The 5 Best (And Worst) Super Bowl Ads Of 2024
— 12 February 2024

The 5 Best (And Worst) Super Bowl Ads Of 2024

— 12 February 2024
Garry Lu
WORDS BY
Garry Lu

According to The Wall Street Journal, brands paid approximately US$7 million (AU$10.7 million) for their 30-second ads to air during this year’s Super Bowl LVIII — a significant hike compared to the US$42,000 (AU$65,000) they would’ve been forced to shell out for the inaugural Super Bowl in 1967. Even adjusted for inflation.

Considering how the clash between defending champions, Kansas City Chiefs, and unlikely Brock Purdy-led underdogs, San Francisco 49ers, has been projected to break viewership records thanks to the Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce effect, US$7 million (AU$10.7 million) could very well be a bargain. But the real question is…have they made the most out of their time?

Check out the highs and lows of this year’s Super Bowl ads below.


Super Bowl LVIII Ads (2024): The Yays & Nays

The Best…

Dunkin’ Donuts

Piggybacking off last year’s tongue-in-cheek effort wherein Jennifer Lopez visited her husband Ben Affleck during his day gig at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru, Sadfleckâ„¢ flips the script in 2024 with a star-studded rebuttal.

Recruiting everyone from a reluctant Matt Damon and Jack Harlow to retired GOAT quarterback Tom Brady, the self-styled “DunKings” crash J-Lo’s studio session. Its charm lies in its self-awareness: they know they’re being corny and they’re leaning into it. A+.

BMW

Clever premise, simple yet effective execution. There’s only one Christopher Walken and there’s only one BMW. There’s also a cameo from Super Bowl LVIII Half-Time Show star Usher.

Squarespace

Legendary director Martin Scorsese is no stranger to taking the spotlight for a quick ad (his American Express promo is still one of our all-time favourites). And he plays his role perfectly as aliens make contact with Earth, once again proving he’s just as effective in front of the camera as he is behind it.

BetMGM

Vince Vaughn barring Tom Brady from a sports betting service because he’s “won too much” shouldn’t be as amusing as it is. And yet here we are. Brady’s indignant protests and ham-fisted attempt at sneaking through the proverbial gates only make the entire concept that much funnier.

Side note: we don’t see enough of Wayne Gretzky these days.

Michelob ULTRA

For the simple reason that we got to see Lionel Messi play more than the poor bastards over in Hong Kong did last week.

… And The Worst

Starry

Maybe I’m showing my age… but I don’t care for Ice Spice and wish she’d fade into cultural obscurity. I also don’t care for this nothing Super Bowl ad spot.

Booking.com

It’s a funny premise trapped in an unfunny commercial’s body. Way to squander one of television’s greatest ensemble comedy casts.

Mountain Dew

Meh. Points for the Parks & Recs reunion, though.

Microsoft

An anaemic attempt at humanising the AI revolution. Sorry, Microsoft. It still feels cold, impersonal, sterile, with hints of the looming dystopia we’ll soon be forced to endure.

Uber Eats

Much like the lingering presence of Friends within modern culture, the Don’t Forget Uber Eats Super Bowl LVIII ad overstays its welcome with an extremely thin punchline.


How many commercials are there during the Super Bowl?

There are typically between 80 and 100 commercials during the Super Bowl, some of which are released (or even leaked) in advance of the game.

According to Statista, that comes to approximately 50 minutes of commercials in total. As you can imagine, it’s an incredibly lucrative venture for networks.

How much does a Super Bowl ad cost?

Here’s how Super Bowl ads have been priced over the years as per SuperBowl-ads.com (source: Nielsen Media Research).

YearPrice For 30-second Super Bowl Commercial (USD)
1967$37,500 (NBC) | $42,500 (CBS)
1968$54,500
1969$55,000
1970$78,200
1971$72,500
1972$86,100
1973$88,100
1974$103,500
1975$107,000
1976$110,000
1977$125,000
1978$162,300
1979$185,000
1980$222,000
1981$275,000
1982$324,300
1983$400,000
1984$368,200
1985$525,000
1986$550,000
1987$600,000
1988$645,500
1989$675,500
1990$700,400
1991$800,000
1992$850,000
1993$850,000
1994$900,000
1995$1,150,000
1996$1,085,000
1997$1,200,000
1998$1,291,100
1999$1,600,000
2000$2,100,000
2001$2,200,000
2002$2,200,000
2003$2,200,000
2004$2,302,200
2005$2,400,000
2006$2,500,000
2007$2,385,365
2008$2,699,963
2009$2,999,960
2010$2,954,010
2011$3,100,000
2012$3,500,000
2013$3,800,000
2014$4,000,000
2015$4,250,000
2016$4,500,000
2017$5,000,000
2018$5,200,000
2019$5,300,000
2020$5,600,000
2021$5,500,000
2022$6,500,000
2023$7,000,000

Why are Super Bowl ads so expensive?

Simply put: viewers. And lots of ’em. Meaning one of the biggest marketing opportunities in history, which is why you’ll see countless big-name brands like McDonald’s and Doritos just throw money at the sports event without question.

The Super Bowl is broadcast across 225 stations in more than 180 countries. The event is also streamed live on around 450 radio stations, so a brand is pretty much guaranteed the largest captive audience they can possibly ask for.

In the past, brands like Wendy’s, Budweiser, and GoDaddy have benefited greatly from advertising at the Super Bowl, so it’s perfectly reasonable that brands would want to leverage the big dance to make big announcements, refresh their messaging, introduce new products, or even just remind people they have cash to court celebrity appearances.

The most-watched Super Bowl of all time was Super Bowl LVII in 2023 when the Kansa City Chiefs faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles to 115 million viewers in the US alone. Serious numbers by any measure.

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Garry Lu
WORDS by
After stretching his legs with companies such as The Motley Fool and the odd marketing agency, Garry joined Boss Hunting in 2019 as a fully-fledged Content Specialist. In 2021, he was promoted to News Editor. Garry proudly retains a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, black bruises from Muay Thai, as well as a black belt in all things pop culture. Drop him a line at [email protected]

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