For a few years, I’ve been invited to share my thoughts on the American Marketing Association Las Vegas Chapter’s Big Game Ad Review panel. In past years, there were some stand-out ads we still talk about, but this year, aside from a few noteworthy ads, there were few that really caught my attention.

My first pick: Rocket Mortgage – Take Me Home Country Roads

One of the most essential things to aspire to in an ad, especially with the audience available during the Super Bowl, is creating a memorable moment for the consumer. This ad was a traditional pull-at-your-heartstrings ad using a familiar, wholesome John Denver tune, “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” In the ad, there is a build-up starting with a single voice and ending with a chorus of singers singing the unifying lines in the song. Then, during the viewing at home, there was a switchover from the commercial to a live feed showing the crowd singing along with the music. Now, if you, from your living room, were also singing along with the song and are suddenly joined by the people in the stands, you have created a connection with the brand that is palpable, real and memorable. These moments are not easy to achieve in advertising, so I picked this as my favorite.

My Second pick: Novartis – Your Attention Please

This ad was built around the interruption — the very bold imagery of showing women’s breasts in an initially very exploitative way. This caused men to take notice — for obvious reasons — but also causing the rest of the audience to take a moment to wonder where it was going. How could the advertiser be so bold in their misogyny and maybe causing women to see this as just another example of depicting women as objects? I was surprised by the shift of the main message in the ad: “So much attention. Yet, so ignored. Over 6 million women watching today’s game may be diagnosed with breast cancer.” It’s a striking shift that snaps the viewer back into reality. I felt this was very effective and even a bit jarring in a good way.

My pick for unfortunate similarities: Little Caesar’s/Pringles

These two ads weren’t bad. It was more about the poor execution of two ads with unfortunate similarities.

Pringles' commercial, "The Call of the Mustaches," actor Adam Brody discovers an empty can of Pringles at a party. Following a mysterious voice's instruction, he blows into the can, summoning mustaches from various celebrities — including Nick Offerman, James Harden, and Kansas City Chiefs Coach Andy Reid, to fly off their faces in an attempt to retrieve more Pringles. Set to a playful rendition of the "Batman" theme song with "Mustache" lyrics, the ad humorously highlights the brand's iconic mustached mascot. This is a continuation of what Pringles has done in using the mustache as a focal point in their creative development.

Now, in Little Caesars' 2025 Super Bowl commercial, "Whoa!,” actor Eugene Levy takes a bite of their new crazy puffs pizza bites that causes his iconic eyebrows to fly off his face and fly around the neighborhood. The ad humorously highlights the irresistible taste of the crazy puffs, suggesting they're so good they'll make you go "Whoa!"

Now each on their own may have worked to some extent, although Pringles executed it better. However, the fact that both used flying facial hair caused the brands to compete and confuse the brand association with a clever idea. They, in essence, cancel each other out. A regrettable coincidence that was worth a mention.

Parting thoughts: What would I like to see next year

We were asked what we would like to see next year from the ads and my answer was to keep it simple. Your ad should be giving something to the audience. Tell a memorable story. Be as creative as you like, but attach the concept to your brand's purpose. A brand shouldn’t be interchangeable with your concept. Show the brand being used in some way throughout the commercial. Use brief and compelling language to illustrate the value and leave your audience feeling like they can relate to the tone and message. You don’t need to tell the full story, tell it in a way that allows people to fill in the blanks and own the message. In essence, I’d like to see them go back to the basics of copywriting and storytelling.