Without a doubt, the Super Bowl is responsible for some of the most exciting, jaw-dropping, impactful, and downright dazzling feats of advertising in marketing.
Every year the industry looks to the creative feats that go into making amazing ads that are poignant, inspirational, or humorous—or a mix of all three, told through expert storytelling.
In this post, we take a look back at some of the best and worst Super Bowl ads over the years—those that captured the audience’s attention for all the right reasons and those that left viewers scratching their heads. Whether they became viral sensations or were quickly forgotten, these commercials offer valuable lessons in storytelling, branding, and audience engagement.
From the groundbreaking Apple “1984” ad to unexpected celebrity cameos and marketing missteps, here’s a retrospective of Super Bowl advertising at its best—and worst.
First up, we’re going to look at the best ads of the Super Bowl from over the years. These brilliantly crafted feats of advertising match the offbeat, crowd-luring brilliance you’d expect to see from a top flight Super Bowl ad.
In this colossal 2023 brand collaboration, Netflix and General Motors hired the help of Hollywood’s favorite funnyman, Will Ferrell, to dazzle audiences with a big-budget ad that’s slick, original, and mind-blowing in equal measure.
The ad showcases General Motors and Netflix's pledge to be more green: General Motors will make more electric vehicles and Netflix will feature them in its original content.
As Will Ferrell tells audiences of this eco-friendly initiative, he seamlessly bobs and weaves his way through a series of iconic Netflix box sets or movie scenes, letting his unique style of comic swagger shine through from start to finish. Epic.
Takeaway: The right brand collaboration will expand your ad reach and expose you to new audiences that are likely to engage with what you have to offer. By being sincere with your messaging and staying true to your brand tone and values, your authenticity is likely to build trust and attract more people to your brand. A quirky ad concept will help, too!
Part buddies-reunited sequence, part creepy zombie-bride narrative, the popular potato chip brand Lay’s gives us a show-stopper of a Super Bowl ad that was slick, funny, and slightly unnerving.
Hollywood legends Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen appear as buddies who share epic memories: each of which feature a golden bag of Lays chips, before a slightly spine-chilling zombie conclusion.
Here the brand positions itself as a memory maker (a product you have close by through the best and worst times)—and Lays hit the nail (or indeed, chip) on the head with this spot.
Takeaway: By honing in on your core message to deliver to your audience, placing it at the heart of your campaign, and building a lighthearted narrative around it, you can deliver an advert that strikes a real chord with your intended audience while representing your brand’s tone.
2022’s UberEats (or, ‘Uber not Eats’) Super Bowl commercial, we’re invited to laugh and cringe at this star-studded munch-a-thon.
To shine a light on the fact that Uber delivers more than just food alone, the brand created an ad featuring A-list celebrities chomping on household items, including a light bulb, a diaper, lipstick, and a scented candle (yes, one of those Gwyneth Paltrow ones).
Here, the premise revolves around people eating freshly-delivered domestic items out of confusion because they think that UberEats only supplies food—and it works wonders. Oh, and the small print disclaimers such as “don’t eat lightbulbs” really add that extra touch of humor (it’s solid advice, too).
Takeaway: If you’re looking to expand your brand’s commercial scope or pivot your business in any way, using your ad to shine a light on your new service or USP in an eye-grabbingly creative way will spark engagement while really driving the message home. A little influencer marketing muscle doesn’t hurt, either.
Yes, one of the grand old American newspapers makes our list. In its 2019 Super Bowl advertising debut, The Washington Post prevailed with an advert that makes you stand up and take notice right from the get-go.
A hard-hitting visual ad that highlights the often-dangerous work carried out by journalists and narrated by the warm, iconic voice of Tom Hanks, the video has a solid narrative that features those in the media industry who have died or disappeared.
Sharing the message that ‘knowing keeps us free’ and the paper’s official slogan, ‘democracy dies in the darkness’, The Washington Post hit home the importance of honest, fact-driven journalism in today’s world. As such, the publication has positioned itself as an oracle for reliable, unbiased, real-time information in a world full of fake news—an excellent entry to the Super Bowl advertising arena.
Takeaway: If you’re looking to deliver a poignant, hard-hitting message, being bold and daring will help you get results—as long as you’re honest, transparent and tasteful in your efforts. And, by using a celebrity or influencer to appear in, or narrate your advert, you stand to gain additional traction and a boost in brand awareness.
Kia is one of the world’s most forward-thinking car manufacturers, and its 2019 Super Bowl ad was a testament to that very notion. Rather than using a star-studded celebrity lineup to endorse its products, Kia chose to celebrate the everyday people who help to manufacture their world-renowned vehicles.
Not only is the ad’s strapline, ‘here’s to the great unknowns’ nothing short of inspirational, but the entire sequence is emotive, epic, and stunning to watch—drilling down into the grassroots talent that has made the company what it is today.
Takeaway: To prevail in your digital marketing or video advertising efforts, you don’t necessarily have to lean on influencers to be successful. By creating something that is powerful, emotional, and offers a glimpse behind the scenes of your business, you stand to attract a great deal of new consumers to your brand.
Some years have produced red herrings: ads that are dull, directionless or completely miss the mark.
So, let’s show you some examples of how not to create a Super Bowl ad…
While the Planters' 2019 Super Bowl offering had all of the elements of a great ad —the Planters mascot driving a peanut-mobile like a madman in the same neighborhood as Charlie Sheen and an adrenaline-pumping hair metal soundtrack and witty advertising slogans , it failed to hit the mark in terms of impact.
Takeaway: Having a solid soundtrack, an amusing hook, celebrity endorsement, and big-budget production is certainly helpful in creating a successful ad, if you don’t have a clear-cut direction or message, your efforts are likely to fall flat.
Even though this advert stars the inimitable Steve Carrell and boasts a star-spangled mix of cameos, it feels like it should have been funnier and more exciting than it actually was.
The central strapline—‘more than okay’—had legs but as the ad failed to make the impact it promised, it failed as the campaign itself was just ‘okay’. Moreover, by focusing on the fact that Pepsi ‘is more than okay’, the brand also ran the risk of making people feel that its direct competitor, Coca-Cola, is actually better—and that’s not great for brand growth.
Takeaway: If you’re in a situation where you have a strong direct competitor, researching their efforts and initiatives and investing your creative efforts in producing a campaign that not only shines your brand in an incredibly positive light but is completely unique is the only way to win on the commercial battlefield.
by Dan Hughes
Posted on Feb 03, 2026
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