Super Bowl 2022 Ads Ditch Sincerity For Humor, Kitsch and Big Celeb Lineups

Tune into any of this year’s Super Bowl ads, and it’s clear that brands are here to make us laugh again. Gone are the earnest and heartfelt montages of 2021, abandoned in favor of absurdist humor, big time celeb collabs and clever culture cues.

But aside from this new appreciation for the irreverent and imaginative, what are the consumer trends behind the brand creative? We boiled down our top three takeaways from this year’s Super Bowl ads — ready to pocket for brunch convos and brainstorms.

Nostalgia Plays Tap Into Millennial Audiences

Get out your pink fluffy feather pen because nostalgia was certainly on display this year, including at the halftime show. If you grew up in the 90s, you likely felt seen as advertisers and the NFL double down on the older millennial audience vs. Gen Z.

Travel, Crypto, EV and Wellness Lead Consumer Trends

The logos we saw throughout the night reveal consumer trends worth noting. As travel brands returned to the screen, they sent a clear signal that it’s time to scratch the wanderlust itch and start traveling again. While you’re at it, consider doing so in one of the 10,000 EVs competing for our attention! If you weren’t curious about crypto before, you likely are now. And though we may have spent the evening eating wings and drinking beers, our penchant for health & wellness was not forgotten by the likes of Planet Fitness, Hologic and others.

Alcohol Brands Stick to the Formula

Speaking of alcohol, a particular passion point for us (shout out to our Imbibe practice focusing squarely on beer, wine, spirits and the ever-elusive fourth category), we saw the same tried and true formula that we’ve seen in years past: Celebs! New product! Animals! Short of controversy (#corngate), the alcohol category played it pretty safe… If it ain’t broke!

The Five Best Super Bowl Ads — On a Scale of 👾 to 💸

Not to be outdone, our team wanted to embrace the playful spirit of this year’s Super Bowl ads. So we put together a cheeky emoji reaction to our top five spots of the night. Guess our take from the emojis alone, and you get a free Larry David bobble head.

Coinbase 🤔 📱👾 🧑‍💻💰

The app crashed. Need we say more? Ok, we will. Forgoing any semblance of actual branding in your massively expensive Super Bowl spot is a gamble, but the jarring contrast of a simple dancing QR Code created in an otherwise sensory overloaded night captured our curiosity in just the right way.

Toyota Tundra 🧐 🎶🚗🔬🥚

A 60 second master class in the art of the Easter Egg, Toyota’s spot on keeping up with the Joneses first wins you over with the unlikely celebrity grouping and keeps your attention as you peel back the layers — music by Tom Jones…filmed on Jones Pass...

Chevy Silverado EV 😎 🗽 📺 🐷 🔌

Chevy hacked into the fervent fandom of the Sopranos with this recreation of the show’s title sequence, artfully and effectively positioning the Silverado EV as the truck of the next generation.

FTX ❌ ⚫ 🤲 🚽 🗳️ 💡 🌕 📻 ✔️ 💸 🤣

It's hard to go wrong once Larry David is in the mix. His trademark sarcastic, self-effacing humor was just the friendly jab doubters needed to consider that, hey, maybe this crypto thing is worth a look.

UberEats 🤑 🙀 🕯️ 💐 🧻 🌭💡

Was UberEats competing with Michelob Ultra to see who could fit more celebrities into a 60-second spot? Perhaps, but UberEats nailed it with the slapstick humor provided by well-loved comedians.

Sure, the 2022 Super Bowl ads were a bit more tame than certain years past, but there were plenty of chuckles to be found and a few stand-out spots worthy of a second viewing. Advertisers trust that consumer confidence has improved and viewers, tired of platitudes, are ready to laugh with them again. Overall, the night provided a gratifying dose of escapism that we marketers can be proud of.

Looking for fresh eyes on your next big creative play?  Drop us a line at hello@praytellagency.com