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Which Super Bowl ads were a hit and which were duds
FOX 26 Business Reporter Tom Zizka spoke with some Super Bowl fans to get their opinions about this year's commercials.
HOUSTON - In-between the plays on the field during this year's Super Bowl, the commercials are always a big part of the evening. In all, 66 different ads played through the coverage, running $7 million for each 30-second spot.
With an estimated audience of 114 million viewers, in-game ad revenue approached half a billion dollars, leaving a lot at stake trying to catch people's attention.
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Houston ad executive Thomas Guerrero thinks this year's collection of ads was a bit underwhelming.
"It was kind of a mediocre year," he says. "There were some standouts here and there."
He lumps the ads into three different categories, saying the celebrity pitches are most common because they rely on personality to carry the load. Among the standouts, Guerrero liked Paul Rudd/Seth Rogan spot for Lays potato chips and Payton Manning's ad for Michelob Ultra.
Stories that tug on the heartstrings, represent another category for Guerrero. He, particularly, liked Toyota's telling of the McKeevan brothers' paralympic journey as champion cross-country skiers.
Finally, Guerrero was drawn to, what he calls, 'quirky' ads that are just a little weird. Comedian Larry David's appearance for FTX cryptocurrency, and the Avocados from Mexico ads were both memorable for Guerrero.
Among those that missed the mark, Guerrero says he was underwhelmed by the Budweiser Clydesdales spot. After the brand's absence from the Super Bowl, he says he expected more of a story to make its return.
"It's really about the ones that you can remember outside the Super Bowl," says Guerrero. "It's the brands that bring their voice that you can remember outside the game."