“Well, this is the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen” – Mountain Dew Ad
We agree, Mountain Dew. We agree.
Superbowl 2025 was full of silly ads. Not “funny”. Silly. I mean, there were 3 ads with facial features flying through the air. These spots cost approx. $8M to “air”.
After watching Superbowl 2025, our POV is the ads fall into 3 categories:
- 42% Silly
- 26% Funny
- 25% Inspiring
Though we don’t have sales data, initial social reactions suggest that silly didn’t land.
When incumbents zig, Challenger Brands zag.
So we’re ranking 20 Superbowl Sunday ads on our very own “silly spectrum” to uncover the Challengers that went beyond to give us something more.
Our Least Fav 5
These seemed silly for the purpose of being silly. It’s like someone asked “What if…” and got more & more ridiculous.
Coffee mate – “Tongue meet Cold Foam”
What if his tongue danced so hard it went flying?
What if he was so excited his eyebrows went flying?
PS – we don’t get any pleasure from disliking an ad featuring a Canadian legend.
Pringles – “The Call of The Mustaches”
What if ALL of their mustaches went flying?
Tubi – “He was Born to Love Westerns”
What if his head was shaped like a hat?
What if Seal was a Seal that liked Mountain Dew?
Our Fav 5
Featuring real customers – V cool. As a Youtube comment says “Making it into a Taco Bell Super Bowl ad is the new American dream”.
Just read the comments to see the reaction to this female empowerment message. “You can’t win. So win.” Goosebumps!
Mustard X Mustard
#mustaaaaaaaaaard Straight from a Youtube comment “This. This is how you reference pop culture without making it corny. Thank you Heinz ”
HÄAGEN-DAZS – “NOT SO FAST, NOT SO FURIOUS”
Feels like a continuation of the movie rather than an ad. Also grounded in a real truth about mental health being a priority for Americans. “Not today.”
Verges on silly, but genuinely funny, grounded in the truth that often older people are just WAY better at pickleball. The people agree, ranking it at #3. “Play you for an ULTRA?”
BONUS: Regional Ad Science Moms – “By the Time”
A heartfelt story about a child growing up and what the world may look like by then. “Our window to act on climate change is like watching them grow up. We blink, and we miss it.”
Other ads we loved included Michelob – “The ULTRA Hustle”, Dove – These Legs, Lay’s – “The Little Farmer” & NFL – “It Takes All of Us” – Somebody. ♥️
Our Takeaway
When the 5&V team did our Monday morning huddle (sorry!) we shared similar thoughts. The combo of AI + “What if?” may not be the winner. Winning ads are steeped in core truths and know how to dip a toe in social culture without being cringe. They can be silly, just not “silly for silly’s sake.”
Ready to challenge the status quo of advertising? Let’s start rewriting the rules together.
Superbowl 2025 Ads on our “Silly Spectrum”
