Whether the mission was to push peanuts or pizza, Sunday night’s Super Bowl commercials went all the way out: with A-list names, bizarre plotlines and plenty of stunts.
Big names including Hershey’s, Doritos and Planters caught the eye of passive Super Bowl spectators, but even not-so-known brands such as Turkish Airlines made waves during the ever-competitive night of advertising.
With the average cost of a 30-second spot coming in at more than $5 million, according to Adage, advertisers, of course, were hoping for return on investment. Though we don’t have the insider’s information to know just whether that was the case, there was buzz around a number of Super Bowl commercials that would be at least one indication that the pricey spots delivered.
Here are some of the most talked-about Super Bowl ads from Super Bowl LIV:
Baby Nut
After the tears were shed over the incomparable Mr. Peanut’s death, it seemed the end to the dapper peanut’s reign would be over indefinitely. Millions of fans watching Sunday night’s exciting gridiron face-off between the Kansas City Chiefs — the eventual victors — and the San Francisco 49ers found that their favorite legume had returned via a Planters commercial last night.
In the commercial, Wesley Snipes gives his last regards to Mr. Peanut, while Mr. Peanut comrade Kool-Aid man sheds a single tear that changes the peanut’s fate. From that tear, Mr. Peanut is resurrected as Baby Nut.
Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines stood as the night’s only Super Bowl commercial devoted to an airline. Based in Istanbul, Turkey, it would seem that the international commercial may not fit neatly into the purview of American football watchers, but several were drawn to the action-packed ad that aired during the Super Bowl. Called “StepOnEarth,” the commercial brought the pivotal moment of when America landed on the moon in 1969 full circle to the billions who have gone across the globe since then.
Reese’s Take 5
It was a battle of the nut snacks during Super Bowl LIV, with Baby Nut and Reese’s Take 5 both becoming the peanut/peanut-based champions of the evening, by many accounts. Reese’s chocolate and peanut butter candy bar made its Super Bowl debut, while touting that it had broke the world record once held by fellow peanut treat Snickers, by creating the largest nut bar. In the 30-second spot, a woman in a mundane office setting informs her coworkers — using a number of common idioms — of just how tasty the candy bar is. Her coworkers appear to be living a number of the idioms, including having their head in the sand and living under a rock.
Doritos Cool Ranch
It would only be right for at least one brand to pull out resident urban cowboy Lil Nas X to convey a classic level of cool. In the advertisement for Doritos Cool Ranch, the Atlanta rapper and celebrated actor Sam Elliott compete in a dance-off in the middle of the Cool Ranch. Though nobody was buying that Elliott, known for his roles as a renegade and cowboy, actually performed his moves, the break dancing challenge still seemed to wow, according to Google Trends.
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