MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Now that we know the Eagles won, taking home the title for the first time in history and leaving fans sitting in pools of sweaty angst throughout the Big Game, let’s talk about the fun part: commercials. This is the stuff worth watching because, whether its nightmare-inducing like the 2016 Mountain Dew Puppy Monkey Baby or tactfully-inspiring and iconic like the 1992 Pepsi that was drunk by Cindy Crawford, we at AndNowUKnow are here for it and ready to report on the drool-worthy advertisements of this year’s event.

Here are our top 5:

Doritos and Mountain Dew

Well, this commercial taps into just about every pop culture want and need. Game of Thrones? Check. Early 2000s hip hop? Check. Morgan Freeman? Check. Peter Dinklage made his way through an avenue of chairs backlit by fireplace bursts while munching on Blaze flavored Doritos as he raps Busta Rhymes’ lyrics in “Look at Me Now” and strutting his way toward the camera. The first half of the commercial is stamped with the Blaze hashtag #SpitFire, only to trail into the second half of the commercial where Morgan Freeman is met with opposite, icy temperatures with his Mountain Dew Ice. Freeman raps his way through Missy Elliott’s “Get Yo Freak on,” before the camera cuts to an icy cold Mountain Dew Ice alongside the hashtag #IceCold. The two actors meet at the end, when fire meets ice.

Amazon

My reasoning for this is pick, though it wasn’t exactly food-focused, is the imminent influence it has on our industry. The e-commerce titan taps into its Alexa for a fun and friendly reminder that Amazon’s home is, in fact, your home, and if she falters… well, chaos ensues. Rare are the days when I am met with a laugh-out-loud commercial, but lo and behold, Amazon pulled out all the stops. Consumers asking Alexa their daily questions are met with professionals who, like Cardi B, don’t know the answers or, like Gordon Ramsay, who offer terrible advice. The point here was to reinforce the ways in which Amazon’s Alexa helps lives run more smoothly, how Amazon has become an irreplaceable part of our day.

M&M’s

Wow! Words cannot explain how excited I was to see this Danny DeVito star as the Red M&M. Dreams do come true…or maybe it was the lucky penny I picked up before the game. The use of such a powerhouse funny-man made M&M’s more exciting, fun, and, surprisingly, young.

Jack in the Box

Working in the food industry in any capacity has you thoroughly familiar with Martha Stewart, but it looks like someone has a bone to pick with the homesteading genius. Jack from Jack in the Box confronts Stewart after she tries to downplay the recipes fast food companies offer, only to be met with an equally determined Stewart who takes off her earrings before a battle-of-the-food emerges. The commercial ends with a brilliantly positioned hashtag for consumers to latch onto: #JackVsMartha. Who will win?

Kraft Heinz

Ok now, this was a masterclass in consumer engagement. The company released a commercial before the event, clueing consumers into the opportunity to send in their own Super Bowl experiences. What they debuted during the game, then, was a series of images and videos, which the company explained, “showed us thousands of ways to family.” The message made its way through fun pictures and videos of kids dancing, families laughing and gathered round. What better way to enter the homes of consumers than highlight their Big Game festivities?

How will these commercials push our industry forward? Will there be more developments for Alexa—maybe more companies coming out with their own version? Will companies continue to engage with their consumers like Kraft, using consumers’ experiences and voices to lead the way? Will Danny DeVito ever return to his red candy-coated shell? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the latest developments in our industry and the advertisements that influence it!