By Owen Liu
Advertisements have long been a major feature of the Super Bowl. If you don’t enjoy watching the clash between the NFL’s two conference champions, you’ll likely still enjoy the comical Super Bowl commercials. However, this year the commercials felt boring, forgettable, and unimaginative. It appears that this year’s event has lost the creativity and originality that once made it a cultural phenomenon.
This past February, Super Bowl LX peaked with over 137.8 million viewers all watching the well hyped showdown between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, and during every stoppage, the long anticipated commercials would show. These coveted advertisements were once on the same caliber as the halftime show or the actual game itself, in recent years, there has seemed to be a drop off in quality and writing.
Many fans argue that these ads felt too safe and unoriginal. Historically, Super Bowl commercials have been known to produce iconic and memorable moments lingering long after the final whistle is blown; still, this year, few ads managed to achieve this level of impact.
According to Forbes, the cost of a 30 second Super Bowl commercial has significantly risen to a staggering $7 million dollars in recent years, increasing financial pressure on brands to maximize impact while minimizing risks.
Additionally, 23% of all Super Bowl commercials covered artificial intelligence in some shape or form. While AI continues to emerge and influence technology, the ads that utilize it and cover it further contribute to the feeling of sameness and unoriginality.
Moreover, it seemed as if these companies relied too much on digital effects, celebrity cameos, and a familiar formula, resulting in a lineup of ads that felt polished but forgettable.
Sophomore John Salvatore said, “there were definitely some funny ones,” but “it wasn’t as entertaining as previous years,” still “I think they’ll be just fine.”
The Super Bowl is one of the most watched events in the world. However, if advertisers are to continue playing it safe, the excitement surrounding its commercials will continue to fade. To regain its prestige, brands may need to return to bold storytelling and step out of their comfort zone to deliver something new and refreshing to the crowds.
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