Super Bowl LVI 2022: the best ads - Kia, Headspace, Michelob

When it comes to the most-watched events in television history, the Super Bowl is in a league of its own. Out of the Top 20 broadcasts to have drawn the largest audience in the United States, the NFL showpiece event occupies all but one place (the final episode of long-running comedy M*A*S*H, which drew an audience of 105,970,000 in February 1983, is at No.9). Super Bowl LVI had to compete with the Beijing Winter Olympics but still is estimated to have attracted an audience of around 100 million.

Prime time for advertisers

For advertisers, there is no better moment to promote their products, knowing that millions will be watching. The average cost of a 30-second, prime time ad aired during one of the many commercial breaks during the three-hour television coverage, is around $6,500,000, according to Statista.

Today, the commercials themselves are just as important as the game - it is a key part of the whole experience. In a 2020 survey, 71% of participants admitted that they enjoyed watching the commercials aired during the broadcast of the Super Bowl, and 79% believed those commercials were entertaining - while 59% said they would have preferred not to see political advertising while watching Super Bowl.

This year, the usual advertisers took advantage of the event to get their products seen with some funny and original commercials - the car industry (General Motors, KIA, Toyota, BMW, Hyundai, Porsche…); snacks and beverages (Pringles, Pepsi, Budweiser, Lays, Doritos, Avocados from Mexico), Amazon, Facebook… More than 30 new brands bought airtime during Super Bowl LVI, according to NBCUniversal, including cryptocurrency companies FTX, Crypto.com and eToro.

Here is a small selection of some of the best ones.

Kia EV6 - Robo Dog finds a new owner

South Korean car manufacturer Kia aired an heart-warming 60-second ad featuring a canine robot ‘Robo Dog’ who gets all dewy-eyed watching the driver of the new all-electric Kia EV6 charge up his new motor. The kind of guy, Robo Dog thinks, who he would like as his owner. The car drives off with Robo Dog in pursuit while Bonnie Tyler’s hit, Total eclipse of the heart provides some emotional background music. The bionic mutt sets off on a chase which takes him through the streets, across rooftops, up lifts… but when the pup finally catches up with the EV6 and its driver, its battery runs out! Fortunately, the driver can revive him by plugging Robo Dog into his car’s battery. Fully recharged, the two drive off with Robo Dog enjoying the breeze flowing through his circuits with his head out of the window.

Michelob Ultra - The Dude, Peyton's ready

Brewery Michelob brought together a star-studded cast for a spoof take on the bowling alley scene from 1998 film, The Big Lebowski. Set at the Superior Bowl alley, it stars QB Peyton Manning The Sheriff, golfer Brooks Koepka, Jimmy Butler, Nneka Ogwumike and Alex Morgan knocking down rows of pins, all shot in slow motion - and Steve Buscemi from the original movie as the alley attendant. “Game time!” he drawls as the star of the show saunters in - Serena Williams… set to ELO’s Showdown.

Headspace - take it slow with John Legend

“Greetings lovers,” purrs R&B singer John Legend, attired in red satin pyjamas and dressing gown, reclining on a rug in front of a roaring fire as he invites ordinary people just like you to relax your mind and, if you fancy, sleep with him - not physically of course, but with some relaxing music on his sleepcast.