Every year the Super Bowl brings stunning victories, bold plays and memorable moments – and that’s just the commercials. With big budgets and high prices for commercial spots, advertisers brought out beloved brand characters and well-known celebrities alike to pitch their products. Take a look at which brands won us over with a top-five list of the best food and beverage commercials during this year’s Super Bowl.
Our Favorite Commercials
5. Snickers – “Snickers Fixes the World”
Building on its “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” concept, the candy bar maker built their commercial around the idea that what’s causing the ills of the Earth is – you guessed it – hunger. Only this time, it’s the planet that needs a Snickers. Unfortunately, this ad was a fumble for us. We felt it tried a little too hard to be relatable, making it our last place pick.
4: Bud Light Seltzer – “#PostyStore”
Bud Light’s ad highlighting their new Bud Light Seltzer drinks (look out, Whiteclaw, this Bud’s for you) secured singer Post Malone for a send up to Pixar’s Inside Out. Malone’s casual delivery of the last line (“Got any pretzels?”) was spot on. We ranked this entry as number four on our list, due to a clever premise that left us wanting more.
3. Little Caesars – “Best Thing Since Sliced Bread”
Back in 2017, Little Caesars told CNBC they had no plans to offer a delivery service, but it seems times have changed. The pizza company used its Super Bowl airtime to announce the addition, with a literal take on an old cliché. Coming in at third place, we felt Little Caesars managed to deliver an ad that was even better than their Italian Cheese Bread (and we really enjoy some ICB at Anderson Partners).
See related: How to Hire Creatives to Your Food Ingredient Team
2. Cheetos Popcorn – “Can’t Touch This”
Cheeto-dust has been staining fingers for years. Now, however, the brand has welcomed this inconvenience with the help of MC Hammer. Maybe we were feeling nostalgic for our own Hammer pants, but we felt this one deserved a second place slot for its bold embrace of what would otherwise be a negative trait and its unabashed celebration of avoiding those situations in life where we’d rather just, not.
1. Doritos – “Cool Ranch”
2019 was truly the year of “Old Town Road,” the hit by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. And what song would be better to headline Doritos’ big-budget entry into this year’s Super Bowl commercials? While the chip company always offers up an ambitious game-day advertisement, the AP team unanimously agreed our number one pick had something for everyone, marrying new-school popular culture with the old-school appeal of Elliott’s dreamy drawl and marvelous mustache.
Did we pass on your favorite commercial or choose one of your winners? Leave us a comment below to let us know what made your top five list this year.