The best (and worst) things brands did for their Super Bowl ads

Justin Butterman Senior Research Analyst 03/02/2023

Dunkin' Donuts (22%) was the most well-liked celebrity endorsed ad to star during the Super Bowl.

One thing that seems mundane throughout the rest of the year but excites people during the Super Bowl is the commercials. Brands spent an exorbitant sum of money – up to $7 million per 30 seconds, advertising their content during this year’s Super Bowl – but some commercials underperformed even with the hefty price tag of production.

Most memorable ads

Those ads that made an impression on viewers included commercials with husband-wife duos, including Ben Affleck’s performance as a Dunkin Donuts employee working the drive-through window with a cameo by Jennifer Lopez, and the McDonald’s ad with Cardi B and Offset, who featured their ‘love’ by remembering each other’s orders. Both performed incredibly well when consumers were asked to recall ads across the Super Bowl period, with 41% of consumers who watched the Super Bowl recalling Dunkin’s and 37% recalling McDonald’s commercials. Other commercials that were top performers in terms of consumer resonance included Fan Duel’s commercial with Rob Gronkowski’s live field goal attempts (39%), DraftKings ad using a Kevin Hart house party and featuring cameos by athletes and celebrities (33%), the Dodge Ram ad with Chris Stapleton traveling back to his hometown, and Pepsi Zero Sugar’s double ad featuring comedians Steve Martin and Ben Stiller (31%).

Least memorable performances

The worst performers for viewer recollection include Hellman’s mayo with Jon Hamm and Alyson Brie (17%), Busch Light’s ad featuring Sarah McLachlan (17%), Squarespace’s ad featuring Adam Driver (15%), and DexCom’s ad with Nick Jonas. Downy’s ad featuring Danny McBride, who asks viewers to refer to him as “Downy McBride,” was the least recalled ad with only 10% of consumers recollecting the commercial.

Favorite ads

Themes of nostalgia crept into the scenes, with both production visuals and celebrity features, including Michelob Ultra’s nod to Caddyshack, Travolta and T-Mobile’s recreation of Grease’s “Summer Nights,” and Rakuten’s “Extended Cher Cut” with Alicia Silverstone. But those didn’t resonate with viewers – perhaps due to consumers’ lack of investment in the particular celebrities or even uncompelling storylines?

Despite the crowded ad market, the ads that stood out to viewers included the same contenders: Dunkin’ Donuts (22%), Dodge Ram (21%), McDonald’s (20%), and Fan Duel (17%) as being the most well-liked celebrity endorsed ads to star during the Super Bowl. Also in the top five best ads was T-Mobile’s, where Bradley Cooper talks to his real mother about the benefits of switching providers, all while she pokes fun at him. T-Mobile is doing something right, with both ads performing well across the board.

Best celebrity performance

In terms of celebrity performance in an ad, consumers thought Rob Gronkowski’s performance for FanDuel was the most successful (11%), as well as Ben Affleck and his wife Jennifer Lopez (11%) in Dunkin Donuts, and Chris Stapleton (11%) in Dodge Ram’s ad. This could be a reflection of the viewership’s appreciation for the authentic and gentility approach to the ad, and its featured actor(s), with Dodge Ram’s documentary-type showcase of Chris heading back to his hometown and Rob Gronkowski’s real-life reaction to his live-action performance field-goal, which also featured his family.

Most creative ads

The focus across the ad landscape showcased the desire from brands to have the most prominent celebrity or selection of stars rather than apparent allure for creative storylines. Consumers thought the most innovative celebrity-endorsed ad was the Dunkin Donuts ad mentioned above (18%), tied with Dodge Ram’s ad (18%). Other ads that were deemed the most creative were Fan Duel (16%), McDonald’s (16%), and DraftKings (10%).