Earlier this month, Duncan Channon hosted the AMA SF for our “Superbowl Commercial Showdown” event in San Francisco.  It featured advertising veterans Taylor Shea King, David Morrissey, Adam Flynn,  Gerardo Garcia-Jurado, and moderator Andy Berkenfield. These industry insiders offered their unique takes of this year’s Super Bowl commercials, highlighting standout campaigns and emerging trends in the high-stakes world of Super Bowl advertising.

Thank you to our sponsors Kargo, Perion, StackAdapt, and SeedTag.

Commercials Highlighted

The goal of the discussion was not simply to talk about commercials being “good” or “bad” but elements and themes and where it had an impact.   The following were called out as impactful:

• Google’s “Dream Job” captured hearts with its authentic storytelling and practical demonstration of technology solving real-world challenges
• Coffee Mate’s “Foam Diva” delighted viewers with its unexpected humor and memorable character work
• Hellmann’s “When Sally Met Hellmann’s” successfully leveraged nostalgia while keeping the product central to the narrative
• Novartis’s “Your Attention, Please” stood out for bringing a serious women’s health message to the Super Bowl stage in a compelling way

Key Industry Insights

Beyond specific ads, the panel identified several significant trends shaping Super Bowl advertising:

• The panel noted that the massive budget required for a Super Bowl spot has become part of the marketing message itself. Brands that can afford the multi-million dollar price tag are signaling their market position and financial strength to consumers and competitors alike.
• The panel brought up how some advertisers can look at local Super Bowl ads that can can be quite a bit more affordable than national price tag of $8MM, especially for regional players.
• The celebrity factor continues to play a major role, though the experts cautioned that star power sometimes overshadows otherwise strong creative concepts. Interestingly, the industry now seems comfortable with celebrities representing multiple brands (there were debates on if this was best practice or not), a practice once considered taboo.
• Many advertising professionals, despite their insider status, still prefer experiencing Super Bowl commercials live during the broadcast rather than through pre-release campaigns, valuing the shared cultural moment.
• Perhaps most notably, the panel identified a growing trend of social media influencers making the leap from niche online followings to mainstream Super Bowl appearances, blurring the lines between traditional and digital celebrity.

Special thanks to our volunteer Jada Adams for this little sizzle reel played at the event.