Each year, Imagine has an hours-long group texting session during the Super Bowl to discuss ads that grabbed our attention, for good or horrendously bad reasons. Invariably, some advertisers swing for the fences (to mix sports metaphors) and try something wildly innovative, while others play it safe and simply want to tie their brand to a moment of warm, fuzzy feelings. A safe approach can still be successful, and we saw a lot of that this year.

Before the first quarter ended, we noticed this year’s batch of commercials were falling into two camps: nostalgia versus AI. And nostalgia, like the Seahawks, took an early lead and kept it. Advertisers seemed to have crafted many of this year’s ads specifically for the enjoyment of viewers between ages 35 and 55, likely a good bet given the demographics of NFL viewership and the spending power of that age group.

Super Bowl ads have leaned into nostalgia for ages now, by trotting out a beloved-but-past-their-prime celebrity or referencing classic movies, TV or even memorable Super Bowl ads from years past. This crop of commercials, though, seemed extra nostalgia-packed. In times of upheaval or uncertainty, whether political, economic or social (or a mix of all three), advertisers often turn to nostalgia as a safe and reliable way to touch hearts with the promise of returning to the warm glow of earlier, seemingly better, times.

Mustachioed and vaguely Italian Benson Boone and Ben Stiller performing in a 80s-era concert for Instacart caught our eye, as did the obligatory Ben Affleck Dunkin’ Donuts ad, featuring de-aged sitcom players — even though we Gen-Xers and Millennials had to explain most of that ad to our under-30 family members. Levi’s ad showcased nothing but butts, yet close-ups of Woody’s caboose in “Toy Story,” George Michael’s rockin’ rear and Bruce Springsteen’s patriotic patootie instantly took us back decades.

The ads today also act as commercial trailers for themselves, as the 30-second spots are typically a condensed version of some longer version viewers can hunt down online. The extended Jurassic Park re-imagining from Xfinity was worth checking out for the additional Jeff Goldblum lines alone.

Even if the ad isn’t overtly trying to time-travel, the soundtrack under it can evoke nostalgia. Lady Gaga’s rendition of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood theme, for Rocket Mortgage, was hauntingly beautiful. The Backstreet Boys were in heavy rotation, showing up in a T-Mobile ad packed with other product placement as well as a karaoke-inspired Coinbase ad that stirred up some division. As Jimmy Kimmel joked the next day, “Is it good when the viewers boo your product at the end of an ad you paid $10 million for?”

In a nostalgic turnaround, Pepsi decided to call back to two 1990s cola wars mainstays: the Pepsi Challenge and the Coca-Cola polar bear, causing some on our team to wonder whether one could trademark a whole animal species. As it happened, one of us had done work on a Coca-Cola polar bear product some 20 years earlier, and recalled some of the distinguishing features Coca-Cola did, indeed, trademark to define their branded bear. Whether Pepsi’s ad crossed a legal line or not, did the ad succeed? Or, by breaking a cardinal branding rule, did Pepsi just spend all that money to make a Coca-Cola ad? Because the bear, not Pepsi, hijacked our attention.

Nostalgia is a reliable player in any commercial director’s lineup, and this year it dominated the field. Next year, though, I hope we’ll see some memorable, brand new content that goes in a completely unexpected direction.