I’m going to be honest with you, one of the only reasons I watch the Super Bowl every year is for the advertisements. As a self-proclaimed member of an advertising family, I grew up anxiously waiting for the commercials to come on during the Super Bowl, so I could be engaged in and humored by the genius advertisements.
Every year post-Super Bowl, Ad Age releases a list of commercials that chalked up the best reviews and results. However, this year, I decided to neglect to look at their release and draft my own individual response to the commercials and share them here, with you.
I may not be an advertising expert, but from a 21-year-old college student who loves nothing more than to critique and become immersed in those 60-second ads, here were my top 3 favorite commercials of the 2018 Super Bowl
1. Toyota– We’re All One Team
Prior to the Super Bowl, I had been reading about the various commercials that would be broadcasted and read one article that wrote, “Toyota gets religious in the most creative way.” I couldn’t begin to imagine what they were planning on doing and can say with certainty that I was surprised in the best possible way. Toyota did what I believe only the best advertisements can do– they combined humor with sentiment and made us want to watch until the very end of their advertisement.
Why are a bunch of different religious leaders gathering in a car together? Where are they going? How will this make me love Toyota? If these questions sound interesting to you and you want them answered, visit this link and see why I believe Toyota hands-down won the best Super Bowl ad for 2018.
2. Amazon– Alexa Loses Her Voice
Alright, if you weren’t laughing aloud while watching this ad, then I’m genuinely concerned about whether you have a solid sense of humor. Based on the conversations I overheard in my classes, this is arguably the funniest ad that aired this year during the Super Bowl. While I agree that part of what makes the advertisement so incredible is how hilarious it is, I think it’s important to point out that in actuality- it’s simply brilliant. Alexa has one of the most iconic voices in the information age right next to Siri, so the loss of her voice replaced by Rebel Wilson and Cardi B could not have been more relatable. For those that haven’t seen it, click here to watch. For those that have, click anyways, it’s bound to put you in a great mood.
3. Doritos– Doritos Blaze Vs. Mountain Dew Ice
When an advertisement comes on with Peter Dinklage impressively tackling “Look at Me Now” with fire flaming up in the background while Morgan Freeman delivers his rebuttal surrounded by ice and busting “Get Ur Freak On,” everyone stops what they’re doing and pays attention.
Not only was the idea behind this ad brilliant, but can we all just take a moment to acknowledge how beautiful both Morgan Freeman and Peter Dinklage executed their roles? I’ve watched Lip Sync Battle before, and let me just say, if Game of Thrones falls through, and being the iconic role of Bruce Nolan’s friend God wears off, Dinklage and Freeman do not have to worry about which direction their careers are headed in. This truly is a must-see ad, click here to see why.
I’m no advertising expert, but from a girl who grew up watching Super Bowl commercials and loving every minute of it, these are the ads that I feel definitely earned their place in the spotlight amongst the rest.
Huge thank you to all the creative minds who composed these gems, and here's to seeing what next year’s Super Bowl has in store.
