With the Super Bowl consistently ranking as one of the most watched televised events in the United States, it’s no surprise that the advertisements are just as much of a spectacle. However, this year, the ads did not live up to ones from the past — most were unoriginal, disengaging and frankly boring. Here are five of the ads that stood out, ranked. 

#5: RealFood.gov

Mike Tyson’s black and white monologue was meant to inspire personal motivation and trigger the fear of becoming unhealthy, but in reality, the dramatic tone made it seem satirical. It was difficult to feel the desire to stay healthy, as when the ad reduced a serious health issue to one needing blunt scare tactics to get rid of. Overall, the message did not come across right on-screen and was almost comically dramatic. 

#4: Anthropic and Claude

Anthropic and Claude took a clever jab at ChatGPT, with an actor posing as competitor ChatGPT and inhibiting its dry, people-pleasing tendencies. While a creative and novel idea at its core, ChatGPT was not easily recognizable due to the actor’s inconspicuous getup as a fitness trainer. His shirt matched the green of the ChatGPT logo, a detail largely unnoticed since it appeared to be a typical athletic tank top. The phrasing was not clear enough to indicate that the fitness trainer was supposed to represent an AI bot, which made the ad difficult to understand for those unfamiliar with learning models’ speech patterns. 

#3: Pringles

The Pringles ad featuring Sabrina Carpenter was one of the game’s most memorable, cleverly responding to her lyrics about her dream man by portraying him as being made of their reliable chips. Though the concept was original, the execution was lackluster as the ad relied on Carpenter as the star of the show rather than focusing on the humor of a man built of chips. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable watch, with stunning cinematography and a silly rom-com premise. 

#2: Lay’s

Lay’s took a more understated approach, weaving an intimate story about a family potato farm with the universal nostalgia associated with their classic chip brand. The emotional angle of a farmer family spanning across generations and cultivating potatoes for Lay’s chips did not need humor or flashy visuals to convince viewers to keep buying their iconic product.

#1: Budweiser

Budweiser told the story of a young pony that raised a wimpy chick that grew up to be a beautiful bald eagle, the national bird of the United States. It served as a symbol of American community and pride while also being one of the only ads to narrate a captivating journey through just visuals. The advertisement felt completely original while showing how integral unity continues to be to American culture. In a time when political polarization is so prevalent, Budweiser was able to inspire Americans and encourage strength as a nation.