Super Bowl LVIII is over.
The Kansas City Chiefs won in overtime, giving the team the first back-to-back win in nearly two decades.
Now that that’s said and done, let’s talk about the celebrities (and brands) who made a killing in this year’s Big Game.
While recent years may have shown that brand characters outperformed celebs in Super Bowl ads, this year proved that study wrong.
“I just think that investing in big-time celebrities and humor, that’s the ticket… in terms of trying to really resonate with a larger group of people,” Sportsimpacts Founder and President Patrick Rishe said in an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box.
And I totally agree with Rishe, celebrities in funny commercials are the best way to capture the attention of a wider audience this year.
But there are some celebrities, as always, who stood out from the rest, not just in giving a great performance, but also in effectively promoting brand awareness and recall.
Here are my top seven picks of star-studded Super Bowl ads that flawlessly blended A-list power with creative gold.
Beyoncé and Verizon
Okay, so Beyoncé may not be the best actress, but since she was playing herself, I think she was effective enough.
Plus, she had “Arrested Development” actor Tony Hale as her manager. He took care of all the acting.
In “Can’t B Broken,” the winner of 32 Grammy awards throws every internet-breaking stunt she can think of in an attempt to break Verizon's network.
And of course, none worked.
The undisputed queen of breaking the internet met her match in Verizon's rock-solid network.
The commercial ended with “Queen Bey” announcing, “Okay, be ready. Drop the new music.” And this really did break the Internet, because she really did drop new music.
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And this is how a brand can successfully partner with a big-time star and naturally create buzz. Beyoncé’s Instagram post of the ad has garnered nearly 2.9 million likes.
Uber Eats: Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, and the Beckhams
I think that leveraging a classic TV show that’s popular with any generation has the power to resonate well, especially when combined with great comedic timing.
And for me, the chemistry of the cast of “Friends” is just perfectly unique and funny.
Uber Eats successfully capitalized on this with an ad that showcased the classic Ross and Rachel interaction that fans miss.
The concept of forgetting something to remember that “Uber Eats gets anything” is just so wittily portrayed in Aniston forgetting Schwimmer.
The teasers leading up to the full Big Game ad are also hilarious, playing off the Beckham couple’s “Be honest” viral moment and announcing that they will be doing a “Hockey Bowl” commercial with “Jessica Aniston.”
Plus, rapper Jelly Roll forgets he has tattoos on his face and Usher forgets he’s performing at the Super Bowl halftime show are just comedy gold.
The videos are also a hit on YouTube with a total of 13 million views.
T-Mobile: Jason Momoa, Zach Braff, and Donald Faison
Now, I truly enjoyed watching this commercial.
Who would’ve thought that Aquaman could belt out high notes and “Flashdance” at the same time?!
“Scrubs” actors Braff and Faison sing and dance in perfect harmony — showing their chemistry is still intact after all these years.
The spot ends with a cameo from the “Flashdance” actress herself, Jennifer Beals, asking Momoa to sing it again, this time without his shirt on.
The entire thing is just so fun to watch — over and over again.
The song was catchy, with matching rhymes that you can actually easily memorize and sing along to.
This is just pure entertainment, and people love it as much as I do because it already has nearly 30 million views on YouTube.
Martin Scorsese and Squarespace
Squarespace made full use of the name and skills of the legendary filmmaker as he directed and starred in the web design firm’s Super Bowl ad.
As a film major, I am just in awe of this commercial.
Titled “Hello Down There,” it made the common premise of extraterrestrial life making contact totally unique yet relatable.
Aliens are shown trying to make contact with us, except everyone is too busy doing something on their gadgets to notice. It all makes perfect sense!
The concept is so simple, but the execution (with stunning visuals the “Taxi Driver” director is known for) is just so perfectly unique that it resonates so well with any type of audience.
Couple this with a teaser trailer that shows Scorsese brainstorming the commercial concept with daughter Francesca, and Squarespace is practically selling itself.
Together, the videos have over 2.5 million views on YouTube.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito: State Farm Insurance
Who would’ve thought that two big names and a hilarious concept could make an insurance brand so interesting? Well, State Farm thought of it.
The “Twins” stars once again showcased their chemistry — although on the small screen — and proved that they still have the comedic chops and celebrity pull even when they’re pushing 80.
“Like a Good Neighbaaa” hinges on Schwarzenegger’s heavy Austrian accent and how he can’t even properly pronounce the insurance firm’s tagline.
Combining “The Terminator” star’s mispronounced words in one minute (labah, papah, chuppah, and concealah) in the format of the making of an action blockbuster creates a game-changah!
DeVito’s surprise appearance at the end as the “backstabbah” that stole Shwarzenegger’s line (because, duh, he can say “neighbor”) is just the perfect punchline.
This commercial just worked. The teaser, trailer, and full one-minute ad’s combined 36 million views are a testament to how enjoyable it is to watch.
Christopher Walken for BMW
On top of his acting prowess and dancing skills, Walken is known for his distinct New Yorker accent.
And BMW created an ad campaign that is centered just on this particular characteristic of “The Deer Hunter” star, but in a different way from how State Farm did it with Schwarzenegger.
In “Talkin Like Walken,” the Oscar winner is seen interacting with different people imitating his accent (from a valet driver, Ashley Park, and Usher, who even did Walken’s signature dance move).
The commercial ends with a statement that wraps up the concept to a T, “There’s only one Christopher Walken and only one ultimate driving machine. The rest are just imitations.”
Again, a simple concept executed in such a creative and witty way that it instantly captures the viewers’ attention.
I just love Christopher Walken, he never goes out of style.
The teaser and full ad combined has already been viewed over 6.2 million times on YouTube.
Michael Cera Stars in CeraVe's Ad
Although Cera may not be the biggest celebrity here, the way that the skincare brand created a viral campaign that made fans wonder if Cera owned CeraVe is just so imaginative and original.
The ad features CeraVe disclosing the truth that is “hiding in plain sight.” He is, in fact, CeraVe.
The commercial is so overly polished that it becomes awkward and just largely ineffective, showing the “Superbad” actor in absurd situations as he tries to promote his CeraVe, even going as far as speaking in dolphin language.
The horrible spot ends by revealing that it was a presentation made by Cera himself, as he pitches how he can become the product’s endorser because it’s “a perfect crossover opportunity.”
The ad is so effective in its supposed ineffectiveness that “Michael CeraVe” won the Super Clio award as the Super Bowl’s “most creative commercial.”
Just a day into posting the 30-second ad and the long form of the ad, they have already been viewed nearly 1.4 million times.
Key Takeaways
Considering that it costs $7 million for a 30-second ad spot to air during this year’s Big Game, spending big on top stars may just be a piece of cake for global brands.
But spending their ad budgets on the right celebs, and then creating a concept that perfectly plays on the stars’ strengths is another thing entirely.
And so, while these big names and brands usually take credit for the ads, the creative agencies responsible for conceptualizing and executing the campaigns also deserve to be recognized.
Now, here's something to think about.
How many times did I use “perfect” and “perfectly” (not to mention witty, funny, and unique) in this article?
Well, it’s because it’s the perfect (here I go, again) word that sums up how these brands and agencies effectively utilized the star power of the celebs they invested in.
