Jennifer Allen
By Jennifer Allen
As one of the largest televised events each year in the United States, the Super Bowl has morphed over time from simple pigskin throwing back and forth between grown men in helmets and padding to a grand spectacle of happenings which are speculated for the two weeks between playoffs and the game itself.
This isn’t just about football anymore. It’s impressing your friends with the most creative snack trays to gobble up during the game. It’s making sure you schedule the Monday afterwards off so you can completely come down from the high that is 3+ hours of sports entertainment. It’s the speculation of what the halftime show will look like depending on which music performer was chosen this year.
But for me, at least, it’s all about the wild and crazy commercials which slide in between the blood, sweat, and tears shed by both teams while they run back and forth on (not so) natural grass while even more printed ads woosh past each player on camera. With each 30 second spot costing each advertiser an insane $8 million dollars, you certainly hope they’ll dish out some memorable content.
Fox was even gracious enough to broadcast the game for free on their ad supported TV app, Tubi (which you had to sign up for, by the way). Just one more spectacle to tack on to a sports event that… had already been free to watch for decades. Hurray?
Regardless, it’s become cutthroat competition for advertisers to craft remarkable slivers of footage ranging from 15 seconds to 2 minutes which capitalize on the millions of viewers who chose to not rush off to the bathroom or get up to snatch another drink from the fridge (or both). For many of these companies, these carefully constructed short films incorporate enough A-list star cameos, humor, and powerful social messages to leave a lasting impression… hopefully.
Many of the ads for 2025 decided that a world currently spiraling within a deluge of natural disasters, local violence, wars, controversial politics, and other discouraging news was not what they wanted to focus on. Instead, they decided to punch us all in the nostalgia gland by reflecting on… simpler times.
Everything from a When Harry Met Sally reunion to emphasize how euphoric Hellmann’s mayonnaise can be to a (disturbingly) CGI Seal as an um… seal singing “Kiss from a Lime” to tell us about Mountain Dew’s newest flavor to the Fast & Furious crew forgoing the “fast life” to enjoy a Häagen-Dazs ice cream bar was available on our screens.
Don’t get me started on the Instacart commercial which crammed in just about every Gen X advertising icon it could to make a point. Yeah. Thanks for reminding us with such insanely blunt reminiscent whiplash of just how old we are now, Instacart. I appreciate it.
The real winners of nostalgia this year had to be the surplus of music artists whose catchy tunes of yesteryear were on full blast in the background. Everything from Van Halen’s “Panama” to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” (in instrumental form but hey it still worked) to the oft-forgotten Bellmay Brothers’ “Let your Love Flow” were blasting away to remind us of all of our childhoods in one way or another.
Another big theme in some ads this year was perseverance against all odds. Budweiser, Lay’s, the NFL, Dove, and Google all packed some truly heartwarming moments into their abbreviated segments. While not the first ads to do this, they provided a few cheerful seconds for us to forget about the chaos happening just outside our perspective doors.
Will any of these achieve legendary status in the coming years? Too early to tell, but it does remind me of some which are still fondly remembered to this day as parts of pop culture history. Here’s just a few of my favorites which have stood the test of time and live rent free in my own nostalgia.
Coca-Cola’s “Hey Kid, Catch!”
We all know this one, right? Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene limps back to the locker room when a kid stops him and offers his Coca Cola. “Want my Coke?” he asks while holding out the iconic curved glass bottle to the towering man. After gulping down that refreshingly cold and sweet beverage, he tosses his jersey to the pint-sized gift giver in thanks.
Can you believe that the ad was released in 1980? It’s been recreated and spoofed plenty of times since then, but the original still holds up… even if you have no idea who “Mean” Joe Greene was.
Snickers’ “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” with Betty White
Ah yes. The late great Betty White getting tackled in the mud right before one of her teammates says, “You’re playing like Betty White out there,” followed by the actress’ snappy comeback of “That’s not what your girlfriend says!” is still a gem 15 years later. At the end, she rips open a Snickers wrapper and turns into a 20-something dude named Mike.
Snickers really satisfies. Indeed.
Bonus points at the end for another player tackling the also late great Abe Vigoda (look him up) who then groans from the ground in pain.
Budweiser’s “Frogs” & “Wassuuuuuuuuuup?”
Let’s face it… the Super Bowl wouldn’t be complete without a Budweiser commercial slotted somewhere in its broadcast. Some years they go more subdued with the recognizable Clydesdale horses prancing across the screen in slow motion. Other times they take a more tongue-in-cheek approach. These two in particular are still talked about (and spoofed quite a bit) today. Even if you’ve never seen either of the original ads, you assuredly know of them. That’s the impact of brilliant advertising.
Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef?”
Honestly, I’d completely forgotten this started as a Super Bowl ad! Released in 1984, Clara Peller peeks over a bleak white countertop with her elderly pals at a huge bun with miniscule circular beef paddy. This 30 second gem eventually captured the zeitgeist with its unforgettable catchphrase and made a star out of the late actress.
Verizon’s “Can’t B Broken”
What do you get when you mix a cell phone company, Beyoncé and nostalgia? Verizon knew what it was doing by not only getting the Queen B for their 2024 ad, but also announced she would “break the internet” multiple times. Of course, since Verizon had recently updated to 5G, this proved to be a much more dauting task than the singer could’ve ever imagined. What follows is a series of quick cuts through her career and ending with an announcement of her new album (which finally accomplishes her goal).
Volkswagen’s “The Force”
As a self-proclaimed geek, I adore this one as it shows a small boy strutting around in a Darth Vader costume trying (and failing) to ‘use the force’ on an array of household items as John Williams’ iconic “The Imperial March” plays in the background. When Dad pulls into the driveway in his Volkswagen Passat, the kiddo lifts his hands towards the vehicle. To his surprise, the effort works, thanks to a secret helping hand (or in this case, key fob) from Dad inside the house.
Behind the scenes I recently learned that Max Page, the 7-year-old boy in the outfit, was born with a congenital heart condition that required several surgical procedures in his youth. He’s now healthy, and used his experiences to help other kids undergoing similar complications.
2025 Pick
As for my favorite 2025 commercial? I think that honor goes to “A Century of Cravings” from Uber Eats with Matthew McConaughey and other amusing celebrity cameos. “From the very beginning, football’s been a conspiracy to make us hungry…” the Texas actor croons as Booker T’s “Green Onions” begins to play. While it’s no “Where’s the Beef?” the concept definitely has a quirky charm to it.
Which one is your favorite?
Jennifer Allen works at Saathee and is also a Podcaster, Blogger, Photographer, Graphic Artist, Gamer, Martial Arts Practitioner, and all around Pop Culture Geek. Contact: [email protected]
