News & Insights

Best Superbowl Ads Of 2021

Marketers eagerly await the Superbowl every year like the rest of us, but for a different reason. When everyone is taking a snack break during the commercials, that’s when marketers are glued to the TV. Superbowl ads are viewed as the height of excellence in the field. These ads are literally the NFL of the industry. Each brand is duking it to claim the spot of best commercial. Some fail almost as miserably as the Chiefs did this year, others claim victory after victory, like Tom Brady. Here’s a few that SRB team felt won this year’s battle.

Drake from State Farm

Drake from State Farm was a really fun commercial that I’m sure made a lot of people laugh. State Farm utilized two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in the first part of the commercial. Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes have been recuring spokesmen for State Farm, so the start of the commercial feels like any other one they’ve done. That is until they threw a classic Superbowl twist into the mix. Towards the middle of the commercial, they reveal they have more star power than just the two quarterbacks. Randomly Paul Rudd, a comedic and beloved actor, appears as Mahomes’s “look-alike” body double. Just when you thought the star power was over, the State Farm agent’s body double turns around and it turns out to be the one and only Drake. All and all, the star power and comedic plot made this one of the more memorable ads of the night.

Last Year’s Lemons

Bud Light highlighted their new Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade in their Superbowl commercial. This one ranks among the best because it said what everyone was thinking. The commercial plays off the phrase, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” 2020 gave us a lot of lemons and Bud Light used that to their advantage to promote the seltzer Lemonade. The clever part is, they never address what we experienced last year (or even what we are currently experiencing). Bud Light does an excellent job making light of a tough year without being too morbid or tone-deaf.

The Neighborhood

DoorDash’s business has boomed since the pandemic, but they see themselves as playing a vital role in helping the struggling local restaurants survive during this time. Instead of advertising the convenience of their service, they asked people to support the local restaurants in their neighborhoods. The message itself is good, but what made it a great commercial is how it was delivered, or rather who delivered it. Daveed Diggs, of Hamilton fame, sings along with the gang of Sesame Street throughout the commercial. Who better to sing a song about supporting the neighborhood than Sesame Street? It was all around a heart-warming commercial that brought a smile to people’s face.

The Superbowl this year was obviously different and it’s no surprise that the sentiments were reflected in the ads that played as well. Some of the biggest names didn’t even join in on the commercials. Many put their budgets into COVID-19 vaccine campaigns or didn’t spend the money at all. However, we still enjoyed watching some of the most creative ads of the year… and the cringiest. Until next year. We hope it’ll look a little different by then.