Super Bowl 2023 Ads: All The Scores And Fumbles, According To Today Meal Staff
There's a common understanding that when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday, a good many will gather to watch the big game, and the rest will gather to watch the real draw of the night: Super Bowl commercials. (We can all agree that both groups unite when it comes to the Super Bowl halftime show, of course; and as for the Puppy Bowl — well, that's in an entire cute-laden league of its own.) But unlike the NFL's yearly championship, the contender for the night's best commercial involves a lot more competitors than simply two teams, and it was no different for the night of the game's February 2023 broadcast.
Some of the most prominent commercials of the night had already been anticipated thanks to a dramatic lead-up. (In this case, Maya Rudolph's appearance in the controversy-laden M&M's Super Bowl ad in lieu of the brand's line-up of beloved "spokescandies" — complete with some redolent "Free to Be You and Me" vibes, but make it clams — might've taken the cake here. ) Some garnered mild puzzlement to full-on bafflement, like the Molson Coors/Blue Moon switcheroo. And some were full-on Canadian (here's looking at you, Crown Royal and Dave Grohl). Naturally, we asked our writers here at Today Meal which Super Bowl 2023 commercials truly scored a touchdown, and which ad spots really fumbled the ball. Here's what they had to say.
Pringles' Super Bowl 2023 ad really popped off — Chase Shustack
Although Kansas City may have won Super Bowl 2023, the clear winner of the night was Pringles' delightfully outrageous commercial. The gist of the commercial features a teenage boy who gets his arm stuck in a Pringles tube, only to be comforted by his grandfather, who tells him that "it happens to the best of us." Viewers are shown that, indeed, everyone gets their arm jammed into a tube of Pringles every now and then — whether it's judges, surgeons, Meghan Trainor, the teenager's baby cousin, or the teenager's real father (a question quickly breezed over by the boy's grandfather). With only an incredibly simple concept, the commercial was able to effectively broadcast the message that Pringles are so addictively good that everyone from judges to professional bowlers will risk getting their hand stuck in a cardboard tube to fish some out.
Unfortunately, one commercial that didn't take home the trophy was, surprisingly enough, Budweiser's usually-anticipated spot. Budweiser's previous Super Bowl commercials have traditionally featured the brand's famous Clydesdales (for some examples, look no further than Budweiser's 2006 spot, or even last year's entry). This time, Budweiser instead opted to forego the horses and feature a diverse range of Budweiser consumers, and how they each enjoy the famous beer in different ways. While not a bad commercial necessarily, the Clydesdale horses are considered beloved Super Bowl icons in their own right, and it made the ad feel more like one you'd see on a regular Tuesday night rather than anything monumental.
J.Lo ordered a total win for Dunkin' — Christine Barba
Three years after Jennifer Lopez co-headlined the Super Bowl halftime show with Shakira, the multihyphenate showcased some comedy with a different partner for Dunkin's 2023 game night championship commercial. If you stan Bennifer, then you'll have appreciated watching J.Lo's hubby Ben Affleck don a Dunkin' uniform while greeting surprised customers at a drive-thru. And if you're a Dunkin' fan, you also most likely enjoyed J.Lo feigning shock as she asked Affleck what he's doing in a Dunkin' uniform, after which she proceeded to order a glazed donut from her real-life partner. The ad's humor and the couples' facial expressions make this commercial the real Super Bowl 2023 winner.
While this year's M&M's Super Bowl spot seemingly went for humor, it fell a bit flat. Highlighting comedy legend Maya Rudolph as the brand's spokesperson (and subbing her name in for the actual name of the chocolate candy favorite), the commercial featured the "Bridesmaids" star holding up M&M's that feature "Ma" and "Ya" respectively, along with her face emblazoned on the traditional M&M's wrapper. (Along with the name change, Rudolph touts that the latest version of M&M's will include clams.) If you've kept up with the controversy surrounding the M&M's "spokescandies," then you're more apt to understand that the brand is poking fun at — or capitalizing on — changes that came with the M&M's mascots being temporarily pushed aside. The commercial may be funny for those who are in the know, but it probably didn't win over anyone looking for a more exciting end to the debacle.
Avocados From Mexico dabbled in mixed metaphors — Nico Danilovich
The goal of a Super Bowl commercial is simple: Its mission is to memorably advertise the positive attributes of a product. That's why Bud Light's commercial was so refreshing, just like a cold beer itself. It sets up a clear situation — being stuck on hold — and adds some elements of domestic bliss: a cute dog, a bored woman, and a man (played by "Maverick" actor Miles Teller) trying to cheer up his partner. His solution? Bud Light, which he has prominently displayed as the characters dance around goofily. It's charming, it's concise, and it's got a celebrity. Next time you see a Bud Light at the store, you'll likely associate it with good vibes.
On the other hand, the Avocados From Mexico commercial forgot to clearly state the positive culinary benefits of its product. Eve ruins everything by eating an apple in the Garden of Eden, but inexplicably saves it all by having an avocado from anachronistic Mexico given to Eve by a gopher. Mythological nitpicks aside, the commercial broadly claims avocados "make everything better," then shows us the fruit improving traffic, cellphones, and even fashion (or lack thereof). What does any of that have to do with eating avocados, though? It briefly shows us avocados on hotdogs, salads, and toast, but that's about it. So next time you're at the store, we doubt you'll associate Mexican avocados with... saving the world from original sin? Who knows.
Logan Paul's new Prime drink ad was anything but — Stacie Adams
To some, Super Bowl commercials are the real star of the big game, whether they're funny, moving, or inexplicable. Super Bowl 2023 was certainly no exception, which featured the biggest names in sports and entertainment hawking a variety of products. Card-carrying devotees of Breaking Bad were delighted to see Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston reunite for PopCorners, along with a familiar blue PopCorners bag inspired by the distinctive shade of meth manufactured on the show. However, the most delightful moment of the commercial is when none other than Raymond Cruz, who played antagonist Tuco Salamanca, utters his signature catchphrase: "Tight! Tight! Tight!" Cruz, Paul, and Cranston's recreation of this iconic scene proves the show is just as addictive as the substance it's centered around.
Of course, not all Super Bowl commercials can be winners. Nor can they turn a widely disliked public figure into someone who is revered. That's the conundrum YouTube "personality" Logan Paul and boxer KSI found themselves in with their Prime Hydration ad. The commercial shows the pair engaging with fans, participating in sporting events, and randomly shaking bottles of Prime vigorously into the air. Even without Paul's numerous controversies — such as accusations that his CryptoZoo game was nothing more than a scam, among others – the commercial itself is pretty lackluster.
Paul Rudd's Heineken 0.0 spot delivered the line of the night — Cristine Struble
From beverages to snacks, the annual parade of Super Bowl commercials has people silencing the cheers and watching the brands make the best pitches of the night. While Dry January might have shrunk some people's alcohol consumption, Heineken 0.0 delivered a humorous, targeted line of the night that might have been missed when mixed in with the bigger moments of the broadcast. Incorporating Paul Rudd's Ant-Man character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the non-alcoholic beverage encouraged "shrinking responsibly" and delivered the line of the night: "Your eyes are bigger than your thorax." Given that the Super Bowl can be considered a huge food event and that "Super Monday Sickness" has become more than an internet meme, that idea of moderation played well not only with the "sober curious" movement but also with food consumption in general.
While Heineken might have hit a high note, Pringles' "Best of Us" spot soared to the top of the awkward list. The snack brand hoped to make light of getting a hand stuck in a can. Unfortunately, it missed the opportunity to leverage its "Get Stuck In" campaign with a memorable Meghan Trainor cameo and song connection. Tina Turner's mega-hit "The Best" playing in the background proved that getting a hand stuck in a can is, to put it simply, decidedly not "better than all the rest." The only relatable moment from this 30-second ad slot was the cringe-worthy feeling that surely so many other viewers felt while watching the commercial air at the same time.