None of this is offensive, but it is is the boring. Most of the worst ads this year were uninspired.
Here are five commercials we could have done without.
In this Pepsi Zero Sugar commercial, Ben Stiller teaches viewers what it means to take action. You see, he never fights a bad guy or freezes to death or any other life-threatening situations. He was just acting. At one point, he appeared as the fictional model Derek Zoolander. Zoolander is not real. Stiller is acting.
Wait – “Zoolander”? What year is it? And what’s the point of all this, you ask? Apparently, to sow doubt in our minds when he takes a swig of the stuff and says “This is, like, really good. Or am I just acting?” If Pepsi Zero Sugar is a popular drink, it might be an effective campaign.
But this writer is inclined to believe that he is just acting.
Former “Scrubs” co-stars Zach Braff and Donald Faison have earned a ton of goodwill through their adorable friendship. They’ve worked together since on the show — including their successful podcast — and sang a parody of “I Feel Pretty” from “West Side Story” for a T-Mobile commercial last year.
T-Mobile reunited the actors for another spot this year, introducing them to a new friend: John Travolta. Together, the three sang about T-Mobile home internet to the tune of, you know, “Summer Nights” from “Grease.” The song is clearly catchy, and asking for someone to “tell me more, tell me more” is good for a commercial. But, still: Are we overdoing it with nostalgia?
Again, this ad is great. The premise, in which “Breaking Bad” characters Walter White and Jesse Pinkman make PopCorners chips instead of crystal meth, makes sense. The production is there – Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul appear as they did in the AMC series almost a decade ago.
But maybe this commercial is more creative then?
To understand this M&M commercial, you have to keep up with the drama surrounding the M&M mascots. They got a makeover last year — “with less sex appeal and more concern with Gen Z,” as a Washington Post story put it at the time. The candy brand wanted the characters to be more inclusive and representative. Then last month, M&M announced it would be ditching the mascots in favor of human comedian Maya Rudolph, who will serve as its future spokeswoman.
Changing mascots is an unusual move, but the development of Rudolph seems like a joke. And it was – he was gone from the gig after his Super Bowl commercial for “Ma&Ya’s Candy Coated Clam Bites.”
Well, that’s it. It’s all a bit confusing and makes us want clams more than chocolate, actually.
Small versions of Jon Hamm and Brie Larson find themselves in a fridge next to a jar of Hellmann’s mayonnaise. Larson explains to Hamm that they’re there because his first name is cheese and his last name is meat: “We’re having dinner!” Pete Davidson opens the door and threatens to eat them both.
Hellmann’s commercial is the ultimate Super Bowl, because it puts a bunch of random celebrities in the same place and hopes for the best. There isn’t much specific to it, beyond weak name puns.