According to Michigan State University advertising and public relations professors, the Lil Nas X versus Sam Elliott Doritos standoff on “The Cool Ranch” was the top advertisement during Super Bowl LIV.
For the 23rd year, faculty from MSU’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences gathered for the big game to referee commercials’ performances. The winning Doritos ad had the two cowboys confronting each other in a dancing duel to comedic effect.
“The Super Bowl was a great game, and the ads were just as good,” said Bob Kolt, an AD+PR professor of practice. “I think it was a good year for the Super Bowl all around. We had a weak start for the commercials, but they really picked up. We saw some really funny, memorable stuff.”
The ads for Super Bowl LIV brought a year of high-speed racing, outer space references and hidden identities, with a nod to artificial intelligence virtual assistants.
Coming in second in the ad ratings was Google’s “Loretta,” a social media favorite that brought viewers to tears for its emotional resonance.
“These are $5 million spots. I think the game is not as important as it used to be for the commercials because the brands that are placing commercials in the game are trying to expand the impact of those dollars so that the impact extends well after the game,” said Andrew Corner, advertising professor of practice.
Corner said that the commercial featuring Mr. Peanut successfully achieved this impact with its series about the character.
In third place, MSU professors chose Rocket Mortgage’s “Momoa at Home,” which revealed the famous actor shedding layers of his own body to reveal a frail human being as he relaxed on the couch. The ad was Corner’s favorite spot in Super Bowl LIV.
“It was clever and was well done,” Corner said. “It had a twist in it that was unexpected.”
The lowest rated ads at the event were those from Pop Tarts and the campaign of U.S. President Donald Trump. Although the Super Bowl has often included political ads, professors rated the Trump ad poorly, naming it the lowest performing commercial in their ratings. Instead, professors favored ads that made them smile, laugh and view things from a different perspective.
Faculty nominated commercials for excellence in the areas of strategy, creativity and production. Doritos and Rocket Mortgage stole the show with their creativity, alongside the ad for Planters, which revived Mr. Peanut in a cinematic graveyard scene. The commercials for Mulan, Google, New York Life and Doritos also stood out for their excellent production quality. When it came to strategy, professors applauded TurboTax, T-Mobile, New York Life and Facebook for effective use of their advertising spots.
Corner said the Doritos ad brought generations together with two recognizable personas. The ad positioned these two celebrities – Elliott, a spokesperson for Dodge Ram and Lil Nas X, who rapped the summertime hit “Old Town Road” – in a way that formed a bond between two generational icons using music.
Assistant professor Fashina Aladé also gave a nod to Doritos and explained that the advertisements seemed to take one of two directions during Super Bowl LIV.
“I’m seeing the ads fall into two buckets – either the social justice-oriented, more serious ads, or the fun, silly ads,” Aladé said. “My favorite ad was the one from New York Life. Of the kind of heavy-hitting emotional ones, to me that hit the spot with all the feels, while not being over the top.”
“The Doritos dancing cowboys ad is going to be iconic for years to come,” Kolt said