EVERSANA INTOUCH was founded in Kansas City, so nothing could top seeing our beloved Chiefs win their third championship in the final seconds of Super Bowl LVII. But no matter what happens on the field, for creatives, the ads are always one of the highlights of any Super Bowl!
Hear from our Chief Creative Officer, Group Creative Director, and Executive Creative Director about the hits, misses, and surprises they saw in the commercials of Super Bowl LVII.
Did you have a favorite spot?
“My favorite had to be Workday’s ‘Rockstar.’ Capitalizing on the overuse of the term was very clever. Whoever came up with this one is, dare I say it, a rock star! PopCorners’ ‘Breaking Bad’ spot was my second favorite.” – Don Matera, SVP Group Creative Director, EVERSANA INTOUCH O2
“’Thank you, Canada’ with Dave Grohl was my favorite. Thank YOU, Crown Royal! Who knew all those things were from Canada? True edutainment.” – Susan Perlbachs, Chief Creative Officer, EVERSANA INTOUCH
“I don’t know that the world really needed to know about a partnership between Netflix and General Motors, but the world definitely needed a commercial where Will Ferrell could do what Will does best, which is be Will.” – Brent Scholz, SVP, Executive Creative Director, EVERSANA INTOUCH
Who did you feel had the freshest, most original approach?
“I know one thing – everyone at our Super Bowl party started panicking and yelling at the kids to hand over the remote when Tubi ran their spot. Nothing else came close to having such a visceral group reaction.” – Brent
“A (John) Hamm and Brie (Larson) sandwich isn’t the first thing I would have thought of for Hellman’s. It was fun and memorable, and I love that it kicks off a campaign that benefits Feeding America. The Mr. Peanut roast was a pretty fresh approach as well.” – Susan
In three words, what were your reaction to this year’s Super Bowl commercials?
“Oh hi, celebrities!” – Brent
“Nostalgic and futuristic” – Don
Did you notice any trends?
“Besides the noticeably heavy use of celebrities, it was clear it was a return to ‘having fun’ as the prevailing tone. The last few years have been more somber and serious.” – Brent
Did any spot inspire you as a creative? If so, how?
“The ’Premature Electrification (PE)’ spot for Ram Trucks inspires me to make the pharma industry better than the punchline of a joke.” – Susan
Biggest facepalm, or waste of money: which ad was the worst?
“That was ‘Avocados From Mexico’. While avocados make a lot of things better, unfortunately, this Super Bowl ad isn’t one of them.” – Don
“It’s great to see so many pharma spots making it to the Super Bowl – but none of the pharma creative was Super Bowl worthy. If you don’t create Super Bowl buzz, why bother with the media spend?” – Susan
Did any spot give you a pang of “I wish I’d done that” envy?
“As emotional as it is, ‘Monday.’ I love a good story, and this felt like a personal short film. It reinforces the idea that cancer knows no bounds, but also brings to light a different fear—returning to work after the battle. A heartfelt support message was a nice way to wrap it.” – Don
“Google Pixel 7. The photos were adorable at every turn – and Amy Schumer erasing her exes definitely gave me a chuckle.” – Susan
Who used celebrities or cultural cues well?
“Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul making PopCorners were brilliant. It was fun to see Alicia Silverstone bringing back Cher Horowitz for Rakuten, too.” – Don
“I absolutely loved Ben Affleck, with his Boston accent, working the Dunkin’ drive through. J Lo at the end was a great touch!” – Susan
Ad Age has all of the 2023 Super Bowl commercials for you to re-watch. What were the standouts and missed opportunities for you?