part of the appeal of Super Bowl commercials is watching celebrities make fun of themselves. It’s even better when celebrities bring their friends along for the ride! This year, one of the best collaborations we saw was with Ben Affleck and Dunkin Donuts. In this spot, we see Affleck embarrass his wife, Jennifer Lopez, by showing up to her work with buddies Matt Damon, Tom Brady, Jack Harlow and Fat Joe as the DunKings – a Dunkin’ Donuts-themed boy band. The best lines were delivered by Matt Damon with: “Sometimes it’s really hard to be your friend,” and apologetically delivering his catchphrase to Lopez: “How do you like them donuts?”
This resonated with Super Bowl audiences because it was humorous, and there is something so relatable about Affleck trying to make his wife proud, dragging along friends to help and missing the mark. Plus, the Massachusetts-based donut maker continues its relationship with one of the state’s most famous celebrities, bringing a nod to its home base to the spot.
Thought-Provoking – Dove “Hard Knocks”
Dove uses video clips of young girls falling and getting back up or laughing during sporting competitions, coupled with the memorable song “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” from the Broadway hit Annie for its Super Bowl commercial. The ad starts light-heartedly, watching girls enjoy sports and recover from failures. Then, Dove hits viewers of Super Bowl LVIII with a shocking statistic: 45% of girls quit sports by age 14 due to low body confidence, pivoting the audience’s sentiment from fun to thought-provoking.
The video switches over to a girl questioningly looking at herself in the mirror in her competition swimsuit. Then, Dove follows with a message leading viewers to join Dove’s Body Confident Sports program to encourage girls to keep doing what they love… playing sports! The final scene is of the same girl happily jumping into the pool to join her teammates, with a call-to-action: Let’s #KeepHerConfident.
While so many Super Bowl commercials are funny and lean on celebrities to capture audience attention, Dove took an out-of-the-box approach, showing everyday girls. Seeing them in real life is particularly relatable, especially as they face challenges so common to competition and adolescence. As a viewer, you want these girls to keep trying, to find success and embrace confidence in their own skin. This fosters a deep understanding of Dove’s mission of nurturing positive self-esteem and confidence.
Champions of the Bowl
Super Bowl commercials are so fun to watch! Every brand brings its best, and we love to see all the emotional, funny and thought-provoking spots. These are our top three picks out of numerous incredible advertisements. What was your favorite Super Bowl 2024 ad?
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