The Best Super Bowl Ads? The brands who “dared to be different”

While the Super Bowl was the ultimate show of American sports entertainment, Alistair Schoonmaker, co-founder and managing director at Ultra Brand Studio, was more drawn to the narratives off the pitch – in the ad breaks.

As brands fought to grab the attention of 120m viewers, Alistair praised the brands who “were subversive, disruptive and used their star-power intelligently” saying:

“The Chiefs may have won on the pitch, but the real showdown was during the ad breaks, where brands were battling to grab the attention of 120m viewers. The winners were those who dared to be different – not just those rolling out the celebs.

“The likes of State Farm, Paramount Plus and Kawasaki (amongst others that caught my eye) were subversive, disruptive and used their star-power intelligently, incorporating humour, nostalgia and irreverence. They avoided sameness, bringing exceptional and memorable story-telling to our screens.

“And in a year when stars were the focus on and off (looking at you Taylor!) the pitch – using talent differently is going to make more of a mark amongst the noise.”