Five Super Bowl ads worth watching

Peppered with A-list celebrities, from John Legend to Winona Ryder via Jonathan Van Ness, and accounting for countless millions of dollars of ad budget spending, the Super Bowl is the landmark advertising moment of the year for companies looking to get Americans’ attention.

This year saw the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers to win the coveted title; Latino pop stars Jennifer Lopez and Shakira entertain the crowds in Miami at half-time; and showed Donald Trump needs a refresher course in US geography. Squeezed in between all this featured a total of 52 ads, including the first-ever presidential campaign ads to screen during the game (for Trump and Michael Bloomberg), each paying around $5.6 million for 30 seconds of airtime. In case you missed them, we’ve rounded up five that are definitely worth a watch.

Wieden & Kennedy Portland: Facebook, Ready to Rock

Facebook’s first-ever Super Bowl ad is themed around rocks, with cameos from Chris Rock and Sylvester Stallone (known for playing Rocky) acting as the punchline (ahem). It promotes Facebook Groups and how there’s something out there for everyone, from rock climbing and rock music to rocking chairs and experimental rocketry.

Grey: Pringles, Rick and Morty Commercial

The beloved and dysfunctional world of Rick and Morty has been hijacked by Pringles, quite literally, in this ad that stays satisfyingly true to the tropes of the series. The latest misadventure sees Morty seemingly entranced by the crisp brand’s proposition to stack different flavours to make a Pringle cocktail – yet the ever sceptical Rick sees through it straight away. Unmasking Morty as a Pringle robot, and discovering they are trapped in a Pringles commercial, Rick and Summer are quickly swarmed by dozens of clones clutching Pringle tubes.

High Dive: Jeep, Groundhog Day

If you love Bill Murray, revel in his nostalgic return as Phil Connors from Groundhog Day, 27 years later. Just like in the film, Murray wakes up to the tune of Sonny & Cher, in the same dowdy hotel room, gets chased by that pesky Ned Ryerson, but then comes across an anomaly to the usual pattern – a Jeep – which inspires him to change things up and kidnap Phil, the groundhog. In a sequence of jolly scenes, Murray embarks on antics with the creature, playing Whac-a-mole, letting him drive the car, and going cross-country skiing with Phil in a baby sling.

BBDO New York: Snickers, Snickers Fixes the World

Snickers channels Coca-Cola’s iconic Buy the World a Coke ad with its funny spot, but instead of the hippy, open-arms vibes of the 60s film, this takes a brutal jab at contemporary culture. From grown men riding scooters to babies named after produce, and voice-controlled devices spying on us, the world is messed up, says Snickers, and the answer (or self-confessed “dumb idea”) is to dig a big hole in the ground and put a giant Snickers in it.

Energy BBDO: Avocados from Mexico, The Avocados from Mexico Shopping Network

This might be a matter of taste, but while many of the ads attempting comedy fall flat, the ones that embrace surrealism seem to win the humour stakes. If weird ads are your bag, then Avocados From Mexico might tickle your funny bone with its parody of the totally useless items sold on shopping channels. On offer: a baby carrier for your darling avocado, a tortilla chip lilo for its summer hols, a travel bag for trips, and a helmet to keep it protected. Odds are on these appearing for sale IRL very soon.