Let’s Go Baby! 6 Super Bowl Campaigns That Stole The Hearts of Gen Z

Alex Haider

Did you know that 113 million people watched last year’s super bowl?

Super Bowl Sunday is one of the hottest days on the calendar, not just for those in the US, but around the world. College campuses hold large screenings, whilst many excited fans will host themed parties. As one of the highest-rated televised events, commercial time is of course extremely expensive (about 7 million USD for 30 seconds during the live event!). The commercials have become just as highly anticipated as the event itself, especially for Gen Zers who often flock to social media to share their reactions.

In this blog, we’ll share 6 of our favourite 2023 Super Bowl adverts and look at why they were such a success with Gen Z.

Let’s get stuck in…

Fenty x Rihanna

A lot of Gen Zers joke about only watching the Super Bowl for the halftime show, and this has never been more true for this Super Bowl LVII…

@amanda_furey

After extensive research this is what our predictions are #templeuniversity #superbowl #gobirds

♬ original sound – Amanda Furey

Everything about Rihanna’s halftime show was iconic: her outfit, performance, her baby bump – we’re obsessed.

Rihanna also showed her calibre not only as an artist, but as a business woman too. During a short transition break in the middle of her performance, Rihanna touched up her makeup with one of her own makeup brand products.

Those seemingly minor yet instrumental few seconds saw her promote Fenty Beauty’s Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder to a massive 118.7 million live viewers. Queen sh*t.

After the performance, Google searches for Fenty Beauty increased by 833%, whilst her halftime show on YouTube has gained over 45 million views.

If you missed it (and we’d be shocked if so!), or just want to relive the excitement, you can watch Rihanna’s performance below.

Clueless stays timeless

Clueless might’ve been a millennial movie, but Gen Z’s love for it has transcended time. This year, Ratuken partnered with Alicia Silverstone as she reprised her iconic role as Cher Horowitz for a special super bowl commercial.

In the past week, Rakuten’s commercial has gained over 26 million views on YouTube and has been labelled an iconic super bowl 2023 commercial.

Alicia Silverstone, despite admitting to never ‘dabbling in the TikTok world’, has since been the subject of a few fan edits – a true sign of Gen Z endorsement!

Maya Rudolph becomes M&M’s Chief of Fun

Remember when M&Ms became the unlikely subjects of a culture war? Well, if you’re not familiar, it all started over a pair of shoes (yes, really).

Last year, M&M’s unveiled a new look for their beloved candies, which saw the go-go boots ditched in favour of sensible trainers. Whilst the intention was to give the candies a modern and inclusive look, the outcome was… unprecedented. Many people had unsavoury opinions, whilst memes and controversy alike exploded. 

This year, however, M&M’s showed their sense of humour by appointing comedy legend Maya Rudolph their official spokesperson (or ‘Chief of Fun’ to be precise). Rudolph hilariously rebrands by printing her face on the M&M’s, taking the M&M characters as hostage. Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV2ARgWiGok

Bud Light teams up with the Tellers

Missed seeing Miles Teller on your screen? Don’t fear – he’s back, this time partnering with the iconic beer brand, Budweiser, for their 2023 Super Bowl commercial. The Super Bowl has long gone hand-in-hand with a cold beer, so as you can imagine, Teller was thrilled to have been asked to appear in this campaign, sharing in People magazine that “when Bud Light wanted us to be a part of the Super Bowl commercial, that’s the top of the mountain as far as these things go”.

This commercial gave Gen Zers a snapshot into life behind closed doors for this private couple – and they loved it.


Ben Affleck becomes Dunkin Donuts’ latest employee

“Instead of wondering what could have been, we started wondering what could have Ben”. This caption on the Dunkin Donut Instagram page feels a little cryptic, right?

Well, in case you didn’t know, Ben Affleck is a known lover of iced coffee and the Dunkin Donut brand.

…So, who better to choose as an official ambassador (slash employee…) for the 2023 Super Bowl commercial?!

The brand partnered up with Affleck to surprise customers at a Dunkin drive-thru in Affleck’s hometown. Affleck took on the role as server, greeting many shocked customers as they queued for their confectionary essentials. This joyously wholesome skit even featured a cameo from his IRL wife, Jennifer Lopez.

J-Lo and Ben Affleck have long been #CoupleGoals for Gen Z, who revelled in seeing a goofier side to this couple.

If anyone needs us, we’ll be watching the out-takes from the commercial…

e.l.f. Cosmetics gets sticky with Jennifer Coolidge

Let’s just say 2023 is Jennifer Coolidge’s year. Fans loved her role on popular show ‘The White Lotus’ resulting in her winning her first Golden Globe and becoming Harvard’s Woman of the Year. Now, Coolidge has officially partnered with e.l.f to promote their Power Grip Primer in their 2023 Super Bowl commercial.

In true form, she brought her signature humour to the advert.

Coolidge was a fitting ambassador for the brand, who are big animal rights activists, working heavily on the principles that make-up should be affordable for everyone. Coolidge shared that she’s owned her e.l.f. makeup brushes “forever”, and that the longevity of the products is “unbelievable”.

The online buzz was palpable, with many sharing their excitement at Coolidge’s appointment as ambassador.

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