Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast wasn’t just about football — with many viewers tuning in to simply see the TV commercials that aired in between the on-field action.
NBC expected 100 million Americans to watch the event, meaning they were able to charge close to $7 million for a 30-second ad slot.
More than 50 international brands forked out that astronomical sum, and the companies clamored to stand out in a very crowded field.
Many chose to recruit A-list celebrities in their ads to make them more memorable. T-Mobile teamed up with Dolly Parton and her goddaughter Miley Cyrus, while Squarespace savvily secured it-girl Zendaya for their prime-time promotion.
But not every ad was a hit with viewers, and there was only a small selection that set social media alight.
Here, the ads that scored a touchdown:
Chevy
From the second the “Sopranos” theme song and opening sequence started, social media held their breath.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played Meadow Soprano on the iconic HBO series, rolls through lower Manhattan and New Jersey in an electric Silverado. Her arrival at the same restaurant where her on-screen dad is believed to have died sets the show’s ambiguous ending into question — especially since the ad was run by “Sopranos” mastermind David Chase.
The show’s fanatics tweeted themselves into a tizzy when Sigler hugs her on-screen brother, Robert Iler — could it possibly be confirmation of the show’s famously ambiguous ending?
Amazon
This 90-second ad — likely to have cost Amazon more than $20 million in broadcasting fees alone — saw real-life couple Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson have their marriage intruded upon by another woman: Amazon’s Alexa.
“It’s like she can read minds,” Johansson said of the Alexa virtual assistant in the ad. The actress then enters a hilarious dream sequence in which Alexa starts spilling the actor’s secrets.
The ad ticked millions of viewers, many of whom took to social media to praise Johansson’s comic timing.
“She seriously needs to do more comedy roles. She is awesome!” one enthused.
“Not sure how any other commercial can beat this one, it’s hilarious!!!” another remarked.
Hellmann’s
They say sex sells — and there’s no sexier man on the planet right now than Pete Davidson.
The unlikely pin-up — who is romancing Kim Kardashain — poked fun at his “hittable” face in this Hellman’s commercial, co-starring former linebacker and now coach, Jerod Mayo.
Mayo is seen crushing Davidson into the ground in a bid to stop him from wasting mayonnaise — but the former football star is perhaps fulfilling the fantasies of many men who are jealous that Davidson has managed to woo the world’s hottest women.
Even though he ended up being toppled by Mayo, some on social media said it was still a win for the funnyman — who can now add starring in a Super Bowl commercial to his long list of credentials.
“Did anybody have Pete Davidson winning the #SuperBowl?” one fan quipped.
Toyota
Toyota didn’t need to hire hot Hollywood celebs in order to make one of the most memorable Super Bowl commercials this year.
Instead, the auto giant told the simple story of Canadian Paralympians Brian and Robin McKeever — and it left viewers in floods of tears.
Brian lost his eyesight to Stargardt macular degeneration when he was 19, but has still managed to win a whopping 14 medals as a cross-county skier. His brother, Robin, acts as his sighted guide, with their pairs close bond examined by Toyota in the ad titled “Start Your Impossible.”
“This ad is actually really powerful and inspiring and I have no idea why it should make me want to buy a Toyota but I’m into it,” one impressed viewer wrote on Twitter.
Another Twitter user said the ad had her reaching for a Kleenex — not the keys to a new Toyota. “We are only one commercial break into the Super Bowl and that Toyota ad already has me crying!” she posted.
Budweiser
Budweiser similarly eschewed star power in favor of an emotional tale about overcoming the odds.
Titled “A Clydesdale’s Journey,” the minute-long ad told the story of a wounded horse who finds the will to run. It hit viewers harder than a 12-pack of the brand’s lagers.
Directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao of “Nomadland,” the horse is shown enduring a painful fall into barbed wire, before being confined to its stable, unable to run.
After what appeared to be a long and hard winter, the horse — with motivation from Budweiser’s iconic retriever dog — manages a heartfelt recovery to a slowed-down tune of the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
Zhao’s spectacular cinematography had some speculating that she’ll receive awards for the ad.
“Whatever the Oscar equivalent in the advertising world is, this should win,” a fan declared.
Prime Video’s ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’
Amazon is set to release it’s highly-anticipated series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” on Prime Video this coming September.
The studio unveiled its first teaser trailer for the show during the Super Bowl, sending fantasy lovers into a full-blown frenzy.
One fan quipped that the trailer has actually overshadowed the actual football game, writing on Twitter: “Why are they playing football at “The Rings of Power” teaser Super Bowl event?”
General Motors
Mike Meyers reprised his role as “Austin Powers” character Dr. Evil in this commercial promoting GM’s range of electric vehicles.
“Dr. Evil is going electric to stop climate change from ruining Earth before he can,” the company said of the fictional villain, who was seen speeding off in a GM battery powered pick-up in the ad.
Fans were thrilled by the return of the comedy character — who hasn’t been seen on screens since 2002.
“Just saw the Dr .Evil Super Bowl commercial and now they really need to make a new Austin Powers… please?!” one fan begged.
Meanwhile, there were plenty of other star-studded commercials, including:
Kanye for McDonald’s
Jim Carey reprises his role as ‘The Cable Guy’ for Verizon
Tommy Lee Jones, Leslie Jones, Rashida Jones and Nick Jones for Toyota
Lizzo for Google
Steve Buscemi and Serena Williams for Michelob ULTRA
Jennifer Coolidge, Trevor Noah, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Nicholas Braun for Uber Eats
Doja Cat for Taco Bell
DJ Khaled for Quickbooks
Serena Williams for Tonal
Larry David for FTX
Anna Kendrick for Rocket Mortgage
Mary J. Blidge for Hologic
Morgan Freeman for Pangea
Zendaya for Squarespace
Dolly Parton andMiley Cyrus for T-Mobile
Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen for Lays
Lindsay Lohan, William Shatner and Dennis Rodman for Planet Fitness
Matthew McConaughey for Salesforce
Eugene Levy and Brie Larson for Nissan
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Salma Hayek for BMW
Idris Elba for Booking.com
Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart for BIC
Ewan McGregor for Expedia
Andy Richter for Avocados from Mexico
Guy Fieri for Bud Light Seltzer
Ty Burrell for Greenlight
Kyle Lowry for BitBuy
JB Smoove and Halle Berry for Caesars Sportsbook
Kevin Hart for Sam’s Club
Ken Jeong and Joel McHale
Donald Faison and Zach Braff for T-Mobile:
And the rest…
Not all companies relied on famous faces to help them promote their products. Tech companies such as Meta and Polestar relied on special effects to make their ads memorable, while E*TRADE delighted audiences with a commercial complete with a talking baby.
DraftKings
Bud Light Next
E*TRADE
Meta
WeatherTech
eToro
Polestar
Pringles
Kia
Irish Spring
Vroom