Super Bowl Commercials: CBS Viewers Pick Their Favorites

This year's Super Bowl commercials went all out, and social media is already helping give some [...]

By Michael Hein

This year's Super Bowl commercials went all out, and social media is already helping give some idea of which ones made the biggest impact. Super Bowl 2021 left plenty of airtime for ads, and some of the biggest brands in the world emptied their advertising budgets, enlisted A-list stars and vyed for viewers' attention. It was not always the biggest or flashiest ones that worked, however.

The Super Bowl comes just under a year since the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S., so naturally, it was an occasion for collective reflection. The commercials could not help but address the events of the last 11 months, from COVID-19 to racial injustice to political division, and so on. In some cases, these topical commercials worked, while others fell flat. Simultaneously, some brands were rewarded for steering clear of these issues and keeping them light. A rare few managed to do both at once. In a year when anyone could watch the Super Bowl for free online, the impact was especially strong.

Many viewers eagerly awaited the big commercials and stood ready to dissect them on social media — especially those that do not generally follow American football. The commentary came fast and hard, and it was merciless if a commercial struck the wrong tone. The ones that did the best were mostly those that defied expectations.

Judging by the number of views, likes and shares ads got on various social media platforms, some clear winners are already beginning to emerge hours after the game. Here is a look at the fan-favorite commercials from Super Bowl LV. Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.

'The Falcon and The Winter Solider' Trailer

It is no surprise that fans gravitated straight towards a trailer for a long-anticipated TV show, rather than an advertisement for a product or service. The trailer for Disney+'s latest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a hit this weekend, making fans emotional over the events of Avengers: Endgame all over again.

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Tide - The Jason Alexander Hoodie

On the other end of the spectrum, the apparent absurdity of Tide's "Jason Alexander Hoodie" campaign stuck in many viewers' minds well into Monday morning. The commercial's obvious meme-ability did nothing to dissuade people from talking about it.

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Paramount+ Expedition

The culmination of ViacomCBS' ongoing campaign to advertise its upcoming streaming service, Paramount+ did not disappoint. The ad let America know where to catch all of its favorite CBS, MTV, BET, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon content starting next month. The musical addition of SpongeBob SquarePants left no doubt that there would be some binge-worthy content there waiting for them.

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Reddit

Reddit's flippant five-second advertisement was easy to miss, but it perfectly matched the tone of the website's activity in recent weeks. If anyone was on the fence about signing up for the forum site, this ad could easily have pushed them over the edge.

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Uber Eats - Wayne's World

Reboots and revivals are still hitting hard these days, as evidenced in Uber Eats' Super Bowl ad featuring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey in character as Wayne and Garth. The addition of Cardi B did not hurt either.

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Amazon Alexa - Michael B. Jordan

In terms of actually landing an unexpected joke, Amazon may have stolen the show with its Michael B. Jordan commercial. The actor personified Amazon's voice-activated assistant, to the delight of its female user in this ad.

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Michelob ULTRA Organic Seltzer

Michelob ULTRA made a lot of big promises with is new organic hard seltzer campaign, and it purchased plenty of star power to add weight to those promises. If Americans can't take Don Cheadle's word for it, who can they trust?

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Cadillac - Edgar Scissorhands

Finally, Cadillac shelled out for rising star Timothee Chalamet and, presumably, for the right to do a parody Edward Scissorhands, all to advertise the new hands-free features in its all-electric Lyriq. Some viewers honestly appreciated this long walk for a short drink of water, and many would have taken any excuse to see Chalamet in this pitch-perfect costume.

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