No offense to the NFL players, but — c’mon, dudes — the commercials were always going to be the Super Bowl MVP.
Despite some staples, such as Coke and Budweiser, reportedly taking themselves out of “big game” advertising this year, CBS says most spots were sold well ahead of the Feb. 7 kickoff. And at around $5.5 million for a 30-second time slot, advertisers aren’t horsing around.
Actually, scratch that. Some are, considering Sam Adams’ ad seems to show what the Budweiser horses are doing in their off hours.
Like that commercial, some spots dropped online ahead of time to drum up excitement, while others decided to save some of the mystery for Sunday night. From Cardi B to “It Wasn’t Me,” here are the best commercials of the 2021 Super Bowl.
Sam Adams checks in on the Budweiser horses.
Hey, Budweiser, can you hold your horses? In this spot, Sam Adams imagines what the Clydesdales are up to now, and New England clearly has bigger issues than no Tom Brady.
Matthew McConaughey flat out needs Doritos.
If you think McConaughey’s performances have been a bit flat, there seems to be a reason for that. The actor isn’t alright, alright, alright without … (checks notes) … 3-D chips.
Tom Brady retires his bad network for T-Mobile.
T-Mobile’s (possibly banned) ad says a bad phone network is why Tom Brady came back to football. And … that’s a bad thing? Maybe the message is a bit confusing, but Brady and Gronk still have that great connection.
Uber Eats reunites “Wayne’s World.”
Wayne’s World! Cardi time! Excellent! We are not worthy of a “Wayne’s World” reunion, especially one that features Cardi B.
Amazon thinks Alexa’s body looks like Michael B. Jordan.
Someone over at Amazon might like their Alexa a little too much. In its 1-minute ab, er, ad … Michael B. Jordan literally embodies Alexa.
John Travolta ‘Greases’ It Up for Scotts & Miracle-Gro.
You better shape up your lawn! With its Super Bowl spot, Scotts is giving us chills (and celebrities). They’re multiplying! Ahh!
GM has Will Ferrell say noway to Norway.
Will Ferrell is not pleased Norway is outselling the USA when it comes to electric cars, and he really wants Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina to know about it. Ferrell’s basically like, “Get in the car, lugers. We’re going shopping.”
Dan Levy kidnaps an M&M.
Oh Schitt.
Believe it or not, Jason Alexander is now a hoodie for Tide.
This Jason Alexander hoodie would have a lot to say at the Festivus airing of grievances.
Squarespace remixes Dolly Parton.
Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” gets an update for the gig economy. If there was ever a time to offer her the Medal of Freedom, it may be now.
Chipotle asks, “Can a burrito change the world?”
To answer your question, Chipotle, probably not. Aw, rats, right?
Bud Light Legends, assemble!
Bud Light is having its own superhero crossover in one of its new spots. The company must’ve seen “Avengers: Endgame” and thought, “But what if it was beer?”
When 2020 gives you lemons, Bud Light makes seltzer.
Sure, 2020 had a pandemic and murder hornets, but apparently it’d be even more terrifying if lemons also rained down from the sky. Thanks, Bud Light?
Pringles thinks flavor stacking is out of this world.
Houston, we have a Pringles. Is stacking crisps more important than incoming astronauts? Yeah, maybe, but only if you’ve got Pizza flavor.
Mila Kunis is caught orange-handed for Cheetos.
Ever wonder what Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher do at home? Well, it seems they run around the house eating each other’s Cheetos and wiping their hands on the furniture. (Celebs really are just like us!)
In this Shaggy remix, a song about cheating becomes about Cheetos as Kunis tries to convince her husband, “It wasn’t me.”
Marshawn Lynch goes Feast Mode for Frito-Lay.
Beast Mode himself, Marshawn Lynch, steps up his “Twas the Night” commercials with former Super Bowl champs Peyton and Eli Manning. Now, if only Eli could step up his throwing accuracy, too.
Michelob Ultra gets a real Avenger for real seltzer.
Michelob Ultron is more like it. Bud Light may be assembling its own Avengers, but Michelob got a real one. In this spot, Don Cheadle calls out various celeb lookalikes in the pursuit of something real … something like seltzer.
Anheuser-Busch wants to grab a beer with you.
OK, so “Budweiser” isn’t having an ad, but its parent company is? Sure. Whatever. Is someone going to do something about those horses?
Lil Baby is a Rockstar.
Lil Baby says don’t be a little baby about not being a rockstar. Drink energy drinks instead.
Vroom says car buying is scary.
Hard agree here.
Lil Nas X defies logic for Logitech.
Lil Nas X is back from becoming a time-traveling Santa to defy more logic.
Toyota teams up with Jessica Long.
In one of the most inspiring ads of the night, Toyota illustrates Jessica Long’s journey to become a Paralympic champion as a double amputee
Dr. Squatch comes clean.
Dr. Squatch soap is doing its best Old Spice impression in its first Super Bowl spot, as comedian James Schrader roasts your old body wash.
Everybody loves Jimmy John’s.
Brad Garrett from “Everybody Loves Raymond” hams it up as a sandwich competitor jealous of Jimmy John’s.
A Dexcom deepfake shows what a very old Nick Jonas would look like.
Diagnosed with diabetes years ago, Nick Jonas is tired of all the finger sticking and pain. The actor puts on a good face for Dexcom, though also a much older one too.
Maya Rudolph’s boots are made for Klarna.
Four mini Maya Rudolphs are here to get you excited about … making interest-free payment installments? Well, if anyone can …
Holy cow! TurboTax reveals some weird taxes.
Where were you when you learned about the cow fart tax? For some of us, it was when we were watching this commercial.
This is Drake from State Farm.
State Farm broke out star-studded stand-ins for the Super Bowl, and apparently Drake likes khakis too.
Despite claiming its Tom Brady commercial was banned, T-Mobile still got through an ad about Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani’s love story. So just remember: Bad phone coverage leads to love.
Cadillac makes Timothée Chalamet the son of Edward Scissorhands.
Is there a better way to cut through the clutter than having Scissorhands? Oh, and Winona Ryder returning too?
Well, maybe there is …
TIL people don’t only pause the Super Bowl for big plays. It’s also to read lengthy text posts about meme stocks.
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