PDS’s Favorite Super Bowl Commercials
February 8, 2020
On February 2, more than 100 million viewers tuned in to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play the San Francisco 49ers in Superbowl LIV. People went to parties, hung out with friends, or simply just experienced this All-American event by themselves. No matter the circumstances, everyone (except 49ers fans) had a great time watching the game, viewing the halftime show featuring Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, making bets on their favorite team and players, and enjoying classic Superbowl finger foods such as wings and chips and guac.
Even those who don’t actually care about football had something to look forward to: the famous Superbowl commercials. This year, a 30-second commercial for Fox—the primary Superbowl broadcaster—was extremely competitive, costing a staggering $5.6 million. With companies paying such exorbitant amounts of money, they made sure to put on a show for America. These commercials ranged from movie trailers to snacks to car ads and more, each attempting to stand out among the rest.
We asked the PDS community which Super Bowl commercials they liked best via Instagram (@spokesmanpds). Take a look at the top three choices below.
A notable attempt to stir up some tension was Tom Brady’s appearance on the Hulu commercial. Many fans know that Tom Brady is at the age of retirement from the NFL, and it has been widely discussed that his last season is soon to some. Brady began the commercial as if to tell America that his football career had finally come to an end, leaving many fans devastated. However, Brady, as it turned out, had faked everyone out and ended the Hulu commercial saying, “I’m not going anywhere,” in reference to his career.
While many commercials featured well-known actors and singers, the Mountain Dew commercial took things one step further. They casted Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston and Blackish star Tracee Ellis Ross to act out a scene from the well known 1980s horror film “The Shining,” while simultaneously promoting Mountain Dew Zero Sugar. In the beginning, the scene in the commercial was depicted to be completely identical to the famous scene in the movie. However, instead of the famous “Here’s Johnny,” Cranston shouted, “Here’s Mountain Dew Zero!” This reenactment was creative and executed well, with many immediately recognized the reference to the horror film.
Another commercial that received a lot of attention and praise was Hyundai’s hilarious “Smaht Pahk” commercial. Featuring Boston celebrities John Krasinski, Rachel Dratch, Chris Evans, and David Ortiz, all speaking with Bostonian accents, this commercial showed off the Hyundai remote control smart parking aka. “Smaht Pahk.” In the PDS community, junior Saahith Potluri says, “I really liked how they put together funny and popular actors in a different way. The accent was hilarious as well.” In the end, some remember who won, fewer recall the score, but everyone is still talking about the amusing commercials.
