Brands doing well during the pandemic will replace long-time advertisers during Sunday's Super Bowl LV telecast. Freddie Joyner has more.
Watch: The 5 best and 5 worst Super Bowl LV commercials
THE 5 BEST
Here are our 5 favorite commercials from Super Bowl LV:
Doritos 3D - Flat Matthew
Who's ready for a little dimension? #Doritos #FlatMatthew
Best: The flavor-dusted tortilla-chip company wins this year’s game-within-a-game battle in the salty crunch product category and looks strong to take the overall crown, too. Matthew McConaughey is feeling flat these days, and looking it, too, in the spot’s superb sort of animation. He’s invisible at the coffee counter when he’s turned sideways; his Roomba almost sucks him up; and Jimmy Kimmel asks him if he traveled to the show by fax machine. Then he tries the new, puffy Doritos 3D Crunch product, and, he, too, adds dimensions to his frame. From Queen’s “I Want to Break Free” as the backing song to the vending machine ending, this is top-tier stuff.
Bud Light - Legends
Watch the Bud Light Legends save the day (and the beer) in legendary fashion.
#BudLightLegends #SuperBowlLV
Best: The beer brand that has been consistently among the funniest Super Bowl advertisers goes meta with this one, and it really works. A Bud Light truck has upended on a road, and the Bud Light Legends, the Ghosts of Ad Campaigns Past, emerge from the forest to save the day and get the truck back on its way. Cedric the Entertainer, Dr. Galazkiewicz (“Yes, I am”), Post Malone, the Bud Knight, the guy who says, “I love you, man” and the “Real Men of Genius” singer banter a bit as they heroically return blue-packaged low-cal beer to area convenience stores.
Squarespace - 5 to 9 by Dolly Parton
Working 5 to 9, you’ve got passion and a vision
Cuz it’s hustlin’ time, whole new way to make a livin’
Gonna change your life, do something that gives it meaning
With a website that is worthy of your dreaming
Make your 5 to 9 full time at https://squarespace.com
----
ABOUT SQUARESPACE
Squarespace empowers millions of dreamers, makers, and doers by providing them with the tools they need to bring their creative ideas to life. On Squarespace’s dynamic all-in-one platforms, customers can claim a domain, build a website, sell online, and market a brand. Our suite of products combines cutting-edge design and world-class engineering, making it easier than ever to establish and own your online presence.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
IG: https://www.instagram.com/squarespace/
TW: https://twitter.com/squarespace/
Best: It would take a great concept to make it worth having the universally beloved Dolly Parton sell out her proto-feminist hit “9 to 5” with a commercially inspired rewrite. So: Hello, great concept! Web-site company Squarespace is pushing all the things people do to develop their dreams in the hours they are free from their dull day jobs: design landscapes, lead dance classes, and do woodworking among them. “Make your 5 to 9 full time” is the perfect tagline, and staging the side hustles in little cubicle spaces, as the lead character dances between them, is a clever visual. Do “Jolene” next, Squarespace.
Oatly - Field sing
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Best: The actual CEO of alt-milk manufacturer Oatly sits at a keyboard in a field, singing a pro-oat-milk jingle he apparently wrote himself. “It’s like milk, but made for humans” and “Wow, no cow” are among the lyrics. With obviously DIY ads, there’s a fine line between charming and cheap. This one is way over on the charming side. (But oat milk still tastes like, you know, oats.)
Jimmy John’s - Meet the King
You want a sandwich war? You got a sandwich
war.
Order online for pick up or delivery https://www.jimmyjohns.com/
Best: The hyperefficient and undeniably tasty meat-bread-veggie assembler gives us a nemesis, “King of Cold Cuts” Tony Bolognavich, played by a very well-cast Brad Garrett (“Everybody Loves Raymond”). Bolognavich, more of a “Scarface”-style meat boss than a chef, laments the rise of the rival sandwich empire he calls “Jimmy’s John’s.” Sure, JJ’s hand-slices real roast beef, Bolognavich says, but “I got ‘turkey’ and ham made by science.” It’s fresh and funny as it underscores the Jimmy John’s strength: Its sandwiches taste like real food.
THE 5 WORST
Here are our 5 least favorite commercials from Super Bowl LV:
Uber Eats - Wayne’s World - Wayne and Garth are Back
Wayne and Garth are suuuuuper excited to be back for the...big thing they're back for...
Learn more about Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/?utm_source=youtube-organic&utm_campaign=youtube-organic_1_-99_US-National_e_all_acq_fix_en_ctao_Description
SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1xnncYc7586km_rIYQLtLQ?sub_confirmation=1
About Uber Eats:
Uber Eats is a food delivery app from Uber that makes getting great food from your favorite local restaurants as easy as requesting a ride. Are you a Restaurant looking to partner with us? Sign up here: https://about.ubereats.com/restaurants/
Connect with Uber Eats:
Deliver with Uber Eats: https://ubr.to/2PBO1I7
Order food with Uber Eats: http://bit.ly/2wjS6bY
Like Uber Eats on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/UberEats
Follow Uber Eats on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/UberEats
Follow Uber Eats on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ubereats/
Wayne’s World - Wayne and Garth are Back | Uber Eats
Worst: For its “Eat Local. Support Local” message, the third-party delivery service trots out Mike Myers and Dana Carvey to reprise their “Wayne’s World” bit from decades ago. They say they’d never manipulate viewers but then trot out babies and guest star Cardi B to persuade us to eat local. Not only doesn’t that premise hit paydirt, but I couldn’t avoid considering the bigger picture: all those stories I’ve read about how the delivery apps have not been great for local eateries during the pandemic. On the bright side, they can always say the food will be fresher than the stars they hire.
Cheetos - It Wasn’t Me
Worst: Mila Kunis, husband Ashton Kutcher and apparent house guest Shaggy star in a domestic drama over the question of who keeps taking Kutcher’s bags of Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix. He wants to blame his wife, who is guilty, but Shaggy tells her to employ his hit song and say, “It Wasn’t Me.” Warning: Kutcher sings some of the lyrics, while Shaggy takes an extended solo that steals time from setting up the supposed comedy of a cute couple’s minor squabbling. Meh. I’m going back instead to watch last year’s winning look at the perils of powdery Cheetos fingers.
Sketchers Max Cushioning - Tony Romo
Football legend turned broadcaster Tony Romo and his wife Candice love taking everything TO THE MAX! One day it’s a skyscraper sandwich for lunch and the next day it’s a monster truck commute, but for everyday comfort they wear Skechers Max Cushioning footwear. Every pair features a maximum amount of innovative Ultra GO® cushioning plus an Air-cooled Goga Mat™ insole that feels amazing morning to night. It’s cushioning to the max…for extreme comfort!
Check out the entire Skechers Max Cushioning collection for women and men at: https://www.skechers.com/
Like and follow us for news, contests and updates:
http://www.facebook.com/SKECHERS
http://www.twitter.com/SKECHERSUSA
http://www.instagram.com/skechers
https://www.tiktok.com/@skechers
Worst: Tony and Candice Romo like to take things to the max. So they sleep in a multiple mattress configuration, and Tony’s car is a monster truck. And their shoes, don’t you know, feature Sketchers Max Cushioning, which is apparently like strapping on pillows. The couple is likable enough, but witnessing this premise and its execution is like strapping pillows around your brain.
Mountain Dew Major Melon
You heard John. You better be counting. Because if you’re the first to count every bottle of MTN DEW MAJOR MELON and Tweet the correct number @MountainDew, you could win $1,000,000. Yes, really.
Must use #MTNDEWMAJORMELON & #MyPromotionEntry.
NO PURCH. NEC. Begins when Sponsor Tweets this commercial on Sponsor’s timeline at https://Twitter.com/MountainDew (no earlier than 2/7/21) and ends when a verifiable entrant Tweets the correct number of Mtn Dew Major Melon bottles, regular or Zero Sugar, (including 3D, drawn, neon, metallic & any color) that appear in this commercial or 3/31/21, whichever comes first. Limit one Twitter account allowed per participant. Winner must be verified. Subject to complete Official Rules, at lifechangingDEW.com. Open to legal res of 50 US/DC, 18+ (19+ in NE&AL). Potential winner subject to background check per Official Rules. Void where prohibited. To Enter, visit Twitter.com/MountainDew. Sponsor: Pepsi-Cola Company, 1111 Westchester Avenue, White Plains, New York, NY 10604. The NFL Entities have not offered or sponsored this promotion in any way.
Subscribe to MTN DEW on YouTube for fun clips, news updates, events coverage and more! http://bit.ly/1gwkpVg
Connect with MTN DEW on social for updates on all things #DEWnation:
✅ http://www.instagram.com/mountaindew
✅ https://www.twitter.com/MountainDew
✅ https://www.facebook.com/MountainDew
Sign up for the DEWsletter for exclusive, insider access: https://p.mountaindew.com/signup
Worst: In some weird fever dream, pro wrestler John Cena drives around a candy-colored set asking viewers to count how many bottles there are of Major Melon, the first new flavor from the sugar water company in years. Winner apparently gets a chance to win a million bucks. Melon could be okay, I guess, Mountain Dew. But couldn’t you do the extra work and come up with your own take on hard seltzer?
Bud Light - Last Year’s Lemons
Worst: One of the few ads to overtly address the pandemic, this one tries a delicate dance: 2020 gave us a lot of lemons — home haircuts, canceled weddings, baseball in empty stadiums — but, hey, at least Bud Light developed Seltzer Lemonade! An extra star for the attempt, I guess, but unless the product has medicinal qualities beyond alcohol, the sunny side of COVID-19 is a message I’m not ready to hear. And if you’re going to bring the reality of 2020 into your commercial, you kind of have a responsibility to have the young adults standing at a party, reminiscing near the Bud Light cooler, wear some damn masks.
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Photos: The Super Bowl LV halftime show
The Weeknd performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
The Weeknd performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
The Weeknd performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Weeknd performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
The Weeknd performs during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
The Weeknd performs during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
The Weeknd performs during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Weeknd performs during the halftime show at the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark LoMoglio)
The Weeknd performs during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
The Weeknd performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Weeknd performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Weeknd performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Weeknd performs during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Weeknd performs during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Weeknd performs during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
The Weeknd performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Weeknd performs during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
The Weeknd performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark LoMoglio)
The Weeknd performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark LoMoglio)
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