Like every Big Game, advertisers went all out for Super Bowl LX. While some spots oozed patriotism through its pores, others had brands taking jabs at each other or were the continuation of a years-long narrative.
For Campaign’s Question of the Week (QotW) series, those in the advertising and marketing industry were asked to talk about this year’s Big Game spots they wished they worked on with the brand.
Of all the respondents included in this article, around 21% loved the spots created by Anthropic’s Claude. Squarespace and Instacart were also high contenders, with 14% wishing they were on set. About 11% fell in love with the Big Game spots by Novartis, Uber Eats and Rocket Mortgage and Redfin, while 7% didn’t mind the sight of wet hair on a shower drain in Manscaped’s Hair Ballad.
Anthropic’s Claude with Mother London | Betrayal and Violation
Phil Khosid, cofounder and CCO, Battery
“The Anthropic work? Smart, subversive, not begging for approval. [Felt] like [a] brand flexing taste on the biggest stage. That’s the bar.”
Michael Ruby, CCO, Park & Battery
“The one that stopped me cold was Anthropic’s Claude ads parodying ChatGPT. Funny, clever, perfectly cast and so culturally aware of the moment we’re in with AI. The spots didn’t just make me laugh — they made me jealous. They nailed the line between educating and entertaining, while throwing the kind of shade you only get to throw when you’re ready to back it up. Major creator’s envy.”
Jason Apaliski, CCO, Pereira O’Dell
“The clear winner was the ad about no ads. Mother's pair of spots for Anthropic's Claude: Betrayal and Violation were so good I had to immediately rewatch them, multiple times. So smart, so simple, so perfectly executed. The writing, the casting and the performances are damn near pitch-perfect. The deadpan delivery, precise pauses and the subtle detail that the AI performers never blink are quietly brilliant. This is the kind of work that makes me jealous. This is the Super Bowl winner and an early favourite for the upcoming award season.”
Natalee Gibson, cofounder and CEO, Songue PR
“The Anthropic ad is one that I wish I'd worked on from a PR lens; not for the spot itself, but for how it created a viral moment through the reaction. When Sam Altman weighed in, the campaign effectively extended itself into a multi-day earned media cycle.
“Anthropic [also] shifted the conversation, instead repositioning how AI should be talked about. The ensuing response to the ad is letting external voices carry that narrative forward; pulling off an incredible PR coup and keeping Anthropic at the center of the conversation without having to say a word.”
Will Gelner, CCO, The Shipyard
“With the AI battle heating up, [Claude] threw gas on it. Simple, smart and brilliantly crafted. The creepily awkward performances were pitch perfect. A clean, confident line in the sand. Although, taking out a $7 million ad to say ‘we don’t do ads’ is kind of ironic.”
Shane Alderton, ECD, North America, Track
“Amid a sea of plussed spreadsheets and DIY apps, Anthropic and Mother delivered a spot on execution from the challenger brand playbook; de-position your competition by going someplace they won’t and probably can’t. Claude is now the AI that respects you, won’t try to monetise you and ultimately wants you to ‘Keep Thinking’ rather than being just another robot coming for your job.”
Instacart with Local Produce, BBDO, McCann | Bananas
Phil Khosid, cofounder and CCO, Battery
“I wish I’d made the Instacart spot with Ben Stiller. Pure confidence. Weird in the right way. Musical, funny, zero desperation.”
MaryLiz Ghanem, SVP and practice lead, media and marketing, DiGennaro Communications
“[Bananas] was sharply attuned to personality, using humour and surprise to deliver the kind of entertainment viewers look for during the Super Bowl. Instacart blended nostalgia with a clever young-meets-established dynamic that was funny and culturally in tune. It’s a reminder that the most effective Super Bowl spots don’t just chase laughs; they create anticipation, tap shared memory and make the brand part of the conversation.”
Michael Kirwan, VP, creative, Jellyfish
“Definitely Instacart. Selling in and producing a high-stakes Super Bowl spot is really hard, but the creatives behind the Instacart spot Bananas made it look fun. The set must have been a vibe; Spike Jonze directing, Ben Stiller committing, stunt doubles crashing to the floor, Benson Boone flipping around. I think bananas is the word for it.”
Amy Ferguson, partner and CCO, Terri & Sandy
“I love Instacart’s ad about choosing your own bananas. It completely caught me off guard; smart, weird in the best way and genuinely funny. Such a small, human insight, executed with total confidence. It made me laugh and, more importantly, it felt new. That’s not easy to pull off on the biggest advertising stage in the world.”
Manscaped with Quality Meats | Hair Ballad
Ronald Wohlman, cofounder and chief storyteller, Left Brain Right Brain Collective
“I would’ve loved to work on this ad. I can tell the creators of Manscaped must have wet themselves [from laughter] writing that song, recording those voices, working on the animation. The casting of the guys. It’s hilarious. Weird. Delightful. Original. And the execution is superb.”
Shane Alderton, ECD, North America, Track
“It all comes down to one thing. Singing pubes. Manscaped FTW.”
Novartis with Fallon | “Relax Your Tight End”
Kristin Galbraith, ECD, Schafer Condon Carter (SCC)
“I never thought I’d say, ‘Man, I wish I made that prostate cancer ad,’ but here we are. A life-saving public health message built on NFL tight ends in rubber gloves, Enya, and the visual payoff of unclenched butt cheeks? It’s bold and borderline absurd and also brilliant. I love the cheeky (literally) use of humor to reframe a fairly uncomfortable conversation; one that people would rather avoid. It challenges the misperception around prostate cancer screenings and proves that when the insights are there and the tone is right, you can create impact, even with the most awkward of messages.”
Myles Rigg, founding partner, creative, Standard Practice
“It’s a smart, entertaining way to shed light on a serious issue and a legitimate innovation in healthcare. The message is clear; it’s a great use of music, talent and comedy, plus it’s beautifully shot. It's got it all.”
Isabel Greenhalgh, senior copywriter, Two Tango Collaborative
“They used celebrities the target audience respects in a way that actually connects, which is rare. The double meaning is effortless and memorable. And — round of applause — they took the biggest barrier and made it both entertaining and less uncomfortable.”
Rocket Mortgage, Redfin with Mirimar | America Needs Neighbors Like You
Lauren Varvara, ECD, David New York
“[It] gets a spot on my list for two reasons. First, it unlocked a really interesting way to think about the process of buying a house. It’s not about finding a place with the biggest bathroom or getting your offer in first; it’s about community.
“Second, Gaga’s incredible cover of the classic ‘It’s a Beautiful Day In the Neighbourhood.’ Perfection. Was it a little heavy-handed at moments? Maybe. But for the moment America is in, it was a perfectly timed reminder that the one thing in our control is how we treat each other.”
John Long, SVP, creative, Digitas
“I thought this spot hit all the right notes. There’s a real craving out there for genuine connection — especially with one’s neighbors — but it somehow feels elusive in this post-pandemic, smartphone-addicted world. At the same time, almost daily we’re seeing stories of people coming to the aid of their neighbors in extremely dangerous conditions. And all of these timely themes come together beautifully under Lady Gaga’s heartfelt rendition of ‘Won’t you be my neighbor?’ which she manages to make sound both plaintive and hopeful.”
Mona Hasan, creative director, Fortnight Collective
“No brand in the past year has truly stuck its nose out for the people. No company has drawn a line in the sand to side against what is happening in America. And while Redfin and Rocket Mortgage’s Neighbour spot didn’t really take a hard stand, it serves as a call to not just to be neighborly, but to make neighbor-hood a state of being in relation to your community, which is what we need more of right now.”
Squarespace | Unavailable and The Negotiation
Craig Elimeliah, CCO, Code and Theory
“What makes this work is the conviction to shoot a domain registration spot like an A24 film. Black-and-white analog film. A 12-day set build for 30 seconds. Emma Stone is having a genuine emotional breakdown over a URL. In a game full of shtick and celebrity mugging, they made something that asks you to feel something about losing your own name online. That tension between a mundane product and the emotional stakes is what great advertising does when everyone involved believes it can be more than it has to be. The brief seemed to be 'buy a domain before someone else does,' and they turned it into existential dread shot on celluloid. Brilliant.”
Paco Conde, CCO, Lerma/
“While most brands spend millions on celebrities and jokes that could easily be swapped from one campaign to another, Squarespace has spent years building a brand with a distinct, elevated and sophisticated voice that makes it unmistakable. Its celebrities aren’t just famous faces; they’re intentional choices, perfectly cast for the stories the brand wants to tell.
“‘Unavailable’ [is] a cinematic gem where everything feels close to perfect: the idea, the performance, the house, that housekeeper on roller skates. It makes me incredibly jealous.”
Josh Golden, president and CCO, Yes&
“I loved the high-production simplicity of the Squarespace spot with Emma Stone. It had one clear idea about owning your own name online, and it felt like a natural extension of the Yorgos Lanthimos collaboration. The product was the reason the story existed, and it trusted the audience instead of creating chaos.”
Sean Topping, founder and creative director, Grit
“Not the [spot Squarespace] ran during the game where she has no lines, [but] the one where she’s on the phone absolutely eviscerating the guy who has her URL. How could they not run this one during the game? ‘Get your domain before you lose it’ [is] instant, ownable, stupid-simple. Brilliant.”
Uber Eats with Special US | Hungry For The Truth and Is Football Selling Food?
Alli Pierce, CCO, VML
“The casting? Completely unfair. Matthew McConaughey doing this role feels less like ‘casting’ and more like ‘destiny.’ Like this man has been wandering around Hollywood for 30 years just waiting to seriously explain fake football conspiracies with absolute conviction. The voice. The intensity. The way he can make total nonsense feel profound. He was born for this. Then you add Bradley Cooper, who somehow matches that energy beat-for-beat and suddenly you’ve got two of the best actors alive treating an Uber Eats commercial like it’s an Oscar scene.
“This year’s spot jumps right back into the ridiculous conspiracies and over-the-top seriousness like it never left, and it’s just as fun as the first time around. Honestly, it’s the kind of campaign that reminds you why you love this job, and also makes you a little mad you didn’t think of it first. Brilliant all around.”
Hannah Schalles, associate creative director, Wondersauce
“I’ll admit, it takes a lot for an ad to truly stick with me. Uber Eats is one of the few brands that consistently delivers (no pun intended), using celebrity cameos and absurd, culture-forward storytelling to create spots that are genuinely entertaining while still landing a crystal-clear message. They’ve mastered the balance of humor, memorability and brand integration. If I could have worked on any Super Bowl spot in recent years, it would be one of theirs, because in my book, funny always wins.”
Jacob Davis, executive director and global head, performance, Crossmedia
“The concept is brilliantly simple, the execution is sharp and it’s clearly part of a larger narrative they’ve been building with the NFL all year. It’s a great example of how to use celebrity with purpose rather than just star power.”
Extra shouts
Kyle Janisch, group creative director, Cape
“A pharma spot that actually did something different. It took a swing within a highly regulated category, and it paid off. Fun cameos, solid writing and a clear point of view. Deserves some flowers!”
Sol Ricagni, managing director and VP, creative, Migrante
“This Budweiser American Icons commercial really stood out to me because it reframes strength into kindness and promotes unity; two completely different species becoming allies through small acts of care. It quietly says that the strongest thing you can do is show up for someone else, and we need that mentality now more than ever.”
Ari Halper, global head, creative excellence, R/GA
Good Will Dunkin’ is a Gen Xer's dream come true. It was practically every show and star from my teens and 20s all rolled into one. That must've been a blast on set, and even if it wasn't, I prefer to live in a lie.”
Source: Campaign US
