The Most and Least Popular Super Bowl LVIII Celebrity Ads

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The results have been tallied for the other major Super Bowl LVIII showdown: Which advertisements were most successful among viewers.

As a gamer, I noticed an intriguing pattern unfolding in Super Bowl ads throughout the years. It seems like the number of ads featuring celebrities has been on the rise, and this year’s grand finale might have set a new record: a whopping 57 out of the 94 product advertisements shown during the game starred famous names, with many boasting multiple celebrities. That’s a significant jump of 22% compared to last year! Insiders at The Hollywood Reporter claim that A-list stars demanded fees between $3-$5 million just to grace our screens in a commercial this season, although brief cameos fetch less.

Contrary to popular belief that star-studded commercials would draw more viewers, the data from TV market research company EDO’s survey shows that ads featuring celebrities only slightly outperformed the average. In fact, only one of the Top 6 non-trailer ads were celebrity-driven, with Glen Powell in a Ram Trucks ad being the second highest-rated. Other notable celebrity commercials, such as Jeep’s “Freedom” spot featuring Harrison Ford, also made it to the Top 10 (at number eight). Interestingly, a group of Gen Z influencers and reality stars outperformed many veteran celebrities in other ads, with their Soda brand Poppi ad ranking ninth.

It’s worth noting that a larger number of ads featuring celebrities, specifically 11, made it into the Top 20 this year compared to last year, which only had three. This significant increase was explained by Kevin Krim, CEO of EDO, who said, “When advertisers successfully linked their brands to those of the celebrities they used, consumers showed a strong positive response.

Multiple celebrity endorsements yielded moderate levels of audience interaction: Kevin Hart’s promotion for DraftKings placed 75th out of 94 ads, Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez’s collaboration for Haagen-Dazs ranked 59th, Matthew McConaughey’s pitch for a football conspiracy movie with Greta Gerwig for Uber Eats was 56th, Issa Rae’s partnership with TurboTax came in at 46th, and Adam Brody’s advertisement for Pringles ranked 45th. Even the reunion of Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal from “When Harry Met Sally”, which garnered significant media attention upon its release a few weeks ago, only managed to reach 49th place.

The advertisement for Uber Eats, featuring appearances by Kevin Bacon, Martha Stewart, and Charli XCX, was probably one of the costliest to create during that evening.

The ad for Uber Eats, starring Kevin Bacon, Martha Stewart, and Charli XCX, was likely one of the priciest ads produced on that night due to its high production costs.

Or simply:

The Uber Eats ad with famous stars like Kevin Bacon, Martha Stewart, and Charli XCX was likely a costly production for the evening.

Another captivating pattern: Advertisements created by AI received significant attention (and apprehension) prior to their release, but ultimately fell short of expectations. As Krim pointed out, the majority of these AI ads failed to spark interest among Super Bowl viewers, resulting in minimal engagement. However, the only brand that significantly surpassed the average ad performance during Super Bowl LIX was Ray-Ban with their Meta glasses, featuring a conversational AI assistant in fun and celebrity-filled commercials.

EDO evaluates Super Bowl commercials based on their effectiveness in sparking consumer actions like brand searches, which they argue are reliable indicators of future sales. This approach differs from that of the widely-used Ad Meter feature from USA Today, where ads are ranked based on reader ratings given online.

Among all ads, T-Mobile’s “You’re Connected” commercial offering satellite-powered mobile phones for free, the Ram trucks ad, Liquid Death’s ad advocating for workplace hydration, Universal’s live-action How to Train Your Dragon spot, and Hims & Hers weight loss drug advertisement (despite facing some criticism) were particularly impactful.

Among the ads that achieved outstanding results, there were several categories such as those promoting useful technology, health-related goods, and advertisements highlighting women’s empowerment.

Over the years, it’s become increasingly frequent to see celebrities in Super Bowl commercials. While stars have always made appearances in these big-game ads, the frequency has significantly increased over the past few years. According to iSpot data, which monitors advertisements, only around a third of Super Bowl ads in 2010 featured celebrities. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, this number has skyrocketed to more than 70% of the ads, with many commercials now showcasing multiple celebrity appearances. This trend has led some to speculate that 2025 could eventually be recognized as the year when celebrity Super Bowl ads reached their peak.

Alex Werpin contributed to this report.

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2025-02-11 00:25