14 February 2023

The Best & Worst Super Bowl Ads of 2023: Marketing Takeaways

2Frameworks

8Insights

Frameworks in this episode

Marketing5 steps

Contextual Product Integration

Place the product inside the experience so its use advances the audience's story.

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Marketing6 steps

Ownable Asset Demand Engine

Build channels that compound demand instead of renting temporary attention.

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Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Hot Take· 2

Hot Take02:00

Why the Will Ferrell GM Commercial Failed to Land

The host argues that GM's celebrity-led electric-vehicle spot imitated familiar Super Bowl formulas without communicating a strong product message. References to popular television shows and Will Ferrell's direct-to-camera performance created activity, but not clarity, humor, or emotion.

Celebrity presence became a substitute for a distinctive idea.
The cultural references felt dated and overly calculated.
Viewers could struggle to identify the company or intended message.
The attempted humor failed to create an emotional response.

“The product message was kind of lost in it all because they were trying so hard.”
02:30

“There was no emotion to that.”
03:00

#general motors#will ferrell#celebrity ads#creative critique

Hot Take03:30

The Celebrity Crutch Made Most 2023 Super Bowl Ads Look the Same

The episode criticizes advertisers for repeatedly putting celebrities at the center of basic product stories and calling the result entertainment. This low-risk formula made most of the year's ads blend together rather than creating distinctive brand associations.

Many ads relied on the same celebrity-fronted structure.
Basic storytelling reduced differentiation.
High production spending did not produce creative risk.
Similarity weakened emotional and brand recall.

“And they used a crutch of storytelling that was very basic.”
03:30

#celebrity marketing#advertising trends#creative risk#super bowl

Explainer· 3

Explainer00:30

Why Tubi's Fake Interface Switch Made Viewers Reach for the Remote

Tubi disguised its commercial as a return to the game followed by someone navigating a streaming interface. The apparent disruption made viewers reach for their remotes and discuss what had happened, breaking the repetitive structure of conventional Super Bowl advertising.

The spot initially resembled the live Super Bowl broadcast.
The streaming interface made viewers think someone was changing programs.
The unexpected format triggered an immediate physical and conversational reaction.
Breaking the category formula made the brand more memorable.

“And that had me reaching for the remote.”
01:00

“And the reason they nailed it is 'cause they interrupted the experience and they didn't follow the same formula as the rest of the ads.”
01:30

#tubi#super bowl ads#creative disruption#streaming

Explainer04:00

The $7 Million Super Bowl Ad Can Really Require a $14 Million Commitment

The quoted price of a Super Bowl spot does not represent the whole commitment described in the episode. Advertisers may also need a Media Match, requiring equivalent spending with the broadcasting network during the rest of the year.

A spot was described as costing between $6 million and $7 million.
The Media Match can require equal additional network spending.
A nominal $7 million placement can therefore imply a $14 million commitment.
The extra inventory may include sports, news, and other network programming.

“But to buy that "Super Bowl" ad, you also have to do what's called a Media Match”
04:00

“So you have to commit to actually spending $14 million to run a "Super Bowl" ad.”
04:30

#media buying#super bowl#advertising costs#media match

Explainer11:30

Why Fenty Beauty May Be More Valuable to Rihanna Than Streaming Lift

The halftime appearance could increase both music streams and beauty-product sales, but the episode emphasizes their different economics. It argues that Fenty Beauty offers a stronger product and better margins than the fractional payments generated by music streaming.

The performance could lift both music and product demand.
Streaming pays artists only a fraction of a cent per play.
Beauty products can offer more attractive margins.
The compact placement connected cultural attention to Rihanna's higher-value business.

“She crushed it, she's gonna sell a ton of music and get a ton of streams on her music, but more importantly, she's going to…”
11:30

“And I'll tell you what, her beauty products, way better product and way better margins than her music getting streamed and her getting paid a…”
12:00

#rihanna#fenty beauty#creator economics#music streaming

Q&A· 1

Q&A05:30

Why Brands Still Pay for Super Bowl Ads in a Fractured Media Market

Despite questioning the economics of a Super Bowl commercial, the episode identifies its remaining strategic attraction: scarce live, mass-market attention. As audiences fragment across channels, very few events can gather a large consumer audience simultaneously.

The media landscape has fragmented.
Large-scale live attention has become scarce.
The Super Bowl remains one of the few mass-market moments.
Scarcity explains the premium even when lasting demand is uncertain.

“And they're doing that because the media landscape has purely fractured, and there's not that many places where you can get live attention with a…”
06:00

“And the "Super Bowl" still is one.”
06:00

#media fragmentation#mass reach#live events#advertising strategy

Takeaway· 2

Takeaway06:30

The Narrow Case Where a Super Bowl Spot May Be Worth It

The episode allows one major exception to its criticism of Super Bowl spending: a brand undergoing reinvention or a rebrand may benefit from a single, widely shared moment. For ordinary product-demand generation, however, the host considers the short-lived attention insufficient.

Super Bowl attention tends to spike briefly.
A major rebrand can benefit from a shared cultural moment.
Routine awareness and demand goals require greater sustainability.
The campaign objective should determine whether mass reach is useful.

“You don't get this ongoing level of interest, and awareness and demand for your product or service, right?”
06:30

“If you are a brand that needs to reinvent itself, is doing a rebrand, doing something like that, then a "Super Bowl" spot and ad…”
06:30

#rebranding#brand awareness#campaign strategy#super bowl

Takeaway10:00

Doritos Balanced Product Clarity, Cleverness, and Celebrity

Doritos is highlighted alongside Tubi as one of the strongest advertisers of the game. Its spot kept the product central, delivered a clear message, and used celebrities in service of the idea rather than as a replacement for one.

The product remained front and center.
The message was clear.
Celebrity involvement supported the creative concept.
Doritos has a history of strong Super Bowl advertising.

“They had the right level of clarity of message, putting the product front and center in a very clever way and a good use of…”
10:00

“So I thought Tubi and the Doritos spots were the two best spots.”
10:30

#doritos#product clarity#celebrity marketing#advertising