Rating ALL the 2025 Super Bowl Commercials: The Good, The Meh & The Ugly
It's a long one. Buckle up.
[disclaimer: I’ll try to review the ad according to how much I think it’s creative and how much I think it’s effective, based on past studies, pre-testing, experience, etc. As usual, I’m not the holder of the one Truth, just an industry professional having fun].
Before we’re getting into the single ads ratings, there are 3 trends I spotted:
Nostalgia, aka when brands have no idea so they just check the recycling bin
Weirdness, to appeal to GenZ maybe or maybe just for being different. I liked most of the weird ads this year
Unlimited use of celebrities, which is what really got on my nerves: if a brand has no idea, they usually choose a celebrity and let their creative department doing the heavy lifting - usually resulting in the celebrity itself doing something silly.
This article will have 4 sections: the good ads, the meh ads, the ugly ads, and the 2025 Super Bowl winner - the best ad (obviously at the end of this mammoth piece).
THE GOOD
Budweiser - First Delivery 7/10
The Claydesdales are back, with a heartwarming story of the first delivery of the tiny horsey that originally wasn’t selected on the team. There’s immediate brand recognition, this ad screams America all the way.
Novartis | Your Attention Please 8/10
Great spot for breast cancer awareness, perfect music and excellent website (GET INFO TO GET CHECKED HERE).
Coors Light | A Case Of The Mondays 8/10
If you've ever had a "case of the Mondays," you know that oftentimes means oversleeping your alarm, getting stuck in traffic, forgetting your cell phone or wallet at home, or all three.
This year, Coors Light turned the phrase into a literal case of beer with Mondays Light, after announcing it with a Times Square billboard. This new limited-time packaging is "designed to bring chill to one of the worst Mondays of the year" − the Monday after the Super Bowl.
The commercial is peak Super Bowl humour. The sloths are hilarious, I wonder how much of that was stolen from Zootopia, but still, perfect ad.
Booking.com | Get your stay ridicolously right 7/10
The Muppets as the main characters wins it all. For a brand like Booking it’s crucial to place as many distinctive assets as possible - usually the logo and the on-app navigation - as otherwise it’s hardly recognizable. Good job in this execution, as both are in (maybe the app should have been shown earlier?).
Reeses | Don’t Eat Lava 7.5/10
Reese’s has been great in doing consistently silly commercials. This one is hilarious. Bonus: in each shot there’s something orange.
UBER - A Century Of Cravings 8/10
Uber knows how to work with celebrities. For this ad, it connects the most irresistible Matthew McConaughey and adds the great combo Martha Stewart + Charli XCX (who also roast each other, picking up the ‘we listen and we don’t judge’ TikTok trend), connecting all the generations watching the SuperBowl.
The brand is present in almost every shot, the range of products you can choose is huge and the tagline is brilliant: “[film producer talking] nobody would believe football was invented to sell [announcer voice comes in like crazy] FOOD! WHEN FOOTBALL MAKES YOU HUNGRY ORDER UBER EATS”.
Uber | When You’ve Done Enough 8.5/10
At least Javier Bardem puts together a real piece of acting.
Lays - The Little Farmer 7.5/10
Real potatoes grown on family farms across America. This is the message, and the commercial sums it pretty much perfectly up. Some feel-good content here.
He Gets Us - Jesus vs. AI 7.5/10
The ad starts with an ask to AI (Midjourney in this case) to imagine love, expecting it to reflect our human understanding. The results were shallow and artificial, mirroring the superficial love we often see in society. However, when AI was directed to imagine love as Jesus taught and demonstrated, the representation are deeper and more complex. I still prefer the 2023 version (here’s the full video and here’s the article from my favorite advertising channel where I found it).
He Gets Us | This Is Greatness 8/10
Only pics + an acoustic rendition of Personal Jesus = great ad.
Pfizer | Knock Out 7/10
The story is powerful and emotional: a little boy beats cancer and goes back to his family. However, let me be cynical: a mega Pharma is more likely to knock you out with some new useless medications/vaccines/whatever before they’ll get an actual cure for cancer.
Jeep | Owner’s Manual 7/10
I can’t resist Harrison Ford, he’s the most charismatic guy of all times so whatever he says I’ll buy. And in this case, the ad is positive, seems like it talks to a divided America that needs some common ground, and ends with a classic Harrison Ford delivery: ‘This Jeep makes me happy, even if my name is Ford’.
TurboTax | Now Taxes Is So Sweet 7.5/10
It’s true, with all the innovation in the world why doesn’t GenAI take care of it? Or in this case, TurboTax. Good ad: great song, great rhythm, fun visuals (stairs so high, car riding backwards), and the cake is perfect - so in line with TikTok culture without being too obvious.
Coffee Mate | New Cold Foam 7/10
Weirdness at its best: tongues dancing. Much better than the overhyped Muntain Dew ad (see later). Only thing I’d challenge: if you don’t know the brand it might be a bit hard to spot it though (or is it because I’m not American?).
Disney | Stitch Runs Loose 7/10
I appreciate that this looks like a proper game interruption. Lilo & Stitch is one of my least favorite Disney movies, but this is on brand and does its job (I guess kids would have gone bananas seeing it).
Angel Soft | The Big Game Potty-tunity 8/10
Finally an ad that doesn’t look like any other ad. Going to the bathroom is a big taboo (mostly if it’s about #2), and Angel Soft does a great job remind us that it’s perfectly normal.
Tubi | Cowboy Head 7.5/10
Super weird story, dedicated song - how can this not be a great commercial?
Nike | So Win 7.5/10
Nike is back with some good advertising. It’s not great, but in a world that goes towards being more masculine, Nike defies this paradigm and associates power, strength and victory to women. Beautifully crafted, wonderful art direction.
NFL | Somebody 8/10
Emotional advertising is so hard to do - the NFL in this case is able to pull it off. ‘Every kid can be somebody if they have somebody to show them the way’ is a killer line.
Google | Dream Job 8/10
A dad conversing with Gemini AI whilst preparing for a job interview. AI does its job, the videos the phone takes look great, the emotional spin is beautiful.
THE BAD MEH
Hellmann’s - When Harry Met Sally 4.5/10
This is an excellent skit. An SNL skit. But it’s a bad ad. First of all, the main character is not Hellmann’s (even if finally Meg Ryan reaches an orgasm); it’s the nostalgia-filled recreation of this iconic scene. Second, there’s the Sydney Sweeney cameo, a clear nod to GenZ (who might have not recognized the previous part). Why are most of the so-called “creative” ideas come straight from pop culture from 40 years ago? We should talk about it.
Stella Artois - David and Dave: The Other David 5/10
This ad was shot by someone who only drinks espresso martinis. Did Stella just need ax excuse to blow budgets? Because (spoiler alert) neither David Beckham nor Matt Damon (playing Dave Beckham) are cheap. Let’s check when Stella comes up on screen and rate its performance:
Draft in the pub: 2/10. The family don’t cheer neither when they meet nor when they share such a huge announcement. And of course the foam is huge all the time (clearly fake)
First cheer together: 8/10. DB and MD mention drinking Stella = having a good taste.
Second cheer together: 5/10. I get, they want to show the full range (also cans), but it feels so unnatural (why would they go from a bottle to a can? are they drunk? did the guests finish all the bottles? couldn’t the agency find a clever way to add the cans earlier?)
Oreo - Post Malone says he created the best Oreo ever 5.5/10
Is it really the best Oreo ever? I will need to trust Post Malone (one of the most metal artists out there). It’s not just an ad anyway, it’s a full collaboration.
Bud Light | Big Men On Cul-De-Sac 5/10
This is the whitest ad ever - perfectly talking to the stereotipe Bud Light customer. At least this time Bud Light got its targeting right; the comments are mostly positive. The ad isn’t anything great though: a simple way to make it funnier was for someone to open the can after it was thrown and have a splash effect - a bit of self-depreciation wouldn’t hurt (even if I suspect not all Bud Light customers would love it).
Dashdoor - DashPass Math 6/10
I like how this ad references to girl math (or whatever other -math TikTok has invented). The ad is a bit confusing though: the clones, the opera singer, the huge ball. The real shame is that they didn’t double down on their incredible 2024 Super Bowl stunt.
Starbucks - Hello Again 6.5/10
Stripped to the bone, with no celebrities, it’s an ode to the ‘coffee you love’. Starbucks is desperately needing a relaunch, since their business is falling into pieces.
I would have added a barista getting someone’s name wrong. Crazy? Hear me out.
This would have added a bit of personal touch (you have to give your name, they shout it out), as well as some self-depreciation - getting your name wrong on a Starbucks cup might have a good potential for earned media on social (or was this 10 years ago?).
NerdWallet - Genius Beluga 4.5/10
Weird is weird. The association with genius is clear. But I forgot that it was for an app to choose the best credit card as soon as it finished (I had to rewatch it to remember it).
Mountain Dew - Kiss From a Lime 6/10
I’m surprised that Seal playing a seal was only thought now for this commercial. Lots of nonsense, very GenZ, and I don’t mind that. What I hate is when they say it out loud (“None of this makes sense!”), treating the audience like a bunch of lobotomized dolls. Overall, it is miles away from any Tango execution (one, two, three examples here).
Stok Cold Brew Coffee - Hollywood Magic 5/10
This was one of the first ads I saw for this year’s Super Bowl, I thought I hated it, but in fact it was much better than lots of other ads. Still, is it an ad for Wrexham or for Stok Coffee?
The coffee brand is pretty forgettable. All we see is Wrexham, red everywhere, and a stunning - as usual - performance of Channing Tatum.
Pepsi - Pepsi Challenge 2025 5.5/10
Pepsi is challenging, 50 years later, ‘the other guy’ (aka, Coke) with a Taste Tour across the States. The goal will be to show that Pepsi is America’s favorite Cola (spoiler alert: it’s sweeter, so they’ll like it more). They play A LOT on the nostalgia effect (PSA: 1975 is 50 years ago, not 30, we getting old), but will this be enough? A bit weak.
Dove - These Legs 6/10
Dove’s commercial is another take on their brand purpose. The script is pretty simple: “At 3, these legs are unstoppable; at 14, she’ll think they’re unbearable”. That’s ok, but miles behind the incredible Nike campaign of 30 years ago ‘If you let me play’.
Another plus is Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run in the background.
Sketchers - Skechers Hands Free Slip-ins 6/10
Sketchers ad is super simple and super direct: bottom of the funnel with a relevant ambassador (American football coach Andy Reid). Is it creative? Not really. Does it send a precise, actionable message? It does.
Squarespace - A Tale As Old As Websites 6/10
Barry Keoghan spins a tale as old as websites. The whole Irish setting is gorgeous enough to make it a good ad.
NERDS - What a Wonderful World 5/10
The commercial is based in New Orleans, like the Super Bowl. It’s cute, but not really memorable, and Shaboozey’s performance feels a bit uninspired - tooooo chilled.
What’s Up With Hate | No Reason To Hate 5/10
This commercial will have people talk about it for all the wrong reasons. Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady politely explain some of the reasons why people hate each other. But this is miles away from LOTS of reasons people hate. It’s so vanilla, and won’t change a thing in real people’s behavior.
Little Ceasar’s | Whoa 6/10
Whoa they must be good. At least this ad gives us something weirdly disgusting as flying eyebrows and woke us up from all the dullness.
Carl’s Jr | Free Hangover Burger 6.5/10
This commercial is a kick back in the 90s: a hot blonde and a free burger?
At least, it’s a simple call to action: A FREE BURGER! ONLY TOMORROW! Interested in a case study of market share shift if anything happens.
Fanduel | Kick Of Destiny 3 6/10
Eli and Peyton Manning clashed in a field goal showdown, live Super Bowl Sunday - and people could bet on it. You can really bet on anything these days.
Instacart | We’re Here 6/10
To show their full range of products people can shop from, Instacart uses a mix of distinctive assets from other brands and past Super Bowl ads references. The execution is good, the problem is that the Instacart brand isn’t highlighted as much as the other brands.
WeatherTech | Whatever Comes Your Way 5/10
The four grannies on the roll are just fantastic. They’re so good you tend to forget it’s an ad for Weather Tech rather than for their shiny Caddy.
Fetch | The Big Reward 6/10
A super simple competition: download the app and you can win.
Rather than judging the app, I think the most interesting bit here is the business case: will people keep the app and start using it?
Poppi | Soda Thoughts 6.5
Stop spiraling, get a Poppi - it works. Very colored, very on brand, the first prebiotics brand to advertise at the Super Bowl. They also sent vending machines to influencers (some comments online are asking them to be sent to dorms, but Poppi ain’t no charity guys).
Homes.com | Still Not Saying We’re The Best 5.5/10
There’s plenty of ads of brands saying they’re the best without saying they’re the best. Anyway, if Morgan Freeman says, it must be true. The fun bit is the launch of homes.comisthebest.com - the sad one is that this is just a redirect to homes.com
Liquid Death | Safe For Work 6.5/10
Cute, but not at the level of creative stunt Liquid Death made us accustomed to. The ‘drinking on the job’ idea could have been developed with more depth.
T-Mobile | A New Era In Connectivity 6/10
Letting people try the actual network could be a huge win. The ad per se isn’t unforgettable, but this looks like a super strong competitive advantage.
THE UGLY
Taco Bell | The Fans 4/10
More than 3,000 Taco Bell fans across the nation were featured in this ad (Taco Bells press note says “turned their routine drive-thru visits into unforgettable moments” WTF) - “a unique photobooth experience that put fans center stage for the brand’s Big Game return”. In the end it’s all meta - LeBron James and Doja Cat are the real protagonists of the commercial.
Michelob Ultra - The Ultra Hustle 0/10
I would watch anything with Willem Dafoe, but this was a wasted minute of my life. Winning a beer is not a good enough motivation for an aging, multi-millionaire film star to beat a professional like Sabrina Ionescu. If this would have been set in an end-of-the-world scenario, where the Michelob Ultra were scarce, this would have been SLIGHTLY better. But this is just bad.
HexClad | Unidentified Frying Object 1/10
Besides two very likeable (or dislikeable) celebrities in this ad, the product itself is completely forgotten after the ad.
Cirkul | YOU GOT CIRKUL 4/10
Super Bowl debut for Cirkul another water bottle. Adam Devine ordered 100,000 Cirkul Starter Kits to be delivered around in America. It’s definitely an interesting stunt because it brings the product in the house of people - what would be interesting is to understand how did they pick the winners. However, the brand is relying A LOT on the Modern Family actor (on the ad, on the pack, on the website, on social).
This other one tries to find a meme-able moment, but it’s so forgettable (and the brand is so hard to find).
RAM Trucks - Goldilocks and the Three Trucks 3/10
This ad screams America 2025 as hard as it can. This is no place for kids or, worst of all, little girls like Goldilocks. It’s all about muscle, steel, metal (at least it’s good to hear one of the greatest heavy rock songs ever). Terrifying, but the target might love it.
Go Daddy - Act Like You Know 4/10
I bet half the audience won’t understand if this is a commercial for Walton Goggings’ goggles (cute wordplay but a bit YAWN) or for Go Daddy. And what if you don’t know Go Daddy?
This version below is much better, still conventional but at least it’s clearer.
Totino’s Pizza - Chazmo Goes Home 2/10
I don’t know if this is just cringe or lackluster at most.
Haagen Dazs - Not So Fast, Not So Furious 1/10
This ad is just an ode to Fast & Furious. The ice cream brand is barely shown, there are continuity mistakes (is Vin Diesel actually eating Haagen Dazs? In one shot he’s got it, in a few others he doesn’t).
Frank’s Red Hot | Super Bowl contest 4/10
There are SO many wrong things here I need chatGPT to help me put my thoughts in order. Jk, but still…
It’s a contest, right? But on an audience of 130 million viewers, the brand’s giving away only 59 prizes worth $1000? That’s not interesting at all
Frank’s Red Hot’s just spent $8 million for the media placement + Paris Hilton fee (another $4? Let’s be conservative) and they’re giving away $59,000? For real?
Why can’t I see the sauce actually dripping on the food when Paris Hilton drops it?
Oikos - Surprising Strenght 4/10
After watching Ted Lasso, I always smile when I see June Temple on screen. But again, the ad is far from being memorable. Bit of humour, product placement, but the all the resources were devoted to paying the two costars rather than writing something mildly original.
And it’s such a HUGE miss, let me give you an alternate solution. It’s known that mothers are able to gather unnatural strength if the situation requires it (eg: saving their babies); why didn’t use that very well known bit?
Meta | Hey Meta, Who Eats Art 0/10
This is so bad I won’t say much except that by watching it you’ll be wasting a minute of your life that will never come back.
HIMS | Sick Of The System 4/10
Hims tries to patronize Americans blaming obesity on the system rather than on personal choices, mostly after years of education. A real solution would have been some resources to actually help people rather than selling them something.
Rocket | Take Me Home 1/10
I have no idea what this ad is about. And having a full stadium ‘Take me home country road’ doesn’t count as marketing activation: it would have happened anyway.
ChatGPT | The Intelligence Age 0/10
With their usual arrogance, OpenAI state that ChatGPT is a moment in the history of men as big as when the fire was tamed, or as the Industrial Revolution. For one of the biggest companies in the world, the shittiest (and cheapest) ad they could ever think about. I bet it’s important for some reason - the first time AI is explicitly advertising at the Super Bowl.
Dunkin’ | Dunkings 2 4/10
Celebrities referring to past ads celebrities. Celebrities fighting with other celebrities. Celebrities teaming up with new celebrities. All to day that Dunkin’ is better than Starbucks? Actually having my name spelled wrong at Starbucks is the only reason I still go there.
Yahoo | Email Bill Murray 4/10
Sending an email to that Bill Murray account would have triggered a whole email chain - with Bill sending some erratic (in pure Bill Murray style) emails and videos.
“Our TV commercial is the tip of the iceberg,” said Yahoo CCO/interim lead of marketing Sona Iliffe-Moon to Variety in this article. “Everyone watches the game with their phone in their hand, so we’re making a big play for the ‘second screen,’ and in this case we’re giving people ways to engage with Yahoo throughout the evening – Yahoo, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Sports and more. We hope viewers will spend some of their game night discovering Yahoo in a whole new way.”
Does this mean anything?
Will people have actually ‘engaged’ with Yahoo, ‘discovering’ Yahoo whilst they were already watching the Big Game (and doing more interesting things on their second screen)?
Duracell | The Brady Reboost 3/10
Tom Brady is a terrible actor, and this is a terrible ad. Interestingly, Duracell is trying to build some audio branding around their ‘Power Boost’ feature, let’s see if this picks up.
MSC Cruises | Let’s Holiday on MSC Cruises 4/10
Two bored celebs doing some boring banter (the trite UK-US debate), explaining a very boring menu of what you can do on a cruise. The ad is so lackluster, and talks nothing about the emotions that a cruise should leave you with.
Ritz Crackers | Ritz Salty Club 4/10
No smiles allowed in the club, either in real life.
Bosch | The More You Bosch 3.5/10
This ad is the clear demonstration that Antonio Banderas is doing way too many botox injections. Long live Zorro.
THE WINNER
Doritos | Abduction 10/10
Clearly the best commercial this year.
Pure comedy, no need for a celeb (my pet peeve in case you haven’t understood it).
Entertainment + Branding = a fabolous ad.
Hope you’ve enjoyed it, I’m exhausted. I’ll go to the pub for a pint of lager, unbranded, and I won’t care what brand they’ll give me.