SUPER BOWL LVIII ADS: WINS AND LOSSES
For Gen Z, which commercials scored a touchdown and which one fumbled hard?
Last night’s Super Bowl saw the Kansas City Chiefs win their fourth NFL championship and their first back-to-back Super Bowl victory in the second-ever overtime showdown. (And it was also the airing of Nickelodeon’s “alternative” Super Bowl telecast aimed at even younger audiences.) We were curious to know what Gen Zs thought about last night’s game, halftime show performance, and most importantly, the commercials. In real time, we asked the Trendsetting members of our Cassandra Collective to give us their take.
Over 65% of the Cassandra Collective report they watch the Super Bowl primarily for the halftime show and commercials. Usher’s halftime performance excited many viewers in particular with a slew of surprise guest appearances including Alicia Keys. When it came to the commercials, most recalled those with celebrities as their favorites, including not one, but two spots featuring the cast of Suits (e.l.f. and T-Mobile), Ben Affleck and J.Lo (Dunkin’), Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer (Uber Eats), and Beyoncé (Verizon). Overwhelming, multiple spots by online superstore Temu were the least liked.
- Grace, 15, NY
DUNKIN’
Playing off last year’s ad, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez team up again in Dunkin’s DunKings 2024 Super Bowl ad, also featuring Boston legends, Tom Brady and Ben’s BFF Matt Damon. The commercial pokes fun at Ben and J.Lo’s relationship when Ben dramatically crashes her recording session, accompanied by his boy band, The DunKings, to unveil their new pop hit song, “Don’t Dunk Away At My Heart” - much to the embarrassment of J.Lo. and Matt.
- Diana, 23, MX
VERIZON
Beyoncé confirmed a new album release in Verizon’s Can’t B Broken Super Bowl ad. In this year’s commercial, Beyoncé attempts to break Verizon’s “crazy powerful 5G network” by achieving new heights with hilarious pun titles like, Slayoncé, Beyonc-Ai, and BarBey. Although not able to break Verizon, Beyoncé announces the drop of new music, referring to her much-anticipated Act II of her latest Renaissance album.
- Ariel, 17, TX
TEMU
Temu’s “shop like a billionaire” ad fell flat among our Gen Z Trendsetters because of the “poor animation” and “lack of creativity”. China’s e-commerce platform has experienced explosive growth in the past year and saw significant increase in mobile app downloads since last year’s Super Bowl commercials. Temu is marketed as offering affordable, unbranded products, often at deep discounts, but has received criticism and concern due to privacy and security breaches.
- Estrella, 22, CA