Admittedly, it’s taken me a few days to process this year’s batch of Super Bowl commercials. I learned a few years ago not to watch too many of them in advance, so as not to spoil the surprise factor. But alas this year I didn’t even watch them during the game … too much talking at a Super Bowl party. So now I am catching up. Apologies to all the brilliant marketers for missing their big moment!

The Super Bowl is the biggest marketing day of the year, right up alongside Black Friday and Cyber Monday but for very different reasons. This is the day when brands shine their light, showcase their essence, and in many ways simply entertain. And for that reason it’s my favorite (marketing) day of the year.

There have already been so many recaps released, so I’m not going to repeat. But I do want to showcase three spots that I found particularly entertaining, mostly for their nostalgia quotient. Gets me every time.

But first I do have to mention that (as I wrote about yesterday) Rhianna stole the show as best in show with her not so subtle nod to Fenty, her beauty brand. Applying new makeup in the middle of her halftime show stole the show. Then also announcing a partnership with Sephora, and then releasing a Valentine’s Day campaign about love … it all hit the beauty marketing trifecta.

In terms of the commercials themselves, yes Tubi won the race by making virtually every list of the top three, often making the top spot. I’ll leave that there.

Here are my top three ...

Disney: To celebrate its 100th Anniversary, Disney brought us on a journey through time for the young and the young at heart, in a very Disney kind of way.

Next up in high entertainment value is Uber One. Just gotta love the creativity and the iconic musical references.

And last up for me is Farmer’s Dog, a relative newcomer to the field. As a dad and a dog dad back in the day, this one really got to me.

Guess you can tell that I’m essentially honoring all the nostalgia in this year’s collection. Well done, marketers.

What’s your experience? JIM

Best in Show - Super Bowl Commercials 2023