For those that couldn’t stay as locked in on the low-scoring Super Bowl game, the commercials offered great entertainment. The commercials are always a hot topic of conversation, but with a game that disappointed many, there were some that definitely stood out on Sunday night.

The Washington Post

The Washington Post’s commercial did many things right, one of those being  honoring reporters who were killed or captured while informing the public. This was the perfect way to use their ad space, because emphasized the importance  of news reporting, while offering a memorial to those who gave everything in pursuit of the truth.

The Post was also clever in using Tom Hanks to represent their institution on the biggest stage in the country. The star played executive editor Ben Bradlee in 2017’s “The Post”. The choice to have him as the voiceover actor for this advertisement was on-brand and gave the commercial a nostalgic feel that took The Washington Post back to their most famous days of reporting.

Microsoft’s “We All Win”

Microsoft’s “We All Win” campaign from the holiday season continued into the Super Bowl. Owen was back and connected with other kids who, despite their disabilities, were all able to play together.

The unification amongst kids and the emotional response from Owen’s parents did an excellent job of breaking the stigma that video games are bad for kids. This commercial told an evocative story in under a minute, something Super Bowl advertisements try and miss often.

Pepsi

Pepsi’s advertising was expertly clever and targeted. A customer asks for a Coca-Cola to hear a waiter’s response we’ve all heard before, “Is Pepsi OK?”

Steve Carell then whips around the corner and takes an unreasonable and hilarious amount of insult to this question wondering how anyone could think Pepsi is just “OK”.

Lil Jon and Cardi B follow Steve Carell’s example by yelling OK in their signature styles, somehow turning this question into a positive circumstance. People who don’t like competitive advertising won’t like this commercial, but this one did its job well.

Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame and Captain Marvel

These advertisements were incredibly well delivered–as expected from Marvel. They had the classic Marvel high production value and writing that revealed just enough to pull  viewers in.

The release of the “Avengers: Endgame” trailer before the “Captain Marvel” trailer helped remind viewers that they must watch “Captain Marvel’ before the final Avengers movie. The two worked well with each other and created hype for the upcoming spring superhero season.

NFL 100

The NFL capped off their big night with a huge commercial. The nostalgia felt from seeing Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Walter Payton and more slinging the rock around was an obvious attempt to remedy the past mistakes.

The perfect execution of this advertisement was the first genuine attempt to connect  with their fanbase in recent memory. The combination of past football icons and current players made for one of the most memorable ads of the night.