Super Bowl 2024: Best and Worst Ads And What They Tell Us About Branding

It was another explosive year at the Super Bowl with a range of ads ranging from the hilarious to the controversial. From Uber Eats' star-studded delivery advertisement to Volkswagen's nostalgic trip down memory lane, here are the best and worst ads from Super Bowl 2024.

The best

1. CeraVe - 'Michael CeraVe' CeraVe's skincare ad starring Michael Cera was a catchy and clever twist on the brand's name. Prominently featuring the Arrested Development actor, the ad hilariously debunked rumours that Cera was the mastermind behind the brand, instead revealing the true origin of the name. The ad was graded 'A' by the Kellogg School MBAs, ranked 15th in USA Today's Admeter, and generated the 7th most buzz immediately after the game according to Sprout Social.
2. Verizon - 'Can't Break' While the theme of reliable high-capacity networks is not a new one, Verizon and its competitors have long emphasised it. The use of mega-star Beyonce, who employs a variety of humorous tactics to try and break Verizon's network, generated enormous buzz while reinforcing the product benefit. Sprout Social rated the spot #1 in generating buzz on game night, and according to data analysed by sweepstake casino Vegas Gems, Beyonce experienced a surge in her Instagram following, adding an impressive 254,844 new followers. The ad was graded 'A' by the Kellogg School's ADPLAN, and scored 9th on USA Today's Admeter.
3. Hellmann's - 'Mayo Cat' Hellmann's fourth consecutive Super Bowl ad focused on the topic of food waste is arguably its best yet. The spot features Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live) and introduces the very cute 'Mayo Cat', while including a cameo from Pete Davidson. In the ad, Mayo Cat helps communicate to McKinnon how to make effective use of leftovers, which naturally includes using Hellmann's while simultaneously reducing food waste. Hellmann's message is a win/win/win situation for consumers, the planet (in the form of food suppliers), and the company. Parent company Unilever and the brand deserve considerable credit for consistent investment in calling attention to the issue of food waste. The ad was graded at 'A' by the Kellogg School's ADPLAN, scored 12th on USA Today's Admeter and generated considerable buzz around its pre-release according to Sprout Social.

The worst

None! These were the best of the Super Bowl ads for 2024, however, several ran relatively close to the bottom. Honourable mentions include Kia's emotional attachment to a car, Google's Pixel 8 with a blind director, and several other cute options.

Verizon's ad, whilst making the top three best ads, also deserves a special mention for also including a cute moment with a puppy which earned the ad a surprising amount of criticism for supposedly promoting puppy mills. Fairfax Media reported that Verizon withdrew the ad and replaced it with an alternative less than 24 hours before the game. Luckily for Verizon, the new ad, which still featured the puppy, was infinitely better than the original.