The Super Bowl is an iconic event for so many reasons. An exciting match-up, a championship title, the parties, Taylor Swift. But one of the most common reasons you’ll hear: the commercials. One of the most iconic parts of the big game is just how extravagant, funny, or memorable brands can make their advertisements. This year we saw aliens, celebrities, and the world collectively realizing we have been pronouncing Temu wrong. So which ones were among the best and the worst?

Here were some of the GBM team’s most and least favorite ads during Super Bowl LVIII:

The Favorites:

1. T-Mobile Magenta Status featuring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Hudson, Common, Laura Dern, Patrick J. Adams, and Gabriel Macht. We thought this one took a really creative approach and leaned into the current trends around “Suits” right now. Zach Braff and Donald Faison have some competition!

2. Dunkin featuring Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Jennifer Lopez, and Tom Brady. Though J-Lo was unimpressed, we got a lot of enjoyment out of “The DunKings” performance. Also where can we get a bedazzled Dunkin cup like hers?

3. Doritos Dinamita with Jenna Ortega and Danny Ramirez. Doritos always delivers a memorable commercial, and we thought this one was very creative and fun. Don’t mess with the abuelas and their Dinamitas!

4. Google Pixel 8. This was a touching ad by blind director Adam Morse featuring the Guided Frame technology helping a man with low vision capture his life. We thought they did a great job telling a story in just a minute!

5. DoorDash. Yes, the “DoorDash-all-the-ads” promo code actually worked, but we sat for a good hour and a half typing it out. All 1,813 characters. We didn’t win, but how fun would it have been to win four cars, a boat, and a literal diamond?

The Flops:

1. Drumstick with Eric André. It felt like it was trying too hard to be funny and the script was just a miss overall. The introduction of the brand’s weird mascot was definitely an introduction to remember.

2. N.F.L. Sunday Ticket. There is something a little unsettling about watching humans flap their arms like birds and fly. It’s on the same level with babies speaking like people, like in the E*TRADE commercial.

3. SnapChat. We had a few questions about the social media company recommending less social media by using SnapChat instead. Social media is far from perfect and every platform will have its problems, including SnapChat.

4. Starry. With their recent rebrand, it’s expected to see an ad for Starry. But there were a few elements in the ad that just didn’t land with us, like the ex-soda exploding into a lemon lime fountain of tears.

5. Reese’s Caramel Cup. We weren’t fans of the over-the-top, zany reactions from the living room focus group. Which yes, was the point, but was not a hit for us.

Super Bowl commercials are one of the most well-known and most viewed advertisements. Given the hefty price tag to be broadcast to over 100 million viewers, it’s natural for brands to try to break out of the norm or attempt something over the top to beat out their competitors. 

Are there any favorites or flops you would add to this list? What do you hope to see next year? Maybe we’ll actually see The DunKings achieve superstardom, but only time will tell!