By Tom Cottingham
Features Editor
Everybody has already heard of the heroic (or in some fans’ case, annoying) performance by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to comeback from a 28-3 deficit to win the Super Bowl. The game itself is the reason why millions of Americans watch the annual showdown every year, but the entertaining commercials and breathtaking musical performances make them come back for more. This year is no exception.
This year, a 30-second Super Bowl ad cost over $5 million, according to the New York Times. This year’s ads brought out the best comedy, controversy and heart-warming moments that cooperate America has to offer.
The “winning” company this year for Super Bowl ads has to go to T-Mobile. The cell phone company had four commercials during the big game, and each one was funny, clever and dazzling. Their first commercial stars pop singer Justin Bieber, who has a dance off against a caveman version of Patriot tight end Rob Gronkowski and retired wide receiver Terrell Owens. The next two commercials feature actress Kristen Schaal, who talks “dirty” to Verizon reps when they mention more fees and charges. The ad ends with the quote “Wireless pain is fine, if you’re into that sorta thing.” Their last, and best, commercial has rapper Snoop Dogg and television personality Martha Stewart. Stewart hilariously goes back and forth with the rapper with puns relating to marijuana, including the terms “can of bisque” and a (cooking) pot.
Although T-Mobile is crowned as best ads this year, there were still some great commercials from other companies. One of the biggest hype-boosting commercials in this year’s Super Bowl comes from Netflix. The video streaming company released a teaser for a sequel to its original, critically acclaimed program Stranger Things. Coca-Cola released an ad titled “Together is Beautiful,” that shows diversity in America in a beautifully filmed commercial, that of course shows everyone drinking a Coke.
84 Lumber had its first ever Super Bowl ad air last Sunday, but the 30-second commercial stirred some controversy. The ad shows immigrants traveling (from what seems to be Mexico) to a new place, but is confronted by a wall. This fired up political bashes from both sides, but USA Today reported that the 84 Lumber owner is a pro-wall Trump supporter.
Backing away from commercials, the halftime show this year also focused on an American togetherness theme by Lady Gaga. Gaga had 310 drones fly in the air, colored red, white and blue, to illustrate an American flag in the sky. She sang “God Bless America” and “This Land is Your Land” before jumping off the roof and onto the stage to perform “Edge of Glory.”
Gaga sang many of her most popular songs, including “Poker Face,” “Just Dance,” “Born this Way” and “Bad Romance.” One of her not-so-well-known songs, “Million Reasons,” which is from her new album Joanne, was one of the best of the night. Her passion and talent of singing shined hugely during this slow, poetic song.
As another Super Bowl comes and goes, this one will be remembered for the breathtaking game, but also the background theme of bringing America together from the ads and halftime performance.
