The big game — and what a game it was — is in the books, but the Best Ad competition is just getting started. Companies like Skittles, Audi, Frito-Lay, and Budweiser shelled out a record-setting $5.02 million just to secure a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl, which is nearly double the price tag from 2010. Think about that for a minute. The cost for 30 seconds of advertising actually exceeded the yearly salary for most players in the game, as only 14 players crossed the $5 million salary mark in 2016 (per Spotrac).
As viewers know, car and beer companies weren’t the only ones grabbing up air time this year; we were also treated to several awesome trailers and sneak peaks from big names like Stranger Things, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Transformers, The Walking Dead, and many more. These first looks, coupled with loads of clever commercials, made for quite the distraction from the game itself. That’s probably a good thing, as we’re betting the residents of Georgia might need a few distractions in the days to come.
Outside of all the trailers, however, we were gifted with a solid crop of memorable advertisements from outside the film and TV industry. With honorable mentions going out to Tide for Gronk’s Cleaner, Skittles for their Romance ad, and Febreeze’s Bathroom Break, here are The Best Super Bowl Commercials Of 2017.
13. SQUARESPACE – WHO IS JOHN MALKOVICH
The legendary John Malkovich is comically perplexed in Squarespace’s 2017 Super Bowl spot, “Who is John Malkovich?” The 60-second ad makes all the right moves as it lands squarely at the intersection of comedy and reality, and John is his absolutely terrific best all the way through. Squarespace — an all-in-one publishing tools company — is urging viewers to get their own web domain and avoid the fate of poor Mr. Malkovich.
Hunched over his laptop, he wonders aloud, “How is it that John Malkovich.com is taken?” John is trying to buy a domain for his new clothing line (this is a real thing, by the way; he’s designing clothes now), and it seems like someone has beaten him to the punch. “But I’m him,” he utters in frustration. “There’s a film about me being me.” While some Super Bowl Sunday ads aim for belly laughs, Squarespace’s witty, dry entry goes entirely deadpan to get its point across while cleverly working in a Being John Malkovich reference that Spike Jonze fans are sure to love. Watching Malkovich quickly descend into burning rage is priceless.