I chose these five because each contains a piece of creative discipline that survives beyond the spectacle of game day. I have spent my career looking at advertising ideas from the inside, and my test is simple: can I explain the mechanism, can the brand own it, and does it still work after the celebrity and production scale are removed? I did not work on these campaigns; the opinions are mine.
Super Bowl LVII produced a familiar mix of celebrity casting, product demonstrations, emotional storytelling and oversized spectacle. The useful question for marketers is not which spot was “best,” but what each execution did to make a simple idea survive the most crowded advertising environment of the year.
A Super Bowl budget does not replace a clear mechanism. The strongest lessons here are portable: demonstrate the product, escalate one joke, build emotion around a recognizable problem, turn audience anxiety into the premise, or make the action itself carry the message.
1. Doritos — Jack’s New Angle
Doritos built “Jack’s New Angle” around one visual device: the triangle. Jack Harlow abandons rap for the triangle, the joke keeps escalating, and the shape remains unmistakably tied to the product. PepsiCo’s campaign release also documented a TikTok #DoritosTriangleTryout activation that invited fans into the campaign before the game.
What I would study: escalation with a branded center. Each new beat makes the premise bigger without changing the basic idea. That matters because celebrity cameos can easily become the story; here, the product shape keeps pulling attention back to the brand.
Campaign reference: PepsiCo on Doritos “Jack’s New Angle.”
2. Google Pixel — Fixed on Pixel
Google’s “Fixed on Pixel” spot turned photo-editing features into the structure of the ad. The company’s own 2023 write-up says the commercial featured Amy Schumer, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Doja Cat while demonstrating Magic Eraser and Photo Unblur on Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.
What I would study: product demonstration as entertainment. The feature is not a footnote after the joke; the joke exists because the feature can fix a familiar photographic problem.
A product-demo ad becomes more memorable when the audience understands the problem before the feature is named. Start with the frustrating moment, then let the capability resolve it.
Campaign reference: Google on “Fixed on Pixel.”
3. Amazon — Saving Sawyer
Amazon’s 2023 Super Bowl commercial followed a family dog struggling after the household returned to work and school. The story appears to set up a crate purchase, then reveals that the family has adopted a second dog as a companion. Amazon’s own page describes the ad as a family-and-rescue-dog story that first aired during Super Bowl LVII.
What I would study: emotional misdirection. The commercial uses an ordinary purchase journey as the setup but makes the payoff relational rather than transactional. The brand still has a role, yet the story is allowed to carry most of the emotional weight.
If a story depends on a reveal, audit whether the brand is still understandable without an explanatory end card. A twist can create attention, but the audience should not have to reconstruct why the advertiser belonged in the story.
Campaign reference: Amazon on its 2023 Super Bowl commercial.
4. Ram — Premature Electrification
Ram introduced the battery-electric Ram 1500 REV through a 60-second spot called “Premature Electrification.” Stellantis said the commercial used actor Jason Jones and humor to address concerns about electric-truck range, power and payload while revealing the vehicle and opening reservations.
What I would study: turning objections into the creative premise. Rather than avoiding doubts about electric trucks, the campaign made consumer anxiety the source of the joke. That gives the product launch a built-in reason to talk about the category’s friction points.
Provocative humor can sharpen memorability, but it can also narrow who feels included. Test whether the joke clarifies the product tension or merely attracts attention at the expense of comprehension, tone or audience fit.
Campaign reference: Stellantis on Ram “Premature Electrification.”
5. NFL — Run With It
The NFL’s “Run With It” centered on Mexican flag-football quarterback Diana Flores and turned the commercial into an extended chase built around her ability to keep possession of a flag. The NFL says the campaign spotlighted flag football and the role women were playing in the sport’s growth.
What I would study: make the message physical. Instead of explaining inclusion and growth through narration, the ad lets Flores demonstrate speed, skill and control while the pursuit itself keeps the flag-football mechanic visible.
Campaign reference: NFL Play Football on “Run With It.”
What these five ads have in common
The executions differ in tone, but several useful patterns repeat:
- They can be summarized in one sentence without losing the central idea.
- The product, category tension or behavior is part of the creative mechanism.
- Celebrity casting supports the premise rather than replacing it.
- The strongest moments are visually legible even before detailed explanation.
- None of these examples proves commercial impact merely because the ad was memorable, praised or awarded.
The practical test I use is simple: remove the celebrity, media budget and Super Bowl context. If the underlying mechanism is still clear, you may have a transferable lesson rather than a one-night spectacle.
For more campaign analysis, see my review of 11 innovative marketing campaigns from 2025 worth studying.
