Top Trends of the 2024 Super Bowl Commercials

Written by Skylar North

Top Trends of the 2024 Super Bowl Commercials

Every year, the Super Bowl attracts viewers of all demographics. 2024 was a huge year for the game with a viewer increase of over 10% compared to last year. Marketers anticipated this escalation and geared up for the biggest event for advertising. Whether viewers were tuned in to cheer on their favorite team or to see Taylor Swift make an appearance, they were bound to see a few advertisements. And as always, marketers were determined to make them memorable. This year, the trends in commercials had some variations from previous Super Bowls. We will be going through a few of the most prevalent and emphasized trends this year and the commercials that effectively executed them.

Emphasis on AI

New technological advances like AI and VR have made their appearances in many different marketing trends, but recently, it has been especially present in advertisements. AI and VR have given brands a new way to allow their viewers to experience their product or service and target them to specific audiences. We saw different brands utilize or highlight these advancements in their own way.

Google Pixel tugged at viewers hearts in their commercial about a blind man, Javier, who document his life through the lens of the phone. The view is from his perspective and shows the struggles that he faces as someone who cannot see life clearly. Google Pixel highlights the phone’s accessibility for people with vision impairments by utilizing AI. The AI feature is a voice through the phone that the user can hear. In the advertisement, it tells Javier what is in the camera frame and says simple phrases like “one man and one pet in frame.” The phone detects objects and communicates the descriptions and instructions audibly to the user to help them take the photo. AI is enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities, and Google Pixel capitalized on this revolutionary feature in their Super Bowl commercial. The creative techniques that producers used to portray the feelings in the short film made the viewer feel immersed in the story and feel as though they are in the perspective of a blind person. The producers even put petroleum jelly on the camera lens to make the vision blurry. Google worked alongside filmmaker Adam Morse, who is blind himself, which made the advertisement feel genuine.

Microsoft also advertised their AI software, Copilot, in their Super Bowl commercial. In this ad, Microsoft showcased the power of AI and how it can help people achieve great things by showing clips of inspired creators with a background track repeating the lyrics “just watch me now.” The commercial finished with the tagline “your AI companion,” referring to the software as a helping hand, allowing new goals to become attainable. Along with this ad, Microsoft also launched a new update for Copilot, which has an updated design to feel sleeker for users. The inspirational footage was both effective and simple, and it told viewers that they can achieve greatness with the use of the newly updated Copilot software. More companies are looking to market the use of AI in their products, as it is growing in popularity and being used in different ways. Microsoft successfully found a way to incorporate AI into their Super Bowl advertisement.

Celebrity Appearances

2024 was the year of celebrity appearances, and it seemed as though every commercial tried to sneak in a recognizable face. Some brands executed this well and the celebrity enhanced the feature of their product or service. However, some advertisements missed the mark, and the presence of a celeb seemed awkward or forced.

State farm was an example of a job well done with the incorporation of celebrity Arnold Schwarzenegger, while still maintaining their brand personality. The commercial shows Arnold filming different commercials in different settings, such as saving puppies from a burning house, parachuting into sheep, and piloting a helicopter. He repeated their motto “Like a good neighbor, State farm is there,” but consistently pronounced it wrong, causing the “producers” to stop filming to correct him. At the end, Danny DeVito is featured with a surprise cameo, taking over the end of the motto from Arnold and fixing the pronunciation. With the use of humor, celebrity appearance, and State Farm’s classic motto, there’s no wonder why this was one of the top-rated Super Bowl Ads.

https://youtu.be/p8ZYgb8Osek?si=VSAm7SRMKJ_gN8m6

Targeting Young Girls

One unexpected trend that we saw in the ads this year is the inclusion of young girls, mostly thanks to Taylor Swifts fanbase. Marketers knew that with the increase of viewers due to Taylors frequent appearances, most of these new viewers are young females. They decided to target this new Super Bowl audience, which was a smart tactic as many of these ads ranked highly.

Dove has always been known for creating commercials that inspire and uplift women, but their choice this year was to target the younger generation. In their 30 second ad, the brand included real clips of girls playing sports and taking tumbles, with the music “It’s a Hard Knock Life” playing in the background. The clips were followed by the text, “The knocks don’t stop girls playing sports, low body confidence does.” This simple, but empowering message, accompanied by the prompt to join their Body Confident Sport Program is another reason why Dove’s messages consistently inspire young girls and women alike. It was smart to focus on the new demographic of viewers watching the game, and it emphasized Dove’s brand mission to make confidence feel beautiful.