A lot happened on Super Bowl night. Rihanna briefly paused during her halftime show performance to fix her makeup using products from her brand Fenty Beauty. Streaming service, Tubi, pranked viewers with its 15-second ad. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez made an appearance in Dunkin’ Donuts’ with a plot twist. Amazon featured a cuddly dog. Ben Stiller and Steve Martin were featured as ‘actors’ in Pepsi ads. Doritos made an interesting music play.
As always, there wasn’t a dull moment in the Super Bowl, even this year, both during the game and the commercial breaks. According to a CNBC report, most of this year’s advertisements sold for between $6 million and $7 million for a 30-second spot. A 2020 survey revealed that 79 percent of viewers see Super Bowl commercials as entertainment. Almost 71 percent stated that they enjoyed watching these commercials during the game. It also seems that viewers also go looking for the commercials even after the game. According to Statista, during the 2019 Super Bowl, consumers spent 641,000 hours watching Super Bowl ads on YouTube, representing a 58 percent increase over the previous year.
If you missed the mega commercial display during the Super Bowl, we have you covered. Here are some commercials and brand moments that viewers discussed at length on the internet.
Tubi Interface Interruption
The streaming service left viewers puzzled. In the 15-second spot, it seemed like the broadcast returned from a commercial break. But suddenly, the screen looked like it had been taken over by someone scrolling over to the Tubi TV app and searching through the streaming service’s library for something to watch.
Tubi explained the prank in its YouTube description. It said, “No, you didn’t sit on the remote. But on Super Bowl Sunday, we fooled audiences into thinking they did.”
Dunkin’ ‘Drive-Thru’ Starring Ben
In its first Super Bowl ad, Dunkin’ Donuts featured superfan Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Lopez. Affleck has a long association with the brand and is often spotted carrying Dunkin’ Donuts drinks in paparazzi photos. He directed the ad too. In the film, Affleck is seen managing a drive-through booth at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Medford, Massachusetts, with a Boston accent. Customers were left confused. Lopez is then seen coming through the line of cars. What happens next? Watch the ad to know more.
Jack’s New Angle
Music stars Jack Harlow, Missy Elliott, and Elton John were seen in an ad for Doritos. In the film, Harlow is seen abandoning his rap career to focus on the triangle — a Doritos-shaped musical instrument. Confused? Watch the ad!
Rihanna’s brand touch up
Superstar Rihanna took product placement and moment marketing to the next level. In the middle of her halftime show performance, she took time to powder her nose with her own brand Fenty Beauty compact.
There is nothing more Rihanna than Rihanna reapplying Fenty powder in the middle of her Super Bowl halftime show. pic.twitter.com/t1DUIl5wkr
— Alex Goldschmidt (parody) (@alexandergold) February 13, 2023
Saving Sawyer | Amazon’s Big Game Ad
This fuzzy film will warm your heart. The commercial has the best possible twist ending and we don’t want to write more than this. Go. Watch. Now.
Great Acting or Great Taste? | Ben Stiller| Steve Martin
Pepsi got Stiller and Martin to muse on whether or not actors are actually telling the truth when they plug a brand. Scratching your head? Watch the spots.