The Super Bowl commercial recap nobody asked for

Every Friday, we share strategies to help you level up your sales, marketing, and lead gen.

This week, Maddie breaks down Super Bowl ads the way they were meant to be judged: loudly, from the couch, with zero financial stake.

Enjoy 👇

Every year, we say we’re watching the Super Bowl for the football.

This is a safe space, so let’s be honest.

We’re watching to evaluate $8 million creative decisions like we personally funded them.

Here’s what lived rent-free in my brain:

Baby Clydesdale.
Bald eagle.
“Free Bird” is playing like we’re in a truck commercial.

And I ate it up.

No twist.
No irony.
No “this is actually about blockchain” surprise.

Just:

Horse.
Flag.
Beer.
“Free Bird” stuck in my head for 72 hours.

It worked because it was obvious. In a good way.

Sometimes you don’t need disruption.
Sometimes you just need a horse and a dream.

Dunkin’ said, “What if we fully commit to the Boston cinematic universe?”

And they did.

Ben Affleck.
Matt Damon energy.
Full Good Will Hunting parody.
High-stakes drama… about coffee.

It was chaotic. Self-aware. Exactly who it was meant for.

You never once wondered what brand this was.

You may have wondered why everyone was yelling.

But you were not confused.

And clarity under caffeine pressure? Respect.

In the middle of celebrity pileups and chaotic editing, Lay’s gave us:

A dad.
A daughter.
A potato farm.

That’s it.

No jump cuts.
No AI voiceover narrating “the future.”
No random A-lister parachuting in for seven seconds.

Just feelings. And starch.

It felt calm.

Which, during the Super Bowl, feels slightly rebellious.

Sabrina Carpenter built her dream man out of Pringles. (wish it were that easy)

He had a name.
He had vibes.
He was immediately consumed.

Unhinged? Yes.
Clear? Also yes.

It tied back to the tagline. It committed to the bit. It never once tried to be “deep.”

There’s a difference between confusing and chaotic-on-purpose.

Pringles understood the assignment.

The ads people are still talking about did one thing well.

Not twelve.

They weren’t trying to:

They picked a lane and floored it.

Meanwhile, some commercials felt like the creative brief was:
“Just make it big. And futuristic. And trending.”

The Super Bowl is the most expensive attention in the world.

And somehow, the winners are usually the ones who don’t try to prove how smart they are.

Anyway.

See you next year when we all become unpaid creative directors with greasy fingerprints on the remote.

–Maddie