A Last Look at Super Bowl 59: Safe Bets, Bizarre Bods, AI Infusion, Pharma Fever

Last night, some 37 million US households tuned in to watch the Philadelphia Eagles obliterate the Kansas City Chiefs, Samba TV data indicates. It was a star-studded event with appearances by everyone from President Trump to Samuel L. Jackson. 

And brands were out in full force, shelling out upwards of $8 million for a 30-second opportunity to capture fans’ attention during commercial breaks. 

The ads tapped into nostalgia, humor, celebrity power, and emerging industry trends—but in many instances also reflected the industry’s reluctance to take big risks in an era of heightened cultural sensitivity and economic uncertainty.

Here are the six themes from Super Bowl LIX’s advertising lineup:

1. Playing it safe with nostalgia and offend-nobody jokes

Super Bowl ads have long served as a cultural mood ring, and this year’s batch reflected a cautious approach, opting for nostalgia and broad, lighthearted humor over anything potentially divisive. Brands leaned heavily on familiar faces, funny mascots, and feel-good storytelling to maximize appeal while sidestepping controversy.

Budweiser’s Clydesdales made their grand return, evoking the brand’s traditional Americana spirit. Hellmann’s reunited Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in a When Harry Met Sally throwback, banking on intergenerational recognition. Meanwhile, NerdWallet’s talking beluga whale—voiced by Oscar-nominated actor Kieran Culkin—provided a harmless comedic touch.

And of course there were bros and beers galore, classic Super Bowl tropes. Bud Light threw a block party with Peyton Manning, Shane Gillis, and Post Malone. Ram tapped a rough-and-tumble Glen Powell to drive trucks and punch dragons. Meanwhile, IndyCar went all-in on superhero-esque imagery with drivers Pato O’Ward, Josef Newgarden and Alex Palou.

All in all, many brands played a safe hand, betting on tried-and-true tactics. 

The effect? “The superficial bowl,” according to one industry vet. 

2. The old guard teams up with a new generation

This year, the Big Game’s commercial breaks were packed with older A-listers. In many cases, graying greats teamed up with younger talent to bridge generational gaps and maximize appeal.

Antonio Banderas led Bosch’s debut Super Bowl campaign alongside a ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage doppelganger, while Schitt’s Creek star Eugene Levy showed off his comedic chops for Little Caesars.

Meanwhile, Martha Stewart and Charli XCX teamed up to try their hand at a popular TikTok trend for Uber Eats, while Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara took center stage in Michelob Ultra’s pickleball-themed commercial. Even Seal, both in human and CGI form, found his way into a Mountain Dew ad alongside pop star Becky G.

Of the older celebrity contingent, Sandy Greenberg, co-founder and CEO of indie ad agency Terri & Sandy, said, “There’s an audience that grew up with this talent, and a new generation that didn’t. But no one has to dig through the attic to find out who these people are—the content is everywhere, which makes them relevant to multiple audiences and to brands.”

3. Pharma pops in—with a dose of backlash

Historically absent from the Super Bowl ad roster, pharmaceutical brands made a bold play this year, stepping onto the big stage with high-impact messages. But some of the messages have sparked controversy.

Novartis ran a breast cancer awareness spot featuring Hailee Steinfeld and Wanda Sykes. The effort earned praise for breaking the mold of traditional healthcare advertising. 

Pfizer took out its second consecutive Super Bowl spot with an emotional depiction of a young cancer survivor’s journey, set to LL Cool J’s “Knock You Out.” The ad was well-received by some audiences, but attracted backlash from others. 

But it was a Hims & Hers’ ad promoting GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic that sparked the most controversy. The direct-to-consumer telehealth provider took a provocative stance on the accessibility of weight loss treatments, drawing backlash from a pharmaceutical industry group and two U.S. senators for allegedly misleading consumers.

Nonetheless, some creatives were impressed by the category’s divergence from dry, formulaic messaging. “Pharma ads used to feel more like clinical PSAs—safe and focused on facts,” said Andrés Ordóñez, Global CCO at FCB. “This year, there’s a clear shift toward bold ideas designed to make a transformational impact. [Brands are] leaning into creative storytelling and human connections.”

4. Automakers put it in park

Once a Super Bowl staple, automotive brands took a noticeable step back this year. 

Jeep and Ram were the only major car manufacturers to run ads, a stark contrast to previous years when EV-focused campaigns dominated commercial breaks.

Besides Powell’s ad for Ram truck, Harrison Ford starred in Jeep’s two-minute spot. But the focus was less on electric vehicles and more on the rugged adventure that the brand has always championed. 

The decline in automotive advertising—and EV advertising in particular—comes amid industry-wide budget constraints and increasing regulatory uncertainty as the Trump administration considers cutting EV tax incentives.

In years past, Kia struck an emotional chord with an ad for its EV9, Will Ferrell pushed the U.S. to go head-to-head with Norway on EV adoption in a GM ad, and Ram likened EV worries to erectile dysfunction. 

5. Body get bizarre

In one of the more unexpected developments of this year’s Super Bowl, a number of ads embraced surreal, grotesque, body-morphing visuals. 

Seal’s transformation into a real seafaring mammal in Mountain Dew’s spot was just the beginning. Nothing will wipe from our minds Eugene Levy’s runaway eyebrows in Little Caesars’ spot. But Little Caesars was preceded—and potentially outshined—by Pringles’ exaggerated mustache mishap. Coffee Mate’s animated, sentient tongue also contributed to the trend of wacky, attention-grabbing imagery. Tubi’s commercial, featuring fleshy, moving hats, was another unexpected foray into the bizarre.

“I’m assuming the body shock exists because of the need to ‘shock’ people’s eyeballs on this stage. Lots of people are drinking and half watching/barely hearing the audio at Super Bowl parties, so sometimes you need something that grabs your eyeballs, like weird cowboy hat-shaped skulls covered perfectly in flesh, or a weird dancing tongue, or just Seal’s face on a seal,” said Gordy Sang, co-CCO at Quality Meats Creative.  

6. AI everywhere, of course

It was impossible to miss the abundance of AI-focused messaging in this year’s crop of Super Bowl ads. From OpenAI’s first foray into Super Bowl advertising to Google’s emotionally charged ‘Dream Job’ ad spotlighting Gemini’s talk features, the technology was front and center.

GoDaddy’s ad for its suite of AI tools emphasized automation for small business owners, though it struggled to leave a lasting impression. Meanwhile, Meta’s lighthearted campaign for its Ray-Ban smart glasses featured a star-studded lineup, including Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, and Kris Jenner, but left some viewers questioning the product’s real-world appeal.

Even OpenAI’s highly anticipated Super Bowl debut faced mixed reactions. The ad, a minimalist and stylized piece on the evolution of AI, resonated with some viewers. Others felt it was too esoteric, while some suggested the brand should have pushed the boundaries further to show the platform’s vast capabilities. 

“Impossible to tell what it was the first half until it started saying random prompts like ‘write me a business plan.’ Two years in and they don’t have a better sales pitch than ‘summarise this article for me.’ Washed!,” wrote Ed Zitron, a tech PR leader, on X.