What Worked, What Didn’t, and What Comes Next
I didn’t care who won the game — I was cheering for the AI ads to finally deliver on the promise of creative innovation.
This felt like the moment — the biggest creative stage in advertising — where generative AI could finally show up with clarity, imagination, and brand intelligence. Instead, I found myself confused, underwhelmed, and oddly disconnected.
I spent the next day reading reviews, watching replays, and looking for what I might have missed.
Turns out: I didn’t miss much.
AI-related commercials dominated Super Bowl LX, accounting for nearly a quarter of the pre-released ads. The investment was massive. The results? Polarizing at best — and, in many cases, creatively hollow.
Where AI Advertising Worked
A few brands stood out because they did something deceptively simple: they respected storytelling and brand strategy first.
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Google (“New Home”) used Gemini to tell a warm, human story. AI wasn’t the spectacle — it was the helper. The use case was clear, emotional, and grounded in everyday life.
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Anthropic (“Claude”) differentiated itself with a bold, almost old-school advertising move: positioning. “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude.” Clear promise. Clear values. Clear brand.
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Amazon (“Alexa+”) leaned into humor and celebrity to soften AI anxiety, though even here critics noted the lack of a concrete demo.
These ads worked because AI served the idea — not the other way around.
Where AI Advertising Fell Apart
Many other spots suffered from what critics called “aesthetic anonymity” — visually busy, conceptually thin, and emotionally vacant.
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Ai.com left viewers unsure what the product even was.
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Meta’s AI-forward athletic spots ranked near the bottom of viewer polls.
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Svedka, despite claiming the first “primarily AI-generated” Super Bowl ad, drew backlash for unsettling, sloppy visuals that distracted from the brand entirely.
In these cases, AI felt like a shortcut rather than a creative amplifier.
The Bigger Issue: Strategy Lagged Behind the Tools
What struck me most wasn’t that AI was used — it’s that AI was used without clear creative direction.
We’re at a moment where generative tools are astonishingly powerful, but power without intention produces noise. Many brands seemed eager to signal AI adoption rather than communicate meaning.
The result?
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Confusing messaging
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Generic visuals
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A sense that AI was the headline, not the brand
This echoes something we’ve seen before. The “Crypto Bowl” era taught us that novelty fades fast when storytelling is weak. AI is now hitting that same reckoning.
Engagement Isn’t the Same as Trust
Interestingly, even poorly rated ads generated spikes in engagement and search traffic. But engagement doesn’t equal understanding — and it definitely doesn’t equal trust.
Worse, public suspicion is rising. Brands that didn’t use AI were accused of “AI slop” anyway, signaling a growing cultural mistrust around synthetic media.
This matters. Once audiences stop believing what they see, the creative contract breaks.
Creative Advice for AI-Driven Commercials (Going Forward)
If brands want AI advertising to evolve past this awkward phase, here’s what needs to change:
1. Start with the Idea, Not the Model
AI should serve a creative concept, not generate one by default. If the idea isn’t strong without AI, AI won’t save it.
2. Make the Value Obvious
In 30 seconds, viewers should understand what this does for them. Magic without meaning is just spectacle.
3. Use AI Invisibly
The best AI use often isn’t noticeable. When AI feels invisible, it feels trustworthy.
4. Respect Brand Voice
AI tends to average things out. It’s the creative team’s job to sharpen edges, preserve tone, and protect identity.
5. Human Direction Is Non-Negotiable
AI doesn’t replace creative leadership — it demands more of it. Strong direction, editing, and taste matter more than ever.
AI didn’t fail at the Super Bowl
But creativity took a hit when speed, novelty, and technical flexing replaced clarity, emotion, and brand truth.
The opportunity is still wide open — but the next era of AI advertising will belong to brands that treat AI not as a gimmick, but as a collaborator in service of a real story.
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