The Super Bowl is a big deal, and not just because it’s the big game. While viewer numbers have dipped in our new era of streaming services (last year’s game hit a decade-low of 98.2 million viewers), companies are still eager to shell out huge sums of money for a 30-second ad break. According to Reuters, this year’s ad slots are going for more than 5-million dollars. But why are these ads worth the price?
The most likely reason is that people actually watch the ads. While most people watching TV today tend to tune out once their show hits a break. For some reason, however, Super Bowl night is different.
You may be thinking that it is because they are higher budget productions, or just plain better than your standard commercials which are fair assessments. Another possible reasoning is that it has become ingrained into our culture to the point that people watch the Super Bowl specifically for watching the advertisements.
Whatever the reasoning, this wouldn’t be an article about Super Bowl ads if we didn’t showcase some of the most interesting ads to come out of this year’s game.
Bill Murray returns to his classic role of a regional newscaster who gets trapped in a timeloop. This time he find something new in the way of a brand new Jeep.
At the time of posting this ad has 10.6 million views on YouTube.
In this ad, Planters (yes, the peanut company) took their 30 seconds to transport the viewer into a fever dream in which two men take a road trip with Mr. Peanut, their car (that is shaped like a peanut) goes over a cliff, the three hang on to a branch before Mr. Peanut sacrifices himself and then literally explodes. You can’t make this stuff up.
At the time of posting this ad has 6.8 million views on YouTube.
In this quick 15 second Cheetos ad you find out the true meaning behind MC Hammer’s classic hit Can’t Touch This.
At the time of posting this ad has 5.6 million views on Youtube.