Advertisers paid a cool $5 million on average for 30-second commercials during last night's Super Bowl. But just getting your ad in front of millions of Americans — many of whom tune in specifically to catch the ads — isn't necessarily enough to garner buzz.
For the ads, it's not just about securing the highly-coveted time slots — they have to compete, according to Derek Rucker, a professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management.
"You have to recognize it's not just about showing up or being around it; there's going to be winners and losers," he told Marketing Dive. "What a really good Super Bowl campaign will do is maintain interest. We should be seeing results two weeks down the road; it should have stay power."
If last year's ads were largely emotive, this year's were more funny and upbeat. From a town of Ryan Reynolds to a field full of weiner dogs, we kept a close eye on the commercials and rounded up the seven best spots you should watch again.
1. Michelob Ultra, "Breathe"
Agency: FCB Chicago
Views to date on YouTube: 2.3M
In the beer brand's Super Bowl ad debut, Michelob Ultra wants you to work out and then relax with a cool brew in your hand.
2. PayPal, "There's a New Money in Town"
Agency: Crispin Porter & Bogusky L.A.
Views to date on YouTube: 477K
In the first Super Bowl ad for the mobile payments company, PayPal comes out swinging at "old money," touting the value of the new digital economy versus the old one defined by paper money. If there was one theme to Super Bowl 50 commercials, it was that new digital economy brands like PayPal, Apartments.com, Squarespace and SoFi are here to stay. Not to mention the sountrack: Demi Lovato's "Confident."
3. Marmot, "Love the Outside"
Agency: Anomaly
Views to date on YouTube: 71K
One of the peppier ads of the night, the outdoor retailer hit home with its humorous messaging about friendship and the outdoors.
4. Bud Light, "Bud Light Party"
Agency: Wieden & Kennedy
Views to date on YouTube: 6.7M
If you don't have allegiance to a political party yet, you might consider joining the "Bud Light Party." The brewer's celebrity-filled ad featuring Seth Rogen and Amy Schumer was the best "political" ad to watch during the big game.
5. Amazon, "Party"
Agency: Leo Burnett
Views to date on YouTube: 3.1M
The star-studded campaign pits celebrity against celebrity, with Amazon's smart speaker system Echo essentially functioning as the rope in a verbal tug-of-war. The witty banter effectively showcased the product's appeal.
6. Hyundai, "Ryanville"
Agency: Innocean Worldwide
Views to date on YouTube: 9.5M
Ryan Reynolds takes the lead role in Hyundai's ad that serves to explain the importance of "auto-emergency braking with pedestrian detection" functionality in its cars. The backdrop? A town where everyone is Ryan Reynolds.
7. Heinz, "Wiener Stampede"
Agency: David Miami
Views to date on YouTube: 537K
Fluffy animals and cute babies are always a good recipe for ad success. In its smile-inducing Super Bowl ad, Heinz asks you to #MeettheKetchups, who are standing in a field watching their pet (hot)dogs run toward them while Harry Nilsson's "I Can't Live" plays in the background.
