Co-Authored by Annie Maley, Andy Nguyen, and Lily (Kanxuan) Zhai.
The Super Bowl features some of the most expensive ad spaces in media, reaching as high as $7 million for just 30 seconds. The wide reach and high engagement means companies are willing to pay dearly for this prized spot. But just because these ads are expensive does not necessarily mean they are effective. How are organizations engaging with this space, and what are they showing our audiences? We turned to COM faculty for their takes on the 2025 Super Bowl commercials and the trends that they may represent.
Doug Gould, Professor of the Practice, Advertising
Gould helped create and author two of Hill Holiday’s signature Super Bowl commercials for Anheuser-Busch: one named by AdAge as a top-five commercial in the first 50-years of Super Bowl advertising, and the other winning USA Today’s annual Super Bowl AdMeter.
From what I’ve seen so far, the long-form Michelob Ultra ad with Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara is a hoot. It uses smart cultural insight and breaks from the formulaic Ultra spots of the past. “When Sally Met Hellman’s” will be a hit with folks of a certain age. It’s brilliant. I’m also interested to see what the DunKings do for Dunkin’ this year. The teaser with Jeremy Strong is off to a great start.
What makes a Super Bowl commercial memorable is zigging when everyone else zags. It’s typically the unexpected spots that come out on top. Most spots will go for humor, but what form of humor will jump out? In a sea of sameness and frenetic energy, will quiet, dry, and self-aware win the day? Who knows? It’s always up to the public and the moment.
Hong Ko, Associate Professor of the Practice, Strategic Communication and Advertising
With 25 years of experience under his belt, Professor Ko worked mainly in the design and creative realm of advertising. His clients ranged from retail brands like Nike and Uniqlo to technology companies like Verizon and Samsung.
Couldn’t just choose one favorite! I think there were multiple commercials that stood out for different reasons: Liquid Death’s “drink on the job” overall was the best idea, but ChatGPT’s commercial had great visuals. From a mere entertainment standpoint, I enjoyed Instacart’s commercial and Mt. Dew Tropical Lime’s comedic twist. A trend that needs to go immediately is celebrity endorsements without any connection to the product/service. Completely overdone. A great example of this was Dunkin’s DunKings—a perfect waste of money.
Chris Lee, Senior Lecturer, Advertising
Chris Lee is a senior lecturer and an AdLab advisor in BU’s College of Communication. Before coming to BU, he provided valuable insight as an award-winning, multiple hat-wearing, executive creative director/writer at top agencies like Mullen, Hill Holliday and Leo Burnett.
Doja Cat rings Taco Bell. Eli and Peyton Manning pick up Gronk’s less-than-epic, Fan Duel misses—along with the record for dopey “bro” commercials. Hellman’s trots out nostalgia for anyone old enough to remember when Harry actually did meet Sally, some 36 years (and likely as many Botox injections) ago. Aaaaand…the Dunkin Dunkings are back! Making Boston look bad again. In bright orange DD brand fashion. (Obnoxious tracksuits, available now. For 100 bucks and a watered-down cup of Joe.)
Yup. With the exception of Michael Cera for CeraVe, my favorite from last year’s star-studded crop, it’s pretty much rinse and repeat: An at times desperate over-reliance on celebrity endorsement for entertainment purposes only, overshadowing the essence of the advertised products and services themselves.
What we teach in the College of Communication, here at BU, is that great creativity springs from great strategy. With little to no strategic connection to the brands, even the shiniest stars on the world’s biggest commercial stage won’t make your advertising memorable. (Not for the right reasons, anyway.) The takeaway: Don’t waste “Big Game” budget on star power where there’s no strategic or conceptual value.
Shawn Zupp, Professor of the Practice, Advertising
With 25 years as an advertising executive at top agencies in New York including BBDO, Ogilvy, Publicis and R/GA, Zupp worked across numerous industries. His work spans high profile brands including Pepsi-Cola, which won USA Today’s #1 ranked Super Bowl Spot for Pepsi in 1998.
I believe one of the more memorable spots will be the Mountain Dew “Seal” spot. Mt. Dew has a history of doing truly weird creative ideas that garner attention, and this is another example of that. The striking visual of Seal the musical artist performing as a real seal on an island had real “stop and watch” power. It’s simply unexpected. Becky G has a line in the spot that captures the point: “Well this is the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.” But it’s this kind of weird along with recognizable artists that make you remember it, and keep Mt. Dew top of mind. This follows a few Super Bowl trends: the clever use of celebrities, a fun play on animals, and a simplicity of idea that easily gets attention and easy to understand (especially in a crowded commercial environment like the Super Bowl).
What’s your take on this year’s Super Bowl ads? Drop your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
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