Joyful Chaos: Super Bowl Ads Chase Fun Over Frowns

Variety reports that this year’s Super Bowl spots largely avoided heavy, divisive messaging in favor of humor, nostalgia, and surreal moments. AI brands joined the mix with lighthearted, self-aware spots (e.g., Amazon’s Alexa sketch and Anthropic’s jab at OpenAI), while commercials leaned on celebrity cameos, covers, and feel-good narratives. Some ads did tackle bigger themes (such as Rocket Mortgage/Redfin’s dog-reunion story), but the overall tone was geared toward levity and escapism, with industry voices cautioning that the era of “hit the celebrity or song” ads isn’t dead yet—and experimentation remains a challenge for achieving a standout hit.