Super Bowl 2023 commercials: The best and worst ads from the big game
Super Bowl LVII is in the books, and so are the commercials. There were 100 percent less cryptocurrency and Meta ads this year, but plenty of brands filled the void. We saw lots of celebrity cameos from familiar faces, callbacks to well-known pieces of culture and some very sweet dogs. There were also some duds, including an unnecessary baby wedding and a deflating conclusion to Gronk's live kick.
So very many commercials aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday that it's tough to even remember what you saw. If you need a refresher, check out Yahoo Sports' review of every Big Game ad.
Here are the four best and four worst ads of the 2023 Super Bowl.
Best:
Rakuten, "Not So Clueless"
From Amber's feather hat to Cher's Jeep and magical rotating closet (still the goal of countless Gen X-ers and older Millennials around the world), this ad was so faithful to "Clueless." The music was perfect, the clothes were perfect, and even Cher's car crash was perfect.
Plus, Rakuten and "Clueless" are an ideal match of brand and concept. Rakuten is a shopping service, and Cher's shopping is legendary.
Dunkin', "Live Your Best Life"
Can a commercial just be fun and cute? Does it have to reference a movie or TV show or song? Does it have to have some great meaning? Dunkin' has answered those questions yes, no, and no. Ben Affleck loves Dunkin', so they have him serve Dunkin' to unsuspecting drive-thru customers while using his ridiculous (yet accurate) Boston accent.
Dunkin' isn't trying to send a message or look cool (if they wanted to do that, they probably wouldn't have landed on Affleck). They serve coffee and pre-baked donuts, so they had a celebrity who likes them — and his incredibly gorgeous and talented wife — have fun with customers in a commercial. The "it's not rocket science" approach works!
Ram Trucks, "Premature Electrification"
Is this ad an elaborate premature ejaculation joke? Yes. Is it still funny? Absolutely yes. Some things will always be funny no matter how old you are, and this is one of them.
The Super Bowl isn't a celebration of class and refined taste. It's a massive football game with a 20-minute rock concert in the middle of it. This is the perfect commercial for that kind of event.
Amazon, "Saving Sawyer"
There weren't many sentimental ads this year, but this one was perfect, especially if you're a dog lover. The face of Sawyer the dog when his family leaves for the day is heartbreaking. He's so lonely and sa, and looks desperate for cuddles and belly rubs.
All you want is for him to be happy, and when the family gets a little dog (also a rescue) for him to play with during the day, you know he will be.
Worst:
Tubi, "No, You Didn't Just Sit On Your Remote"
That's not the actual title of the ad, but it's what everyone needed to hear after this ad aired. It won a Super Clio (an advertising award) for best Super Bowl commercial, but by making everyone think they'd somehow flipped their TV over to streaming, it freaked everyone out. It might have even caused someone to leap off the couch to look for the remote they thought they'd sat on, only to hit the remote and change the channel in the process. (Did that happen at this writer's house? No comment.)
If Tubi wanted to be remembered for causing a moment of confusion and sheer panic at Super Bowl parties around the country, then congratulations to them for accomplishing that very strange goal.
E*TRADE, "Baby Wedding"
Babies shouldn't get married. It's creepy. It's weird. No one needs to see it. It's already awkward and strange when someone thinks it's appropriate to tell a child they have a "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" after playing with a kid of a different gender.
But E*TRADE veered into "oh sweet Mary, why is this happening" territory when they made Super Bowl viewers watch two actual toddlers with adult voices get married while a third baby gave the best man speech. Who asked for this? Who wanted this? Give us a name, E*TRADE, we want to talk.
FanDuel, "Gronk's Live Kick"
After weeks of marketing and promotions about Rob Gronkowski attempting a field goal live during the Super Bowl, Gronk actually had to do it. Everyone, including FanDuel, might have forgotten about that, but everyone remembered the moment they saw his helmeted head on screen. He actually had to kick that football, and it did not go well. He missed, and it was hilarious.
FanDuel had prepared for that possibility, of course, but it was still embarrassing. And not in a fantastic, memorable kind of way. It was just garden variety embarrassing, ensuring that it will be forgotten until this time next year, when everyone is reminded how bad it was.
Booking.com, "Somewhere, Anywhere"
Booking.com had Melissa McCarthy, one of the most gifted comedic actresses of all time, in its commercial and somehow managed to make it boring. That's this ad's cardinal sin: being a criminally uncreative snoozefest. Be daring! Be weird! Take advantage of Melissa McCarthy's many comedic gifts!
But no. Instead of being funny, they made her sing for some reason. She's not famous for singing — she's famous for being funny! Why have her do something she isn't known for doing in your most-watched ad of the year? Only the creative team behind this commercial know the (wrong) answers to those questions.
