
Super Bowl commercials rely on comedy and nostalgia to avoid potential missteps
Associated Press▶ Follow live updates on the 2025 Super Bowl This year’s Super Bowl commercials went for easy laughs and nostalgia, largely steering clear of controversy and leaving the surprises on the football field, where the Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Kansas City Chiefs. Here are some of the themes of this year’s Super Bowl ads: Heartwarming nostalgia Budweiser brought back its Clydesdales for its Super Bowl ad, including a foal that wants to join the delivery team. Advertisers are leaning on nostalgia more than they used to in Super Bowl ads, according to Kimberly Whitler, a marketing professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Nike featured Caitlin Clark, Sha’Carri Richardson, Sabrina Ionescu, Jordan Chiles, A’ja Wilson and Sophia Wilson in a commercial talking about how often female athletes face the word, “can’t.” The ad’s conclusion: “You can’t win. An ad from Rocket showed people dreaming of home and aimed to get the Super Bowl crowd to sing along to “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Xu said she expected more ads promoting that unifying message, but thought most advertisers went with humor instead.
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