7 Best Super Bowl Ads in “Best Story”, “Best Cinematography” and “Best Dialogue” Categories!!!
Every February, advertisers, and marketers get busy identifying which Super Bowl ads were the superlative of their category. Which ad was the most humorous? The most memorable? Which had the best overall message? The best execution?
And though there were many great spots this year, these ads, in my opinion, stood out above the rest in terms of production quality. The three categories they fall in are: Best Story, Best Cinematography, and Best Dialogue.
Because it was difficult to choose just one, there are also honorable mentions for each category. These commercials are some that also deserve a good amount of attention.
As a disclaimer: I am by no means an expert in video or film production; the following is simply my opinion as a marketer and passionate student of the craft of storytelling.
Without further ado, let’s begin!
Best Story:
Expedition | Paramount+
This spot is even more enjoyable if you have been following ViacomCBS and were aware of its plans to release its own streaming service, Paramount+. In a world full of +’s ViacomCBS made sure people were paying attention to its streaming service by breaking apart the narrative of this ad across several commercials.
We start off seeing a cast of familiar characters, both real-world and Drawn Animation. All these familiar faces come from ViacomCBS’ impressive lineup of TV shows and film. In a crossover scenario reminiscent of Disney’s iconic Avengers: Paw Patrol meets Dora the Explorer meets Star Trek meets Snooki, and they’re all climbing a peak called “Paramount Mountain”. It’s enough to get the audience thinking, “Okay, what’s going on here?” and wanting more.
The “Expedition” has several other segments that pan out one after another in a linearly progressing story until finally, our cast reaches the peak of Paramount Mountain to find Patrick Stewart, a reference to his role as the iconic Captain Picard from Star Trek.
He informs them they are all going to be joining one another on ViacomCBS’ new streaming platform Paramount+. The cast learns this whole ad is a metaphor for the fact that they now stand atop a “mountain of entertainment” together; it’s a refreshing bit of irony. The ad finishes off with everyone dancing to Spongebob and Co. playing the iconic “Sweet Victory” sound-off (which is a parody of a typical Super Bowl half-time show in itself).
Ultimately, the message is very effective. ViacomCBS sold Paramount+ and its position well. Only time will tell to see how well Paramount+ holds up to the rest of the streaming +’s.
Scissorhands | Cadillac
Cadillac does a great job of parodying an iconic Tim Burton character, Edward Scissorhands, by giving him a backstory and personality. To sum up, Edgar Scissorhands is accident-prone. He messes up a lot and can’t get a lot of things right thanks to his scissors-for-hands. But even Edgar loves to pretend he’s driving, using a VR headset. And so his mother gets him the perfect gift: a Cadillac’s self-driving EV. What makes this story impressive is the fact that for The Great Product advertisements, we are not aware of what is being sold to us. It got us to hook, line, and sinker, wondering “what could this ad be about?” We aren’t even clued in until the reveal of the EV in the last 20 seconds of the spot. But in the context of the story, it makes perfect sense. When you think about it, the story is actually coherent and the message is also clear. Even someone as accident-prone as Edgar, Cadillac has a vehicle to prevent accidents. It’s a very simple story, but it’s a sweet and good one at that.
Bud Light Legends | Bud Light
And finally, yet another great parody: Bud Light did its own take of the Avengers-like crossover with the “Bud Light cinematic universe”. Lovable characters from previous Bud Light commercials; including Bud Knight, Real Men of Genius Singer, and Dr. Galazkiewicz; all appear in a mass of portals to help bring the Bud Light truck back on its wheels. This story becomes even more meta if you know the history of Bud Light commercials. Like Marvel Cinematic Universe, these commercials spanned several years, all culminating to this one point. Although we didn’t have any hint of this crossover being planned, it’s still a nice tribute to all of the narratives of previous Bud Light commercials.
Best Dialogue:
Let’s Grab a Beer | Anheuser-Busch
This is one of the few ads where there is dialogue to begin with. Dialogue refers to a conversation between 2 or more people. That means no narrator and no celebrities talking straight to the audience. And the dialogue makes all the difference in this spot. In the 90 second extended run of the ad, no one is telling us what’s going on. Instead, we are shown what is happening through realistic-sounding conversations and interactions between people (or in this case, actors).
Anheuser-Busch hits us with a series of bittersweet moments: two newlyweds laughing at their expense of a wedding hosted in the rain, an office worker offering to cheer up a fellow coworker after he’s asked to clear out his desk, and a group of strangers bonding over a canceled flight.
There is great visual storytelling going on here, to be sure. But if you try to watch this ad without any sound, you may miss the reason why people want to share a beer, or you might miss that they even suggest sharing a beer. The dialogue plays a crucial part in this commercial. Most other Super Bowl commercials don’t utilize the full potential of dialogue to deliver a message. Often times, the dialogue (if there is any) is only meant to exude humor. In this commercial, however, the dialogue makes the scenes in this commercial feel authentic and relevant.
Anheuser-Busch uses these well-written scenes and pathos to appeal to the emotions of the consumer. Each of these conversations are easily understood and are very relatable, even if we have never personally experienced the same exact situation. They’re able to cross multiple social and cultural barriers.
The message is obvious through the interactions between the actors: “life comes with some hardships and some bittersweet moments. In the face of these moments, we seek companionship in the people around us. And what better way to seek companionship through sharing a bottle of beer?” It’s understood, even to those who prefer not to drink, that beer is a common pathway for people to bond and open up to one another. This commercial celebrates, wonderfully, those moments of human connection.
Certain is Better | Rocket Mortgage
Tracy Morgan does a great job of breaking down to this family why “pretty sure” isn’t enough to cut it in many cases. As mentioned before, most of the time when actors speak in commercials it’s usually not “dialogue”. More often than not, someone is speaking directly to the audience about the brand, or they are narrating what’s happening on screen. Rocket Mortgage did a great job sliding some humorous dialogue between Tracy Morgan and the family wishing to buy a car. He keeps making a point to repeat the words “pretty sure”. And you, as the consumer, have to pay attention to the scene each time he says “pretty sure” to understand the impact of not being certain with particular life choices. You shouldn’t be “pretty sure “ about whether or not you can afford a car; you should be certain. And Rocket Mortgage can assist you with being certain. An amazing example of wordplay in dialogue.
Best Cinematography:
Can a Burrito Change the World? | Chipotle
It was especially hard to pick just one spot for this category because there were plenty of good commercials that made great use of camerawork and movement. But in the end, Chipotle’s Company Introduction video about its supply chain makes for great cinematography.
Because I am still green in the study of film and video production, I only have so much to say about the spot. But I will say this commercial makes sure to use as many camera angles and shooting styles to accurately showcase the process of how Chipotle receives its ingredients for all its food products.
Director Mark Molloy (Smuggler; Venables Bell + Partners) uses POV shots with the basket of tomatoes; he uses moving, panning shots running through the vines of the tomato plants; there are overhead shots from the trees; and long shots from a high-angle overlooking the fields of solar panels (a nod to Chipotle’s carbon-friendly suppliers). All in all, these shots do a great job of getting the message across: that Chipotle values the organic and natural process of preparing of its food.
Upstream | Toyota
To be honest, how many visually stunning commercials do you remember from this Sunday? And when we talk cinematography, we’re not including pretty-looking special effects or CGI; we’re focusing on lighting, camera angles, framing, and movement. Toyota’s Upstream is an amazing work in that sense. The low-angle underwater shots show us how graceful Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long is while swimming, even with amputated legs. The use of lighting and the set design gives us the illusion that these events from her childhood are playing out right beside her as she competes, swimming in an Olympic-sized pool. It almost seems more like a short film than a commercial. Credit for this spot goes to the director of The Fall (2006), Tarsem Singh (Saatchi & Saatchi).
That wraps up the list of ads that I found to be particularly stand-out. Of course, there were many, many more great ads this 2021 Super Bowl. But these in particular were very memorable. Which ads do you believe stood above the rest? I encourage any film experts to share their thoughts on my picks for best cinematography!
I also wholeheartedly welcome any further discussion about what commercials people found to be the best in a certain category. The perception of each Super Bowl ad is going to vary from person to person. And as marketers, that’s why we focus on understanding and breaking down these differences in perception every February: so that we can better identify brands, what they stand for, what they’re offering, and who they’re offering it to.
