Breaking Down the 2025 Super Bowl Ads

Season 3 is here! We’re kicking off the new season of Toucan Talks with one of our favorite topics—Super Bowl ads! In this episode, we break down the biggest marketing moments from the 2025 Super Bowl, sharing which ads we loved, which ones missed the mark, and a few that left us scratching our heads.

Super Bowl Ads We Loved:

✅ Uber Eats – A Century of Cravings: Star power featuring Matthew McConaughey and a clever script made this a standout.
✅ Doritos – Abduction Commercial: A mix of humor and sci-fi weirdness that worked. Plus, UNCW alum made this ad!
✅ Coors – Case of the Mondays A fun take on having a “Case of the Mondays” with adorable sloths. The limited edition “Monday” packaging and giveaway made this campaign more than just an ad spot.
✅ Bud Light – Big Men on Cul-de-Sac: Comedy gold with a relatable suburban twist. After the ad aired, it cut to the football stadium where they had the extra-long cooler in real life.

Super Bowl Ads We Didn’t Love:

❌ Hims & Hers – Sick of the System: Confusing messaging that didn’t sit right.
❌ Mountain Dew – Kiss From a Lime: Seal transforms into an actual seal for this Baja Blast ad. Shock factor? Yes. Effective? Not so much for us.
❌ Rocket Mortgage – Own the Dream: Great ad with “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” but influencer reactions on social media made it feel forced.

Honorable Mentions:

🔸 Tubi with The Fleshly Hat: Memorable but way too disturbing.
🔸 Coffee Mate with the Tongue Commercial: Another oddball entry that left us feeling… weird.
🔸 Dunkin’ Ad: A fun celeb cameo but not our favorite concept.
🔸 Jeep with Harrison Ford: Great humor and well-executed.
🔸 Poppi with Vending Machine Campaign: Loved the ad, but influencer backlash could be a problem.

What Small Businesses Can Learn from Super Bowl Ads

While most small businesses don’t have a Super Bowl-sized budget, there are still valuable takeaways from these big-brand campaigns.

One major theme this year was storytelling that connects emotionally—whether it was humor, nostalgia, or a relatable moment. The Uber Eats, Coors, and Bud Light commercials all leaned into entertainment first, branding second, proving that an ad doesn’t have to feel like an ad to be effective.

Small businesses can apply this by focusing on engaging content that resonates with their audience rather than just pushing a product or service.

Another key trend? Authenticity matters more than ever. Some brands, like Rocket Mortgage and Poppi, faced backlash due to influencer reactions that felt inauthentic. This highlights the importance of genuine brand storytelling and selecting marketing partners who align with your values.

Whether you’re running a local campaign or leveraging social media, staying true to your brand and ensuring consistency in your messaging is crucial.

Marketing Themes to Watch in 2025

From this year’s Super Bowl ads, we’re seeing humor, family-centric, and shared experiences as a way to cut through the noise. Quirky, unexpected elements (like Doritos’ alien abduction or Jeep’s Harrison Ford humor) can make an ad more memorable.

For small businesses, this means leaning into creative storytelling, humor, and human connection to make your brand stand out—whether through short-form video, organic social content, or paid ads.

Finally, watch out for how influencer marketing evolves this year. As seen with the Rocket Mortgage and Poppi campaigns, audiences are getting savvier and can spot inauthentic endorsements. If you work with influencers, choose partnerships that feel real and add value to your audience instead of just chasing big names.

At the end of the day, marketing in 2025 is all about connection, creativity, and authenticity—whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a small business looking to grow.

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