Before we get to our list of the Super Bowl ads 2023, let’s take a quick look at the significance of advertising during the tournament. We’ll give you a few stats to understand why it’s always a rat race among brands competing to gain a spot in the Super Bowl commercials. 

Super Bowl advertising – a never-ending battle for attention  

Wondering if there’s really fierce competition when it comes to advertising during the Super Bowl events? Here’s a quick fact. About 95% of the slots for commercials for the Super Bowl 2023 game were sold by September 2022. To put you in a better perspective, that’s 5 months before the game and some of the 30-second slots reportedly cost $7 million. Is that proof enough to understand the competition surrounding the Super Bowl advertising realm? 

Did you know that about 43% of viewers in the U.S. watch Super Bowl for the commercials aired? Well, so says a survey by Statista. And considering that there are an estimated 100 million viewers in the U.S. for Super Bowl 2023, advertising during Super Bowl games is definitely a brilliant opportunity for brands. 

Having gone over the foundational facts for Super Bowl advertising for brands, let’s dive into our lineup of the best Super Bowl ads 2023. 

Super Bowl ads 2023 – 8 impressive ones to check out 

1. Pringles – Best of Us 

Have you ever got your hand stuck in a Pringles can? Well, the brand hears you. 

Take a look at the brilliantly witty Super Bowl ad from Pringles this year. 

The ad shows some hilarious different perspectives of “getting stuck in”! 

Those of you who have been following Super Bowl ads year after year might have instantly recognized that the concept is a continuation of the brand’s 2022 Super Bowl commercial. Here’s the ad in case you missed it last year: 

While last year’s ad followed the life of one person who got his hand stuck this year’s ad takes a more broad perspective. 

A few things that make this ad work: 

• Relatability – when you listen to your customers and know what they are talking about, you find the best ideas for your ads. 
• Humor – even the most “salesy” pitch sounds mellow when you say it with humor. Here the Pringles can appears almost in every frame and registers the brand in its audiences’ minds and yet humor makes the ad appear less promotional and more engaging. 
• Repeatability – when you come up with an ad idea that’s easy to execute and easy for customers to relate to, you can easily repeat the idea periodically. Pringles was able to reuse the idea only because the formula worked last year. 

In addition to the Super Bowl ad, Pringles also expanded its campaign to social media. 

Kimp Tip: The #pringlescanhands campaign shows how an omnichannel approach is the way forward when it comes to successful marketing campaigns. You also need the promotional graphics and copy to be consistent everywhere. That’s when you successfully connect with your customers at a deeper level. 

2. Planters – The Roast Of Mr. Peanut

In case you needed a little background, Mr. Peanut, the mascot of Planters, had been inseparable from the brand for a long time. The below image shows the brand’s packaging from the 1910s featuring Mr. Peanut. Proving that he’s one of the oldest mascots in the history of advertising. 

The mascot was so popular that it even won a spot in Madison Avenue’s Advertising Walk of Fame in the year 2004. 

The brand decided to kill off Mr. Peanut in its dramatic Super Bowl commercial for 2020. And Mr. Peanut is making a comeback through this year’s Super Bowl ad from Planters. 

A few things that make this one of the most popular Super Bowl ads 2023: 

• Fun and puns are great for advertising – the humor in “roasting” Mr. Peanut is what makes the ad particularly charming. 
• Aligning ad concept with brand personality – your mascot often personifies your brand and if your ad manages to capture this personality of your brand, it works! The above Super Bowl ad accurately captures the fun personality of Mr. Peanut. 
• The effectiveness of a mascot – brands big and small benefit from a mascot. When you have a relatable and personality-rich character to represent your brand, it helps strengthen your brand image. 

And in case you are wondering how to create a mascot for your brand, Kimp subscriptions are just a free trial away. 

3. Squarespace – The Singularity 

If you had watched the teaser that Squarespace released a while ago and got puzzled as to what was brewing, the above video explains it all. 

The above ad made it to the list of best Super Bowl ads 2023 because: 

• It has a single catchy idea and the whole video makes it work. Simple ads often make the most impact. You don’t need confusing messages or ambiguous concepts. 
• Incorporating catchphrases is an evergreen idea in advertising. The catchphrase here is that Squarespace is a “website that creates websites”. It’s simple, memorable, and easily tells the audience what the brand does. Brand awareness in case of new leads, brand recognition in case of existing customers – the concept works with them all. 

Kimp Tip: Squarespace also uses an interactive landing page for the campaign where users can download the Singularity theme. To make the most of your campaign, you need a strong landing page that creates a more immersive experience for your audience.

Need help with designing your campaign landing pages? Choose a Kimp Graphics subscription. 

4. T-Mobile: New Year. New Neighbor 

T-Mobile’s ad became one of the most talked-about Super Bowl ads 2022. It saw the two main characters from Scrubs, a popular sitcom, make a comeback. The ad had a catchy jingle and an easy idea that made it work. This year, the brand roped in an additional character played by John Travolta and came up with an ad in a similar format. 

Here are a few reasons why this ad works: 

• Using a jingle was the norm several years ago. It’s a good idea to experiment with old-school concepts like this one as long as you have a strong theme in this place. 
• Celebrity endorsements are the crux of many Super Bowl ads. If your brand does not have the budget to collaborate with a celebrity, an influencer campaign involving a micro-influencer is a low-budget alternative that actually works. Through this idea, you are connecting with the fans and followers of the celebrity or influencer featured. That helps expand your audience base. 
• Nostalgia is a concept that works well in advertising. The above T-Mobile ad features not just a random jingle but a recreated version of an old classic, Summer Nights from Grease originally featuring John Travolta. That relevance is what makes the above ad even more special. 

5. Pepsi – Great Acting or Great Taste? 

There are two versions of this ad one featuring Steve Martin and another featuring Ben Stiller. 

Steve Martin Version 

Ben Stiller Version 

What makes this campaign from Pepsi one of the best Super Bowl ads 2023? 

• Paying tribute to the people featured – Both Steve Martin and Ben Stiller are multi-talented celebrities but comedy is the common element connecting them. The brand intuitively captures this common point and spins beautiful ads that do justice to the actors featured in them while also putting the brand in the spotlight. Imagine watching these actors in a more serious commercial! It would not have had that much of an impact on its audience after all. 
• The ad features an open ending. The actors, after tasting Pepsi Zero, praise the drink but then leave you to guess if they are acting or if they mean it. The idea is both fun and interactive. 

Kimp Tip: Most brands noted for their creative Super Bowl ads often release a teaser a few days before the big game. This helps users understand the year’s theme and also builds anticipation in them. Pepsi also released a teaser for a similar effect. When you are introducing a new product or when you have a big campaign planned, teasing the launch through static and video content is a great idea. 

During times like these, a designated video design team like the one you get with a Kimp Video subscription can make a huge difference! 

6. Kia – Binky Dad 

Just a dad racing back home to fetch his baby’s favorite binky! Parents might find the ad instantly relatable and others might enjoy the humor in it. 

The ad features a father rushing back home in his Kia Telluride X-Pro after having forgotten to pack his baby’s binky. And people are seen cheering him and making way for him to head back as fast as he can. This fun ad has made it to the list of the most popular Super Bowl ads 2023 a short time within its release. 

Below are a few reasons that make this ad work: 

• Keeping your target audience in mind. The car being promoted in this ad, Telluride X-Pro, is marketed as one of the best SUVs for families. Naturally, it’s a great idea to feature a family in the ad. 
• Focus on the everyday struggles. The car does come packed with a lot of sophistication under the hood. But instead of emphasizing them, the ad focuses on how the car can be a good companion in the everyday struggles of families. That makes the whole idea easy to connect with. 
• Humor works with almost all kinds of audiences. The closing scene showing that all the adventure was for nothing and that the baby’s favorite has changed is something every parent relates to! The humor in it makes the ad a memorable one. 

7. GM X Netflix – Why Not An EV?

General Motors and Netflix together came up with a brilliant campaign that puts Will Ferrell in an electric vehicle in some of the most popular scenes from movies and TV shows. 

The ad gives a nod to both the brands involved. The various electric vehicles featured show the variety that GM is all set to introduce. And the scenes are from Stranger Things, Bridgestone, Army of the Dead, and other popular content on Netflix. 

This is one of the best Super Bowl ads 2023 due to the following reasons:

• It shows the strength in brand partnerships. Sometimes the most unlikely brand partnerships become a hit. And they work in favor of both brands involved. So, don’t forget to include brand partnership as an important element in your marketing strategy. 
• Ads should be aligned with brand values. Netflix is planning to feature more electric cars in its movies and TV shows as a part of the brand’s move toward sustainability. This collaboration and the ad itself capture the idea accurately. 
• Rebranding with a strong objective. Recently GM rebranded as it is making a switch to the electric vehicles segment. So, a big ad campaign like this one helps the brand spread awareness about its rebranding. 

7. PopCorners – Breaking Bad 

This PopCorners commercial went viral recently because it won the hearts of not just Breaking Bad fans but also others. The key is the successful recreation of an iconic scene from an iconic TV Series. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul who played Walter White and Jesse Pinkman in the series reprise their roles. Only this time the duo is brewing PopCorners instead of crystal meth. 

Why has this ad become one of the most famous Super Bowl ads 2023? 

• When you reuse popular content, understand the context and what made the content in the first place. The ad does not disappoint the fans of Breaking Bad. It even has the signature dialogue from the series, “Say My Name” but here, White (Heisenberg) says, “Say Their Name”. That’s enough to take the fans down memory lane reliving their favorite scene. 
• It’s all about accurate recreation. PopCorners did not just bring in the actors but also recreated the camper van setting and the signature costumes. The closing frame that displays “Break Into Some Thing Good” even has similar branding as the Breaking Bad original branding. All these little details add up and make this ad a hit. 

Kimp Tip: When you plan to incorporate pop-culture references in your ad, remember that visual cues can make or break the effect. You need to be double-sure about the colors and visual styles used in the ad and that they are in line with the original that you are recreating. 

Super Bowl ads 2023 – do we see a trend emerging? 

Forbes pointed out how humor was the trend in Super Bowl ads 2022. With normalcy bouncing back after the pandemic and lockdown, people were looking for humor as a way to leave the past behind. Like all good brands that listen to their audiences, most of the advertisers displayed humor as the core element in their ads. 

From the most popular Super Bowl ads 2023, we can see that humor continues to be a winning formula in ads. There are two other ingredients that several brands seem to have incorporated into their ads this year and those are pop-culture references and nostalgia. Having big stars reprise their iconic roles or creatively recreating popular movie scenes is a trend we have seen in several Super Bowl ads 2023.

Considering that Super Bowl ads of the year often set new trends for the year’s commercials, if you are looking for a theme to experiment with this year, this is a good start.

Humor + nostalgia + relatable pop-culture references = an ad idea worth trying in 2023

Inspired by these Super Bowl ads 2023? Get Kimp to bring your ideas to life 

Find anything that aligns with your brand? We hope these ads inspire you to revisit your marketing strategy and get more creative with your ads in order to woo your audience with ideas that resonate with them. And just in case you are looking for a graphic design team that can take care of your static ads or a motion graphics team that can quickly bring your short video ads to life, get in touch with the Kimp team. 

Or better yet, explore our plans and sign up for your free trial now.