On Sunday, February 13, 2022, the Los Angeles Rams emerged victorious against the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56. This year’s NFL championship game was expected to draw a bigger audience than last year and if that comes to pass, it will be good news for the many advertisers like Budweiser, Cheetos, Taco Bell, and General Motors. These Super Bowl veterans will be joined by a number of first-timers like travel site Booking.com, cryptocurrency exchanges Coinbase Global, FTX, and Crypto.com, and health and wellness companies like Covid-19 test provider Cue Health and connected fitness equipment company Tonal.  

Since more than 100 million people in the United States tune into the Super Bowl through either traditional television or streaming services, commercials are in high demand and companies know there is no better time to reach a large audience than during the Super Bowl, and so they pay big money for them. In the past few years, Super Bowl ads have cost up in the millions. CBS, for example, opened the bidding for 30-second commercial spots for Super Bowl 55 in 2021 at $5.6 million, which was the average cost of the same length advertisement for last year’s game. These extreme prices are almost always worth it. In a non-pandemic year, Super Bowl ads probably still have enough value for brands to continue paying the cost of them. CEO Kevin Krim said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that the average Super Bowl ad can generate four times more engagement than a traditional commercial.  

This year, advertising analytics company EDO named Polestar’s commercial as the top-performing ad of the Super Bowl. The spot introduced consumers to the electric vehicle company and stuck out from the crowd for taking shots at all other car companies and eschewing celebrities. On the flip side, Procter & Gamble’s straightforward shaving ad for its Gillette Labs razor with exfoliating bar fell flat, according to EDO.  

The Super Bowl also helped introduce people to new Covid-19 technology. Cue Health introduced its Cue device to the masses with its Super Bowl spot showing off how it can be used for at-home Covid test. AdAge reported that the health care company pulled the commercial together in just eight days after deciding in late January to try to air an ad during the game.  

There were many other Super Bowl ads this year, some stranger than others. Most were advertisements for cars, drinks, or even upcoming T.V. shows. However, the consensus this year is that the ads were pretty lackluster. Hopefully next year, the ads are something we can really remember.