Reba McEntire sang the National Anthem, Taylor Swift made it on time from Japan just like the embassy promised, Patrick Mahomes was named MVP and the Kansas City Chiefs are now four-time Super Bowl champions.
For everyone who couldn’t go in person (about 100 million people), they had the consolation prize of Super Bowl ads. USA Today’s Ad Meter panelists scored 59 ads, and the top five ads ranged from scores of 6.23 to 6.68.
The score given “will be the total of all ratings divided by the number of users who rated,” USA Today reported.
Though USA Today hasn’t released specific demographics on the panelists, in 2023 they reported tens of thousands of U.S. citizens, 18 years old and older, participated in the ranking.
Related
- Video: Watch Christopher Walken and Usher star in BMW’s Super Bowl ad
Here are the top 5 Super Bowl commercials from 2024
5. NFL: ‘Born to Play’
Score: 6.23.
A boy in Accra, Ghana, named Kwesi imagines he’s playing football with NFL stars on his way to school.
San Francisco 49ers’ Fred Warner, Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson and New Orleans Saints’ Cam Jordan appear in the ad, making passes and trying to tackle Kwesi.
This ad was actually filmed in Ghana on a Friday and Saturday afternoon, according to AdWeek. The commercial’s creative director, Jason LaFlore, said filming on a set wouldn’t have had the same effect. “It would be impossible to recreate the energy of that market and the liveliness of it, and I think it comes out in the film,” he told AdWeek.
He added, “There’s moments even when we were filming where you’d be standing somewhere and you think it’s part of the set but, no, it’s a live vendor, you’re actually in someone’s way, someone’s trying to buy some peppers.”
Related
- ‘I believe he’s the best coach of all time’: Andy Reid adds to his legacy
4. Uber Eats: ‘Worth Remembering’
Score: 6.26.
This ad begins with Jennifer Aniston receiving an Uber Eats delivery on set. The worker hands her the bag and says, “I didn’t know you could get all this stuff on Uber Eats.”
Aniston responds, “Well, you know what they say. In order to remember something, you gotta forget something else. Make a little room.”
As the ad continues, various celebrities appear on screen, forgetting things. David and Victoria Beckham try to remember what the Spice Girls were called, Jelly Roll forgets he got face tattoos, Usher forgets he’s scheduled to perform the halftime show and Aniston forgets she worked with David Schwimmer for 10 years on “Friends.”
3. Kia: ‘Perfect 10 | The Kia EV9’
Score: 6.36.
This sentimental ad shows a young girl competing at a regional ice skating competition. When she finishes her routine, the commercial shows her dad clapping in the audience, but then he looks down at the empty seat next to him.
They drive to the girl’s grandpa’s home in the woods, and the dad uses the EV9’s onboard power station to power a speaker and some lights. The girl does the routine again on a little frozen lake.
Her wheelchair-ridden grandpa writes “10” in the condensation on the window.
In December 2023, Car and Driver ranked the Kia EV9 one of the 10 best trucks and SUVs for 2024.
2. Dunkin’: ‘The DunKings’
Score: 6.52.
This ad comes after Dunkin’s 2023 Super Bowl ad showing Ben Affleck working the Dunkin’ drive-thru in Melford, Massachusetts.
This year, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Tom Bradysurprise Jennifer Lopez at her recording studio, clad in Dunkin’ tracksuits, claiming to be a new boy band called “The DunKings.”
Before going in, Jack Harlow sits with Affleck in the front seat and warns him, “I don’t think you should do this.”
Affleck responds, alluding to J-Lo’s appearance in the 2023 commercial, “Last year, she came to my work. Now, I got to show her what I can do.”
Available Monday, Feb. 12, Dunkin’ is adding Affleck’s order to the menu, including his favorite iced coffee and doughnut skewers, per Dunkin’s press release Sunday.
1. State Farm: ‘Like a Good Neighbaaa’
Score: 6.68.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito reunited in this State Farm ad after starring in the 1988 hit, “Twins.”
As Schwarzenegger struggles to pronounce “neighbor” in a series of ads for the insurance company, DeVito swoops in at the end and says it for him. Watching it together in a movie theater, Schwarzenegger tells DeVito, “You are a backstabba’” and DeVito replies, “I am a back stabbER.”
However, the pair’s rivalry in the ad doesn’t seem to extend past the screen. DeVito told USA Today, “I’m always there for him. He’s always there for me. We have a great relationship.”
