Adweek has live reviews of all of the ads airing during Super Bowl LIV. Here are the spots that aired during the first half of the game through halftime and what we thought about them.
Fast and Furious 9
Fast and Furious 9 | Leading Super Bowl advertising with a movie promo. Bold. Not necessarily creative, but we like the energy. pic.twitter.com/9iDp2MfqiI
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Quibi
Quibi | Quibi effectively conveys WHAT it is, but not WHY it is. You might remember the platform’s 10-minute content setup, but is that enough to really make you want to try it out? pic.twitter.com/vZkO2eb0GD
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 2, 2020
Tide #1
Tide # 1 | Charlie Day + Bud Knight appearance = strong start for Tide. One down, three to go. Nice meta kicker having Day pop up in the Masked Singer promo that aired next as well. pic.twitter.com/kKyPKanXyy
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Donald Trump
Donald J .Trump for President | A Trump ad with a message about “thousands of families are being reunited” is sure to be a nonstarter with those angered by how the administration has separated thousands of families at the border. pic.twitter.com/7Mof0WNbHW
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Walmart
Walmart | Walmart goes to the movies. A big, sweeping space theme, dense with characters from a wide range of films. Curbside pickup can be boring. But this makes it seem more exciting than ever. pic.twitter.com/IJh5vcUFA4
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Marvel Studios — Black Widow
Black Widow Trailer | We’ve seen the same trailer … for the past couple of months. pic.twitter.com/UQrC99Tr99
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Rocket Mortgage
Rocket Mortgage | Watching Jason Momoa transform into a bald, scrawny guitar player is simultaneously disturbing and delightful. Not bad for a mortgage company. pic.twitter.com/k6zcRexLeE
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Porsche
Porsche | A surprisingly fun spot for a luxury auto brand like Porsche. Keeps you riveted (and smiling) from the opening moments. pic.twitter.com/RCacdv9Jzc
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Snickers
Snickers | This is classic Snickers (celebrating the 10th year of “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry). A wacky premise that manages to go way over the top to great comedic effect. pic.twitter.com/z5Xm96KpPS
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Hulu
Hulu | All we’ve learned is that Tom Brady apparently isn’t going anywhere. Nice try, though. pic.twitter.com/HTWMOm08Pf
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Mountain Dew
Mt. Dew | Bryan Cranston as Jack Nicholson’s character in The Shining. Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross with wonderful comedic timing. A creative home run across the board and a very satisfying ad. pic.twitter.com/5Wl9j2Uqv5
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Squarespace
Squarespace | A tip of the hat to Fargo without being too heavy-handed, this spot is a delight, especially with Winona Ryder’s straightforward delivery. pic.twitter.com/dmLr2wbAI9
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
New York Life
New York Life | Laying it on a little thick, here. Not sure an Ancient Greece lesson was the right way to go with this. It’s the Super Bowl. We don’t want to have to think that hard. pic.twitter.com/w0nzT9J49f
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Hyundai Sonata
Hyundai | The Boston thing is wicked hilarious, kid. Great casting and fabulous density in the material. Even Yankees fans might like this one. Maybe? OK, probably not. pic.twitter.com/mK3FoL7ul9
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Cheetos Popcorn
Cheetos | Is it even a Super Bowl if you don’t have a retro cameo and soundtrack like MC Hammer? A fun, relatable premise and some good laughs in this one. Sure to be a crowd-pleaser. pic.twitter.com/OtDYWfAEp8
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Olay
Olay | Yeah, we’re fans of the ad and the spirit of the #MakeSpaceForWomen campaign. Check out the behind-the-scenes from @dianapearl_. https://t.co/4sM1xxIq1J pic.twitter.com/21qmhvTwtB
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Michelob Ultra Gold
Michelob Ultra Gold | A very nice thought, and props to the brand for trying this. But there is some interesting math to deal with here … a thread … pic.twitter.com/qC3otI9Hcc
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Avocados From Mexico
Avocados From Mexico | The QVC knockoff is a pretty tired ad trope, and even Molly Ringwald’s talents couldn’t turn this into anything memorable. pic.twitter.com/mJ5NPavlr4
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Hard Rock
Hard Rock | This one leans heavily on star power, but to what end? It’s hard to follow and just…too much. pic.twitter.com/pm2muF58DY
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Pringles
Pringles | It’s not easy to make a Rick & Morty-centric ad that will have appeal beyond Rick & Morty fans. But Pringles pulls it off with some self-mocking panache. pic.twitter.com/Re7905Hyeb
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
TurboTax
TurboTax | Two characters ask “A whole song about taxes?” 15 or 30 seconds could have been fine here. That said, it’s a catchy song because all people are tax people. pic.twitter.com/3tXa7LjZuM
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Tide #2
Tide #2 | Bud Knight once again stars in Tide ad alongside Charlie Day. We can only assume the marketing team at Bud Light is loving this. Here’s hoping the next one goes in a different direction before the concept stops smelling fresh. pic.twitter.com/zZswo3scCj
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Genesis
Full disclosure: we love Chrissy Teigen and John Legend. But even their natural charisma can’t make a clunky phrase like “young luxury” feel natural. This spot needed to feel more like them and less like a car ad. pic.twitter.com/XTxGyX1wDf
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Coca-Cola Energy
Coca-Cola Energy | We’re not sure what that was. We know it was Martin Scorsese and Jonah Hill. But … but … pic.twitter.com/Yl1HiusBsA
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Planters
Planters | Tons of anticipation. A heck of a buildup. But one very disappointing payoff, Kool-Aid man’s sorrowful “oh yeahhhh” and magic tears notwithstanding. pic.twitter.com/FNdowEnuMj
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
No Time to Die Trailer
No Time to Die | A Look at Daniel Craig’s next James Bond movie. It’s his final time playing the character, which he first took on in 2006. pic.twitter.com/n0CkSd6kFf
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Google | Hey Google, are you trying to make us cry? During the Super Bowl? Well, you did. pic.twitter.com/cAwBQMS56i
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Sabra
Sabra | Not the best placement between two emotional ads (Google and WeatherTech), but as far as star-packed ads, this was a fun one. Great use of color, and the premise wasn’t overly complicated. Great to see TikTok megastar Charli D’Amelio make it onto the big screen. pic.twitter.com/LV7ZbjiZcf
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
WeatherTech
WeatherTech | The ad elite may thumb their noses at this, but you’ve got to give credit to the brand for its consistency. And this year’s story about Scout battling cancer is sure to get a few eyes misty. pic.twitter.com/P70CPmCNeP
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Verizon
Verizon | Verizon takes what is arguably the safest route possible: praising the bravery of first responders in the voice of Harrison Ford. But packaging it as an homage to 5G just feels flat. pic.twitter.com/xfk5e6p0IX
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
GMC
GMC | Always nice to see effective use of silence in a Super Bowl ad, but is the Hummer relaunch (even as an electric vehicle) really a time for subtlety? Hard to even catch the brand. pic.twitter.com/ak5Hg5Tatp
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Pop Tarts
Pop Tarts | “Are you strugs to snack?” is a lovely line from Jonathan Van Ness. However, this one gets tired and predictable pretty quick. Next time just let JVN be JVN. pic.twitter.com/CWfJuhfuxS
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Minions Promo
Minions: The Rise of Gru | Oh, the Minions. They’re the gift that just keeps on giving. pic.twitter.com/A86pz7nekw
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
SodaStream
SodaStream | We wanted more Bill Nye. However, this is a funny premise with cinematic quality and fun (if predictable) payoff at the end. pic.twitter.com/CsgAwChOYG
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
Michael Bloomberg
Mike Bloomberg 2020 | Focusing in on gun control, during America’s biggest day of TV is a very bold move. Emotions are running high, expect the social chatter to kick in quickly. pic.twitter.com/NV5ZMU3RtG
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 3, 2020
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