Sunday night and into Monday morning, folks weren’t just talking about J Lo and Shakira’s half-time performance. They were also discussing their favorite commercials from the bowl. In fact, about 24% of people say that the Super Bowl commercials are the most important part of the big game, according to a study done by the National Retail Federation.

But does a memorable ad make for the best commercial? I mean, if your audience didn’t remember your product was it really worth spending multiple millions to have an ad?

Here were some of the Maltshop’s faves and takeaways from the big game.

Faves

5. Bud Light Seltzer with Post Malone - Hard Seltzer is a rising player in the adult beverage market, and Bud Light capitalized on this with their Super Bowl ad. In the ad, Post Malone enters a convenience store and is faced with an inner struggle about whether to get classic Bud Light or try the new seltzer. His inner struggle is manifested in a physical struggle with himself until he remembers that he’s rich and can just have both. Post Malone was the perfect person for this commercial because of his diametrically opposed outer appearance and his laid-back singing voice. To make this ad better, they showed the tattooed guys from the commercial in the crowd at the game for an additional reminder.

4. Rocket Mortgage with Jason Momoa - Jason Momoa just wants to feel at home in his skin. In this commercial, Rocket Mortgage wants its customers to feel the same and showcase that Momoa is completely different at home when he’s relaxed. To feel more safe and relaxed, get a mortgage with Rocket Mortgage. We loved that this commercial showed a different side of the actor and included his real life wife, Lisa Bonet.

3. Jeep with Bill Murray - This play on the iconic movie Groundhog Day showcased the Jeep Gladiator in classic, outdoor, rugged scenes, while also being playful and memorable. It was great product placement and timing, as the Big Game was played on Groundhog Day.

2. Cool Ranch Doritos Showdown with Sam Elliot and Lil Nas X - Old Town Road was arguably the biggest song of the year, so including Lil Nas X in their commercial, was a no-brainer for Doritos. This commercial played off the storylines of an old western showdown and a dance off, featuring the young rapper and actor Sam Elliot, who probably has the coolest voice of anyone on screen. The ad had humor, great music, product placement and the ever important cool factor.

1. Alexa with Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi - While Ellen and Portia were only in the ad for a few seconds, the storyline behind “What did people do before Alexa” was hilarious! On top of the humor throughout time using very memorable historical moments and periods, you also heard the name of the product over and over again, hammering home what it was about without having to see the product for very long. Amazon did a great job, of course!

Some key takeaways and things we noticed:

1. There were a lot of brand team-ups this year. From Bud Light and Tide (odd match) to Mr. Peanut, Mr. Clean and Mr. Kool-aid (all the misters?), brand groupings were everywhere! Procter and Gamble put so many of their brands in one commercial that I lost count (the Head and Shoulders, Sofia Vergara, Bounty, Charmin extravangaza!)

2. Diversity and inclusion were big themes this year. Many brands used this ad time to showcase their inclusivity initiatives especially ones around the LGBTQ crowd. Sabra had drag queens eating hummus; Doritos had Lil Nas X on a dancing horse; and Pop Tarts had Jonathan Van Ness; and Alexa had Ellen and Portia.

3. Social justice issues were a major theme as well this year. From the president and a candidate for president bringing their platforms to the forefront during the bowl to KIA discussing Josh Jacobs’ rise out of homelessness to Microsoft Surface praising Katie Sowers for being the first female coach in a Super Bowl, humanity’s highs and lows were on full display.

We at the Maltshop always look forward to the Big Game to see what our ad colleagues come up with next. And shameless plug alert: we were so excited to see the Avocados from Mexico commercial with Molly Ringwald this year, after having met the brains behind the digital strategy of the Avocados team at Advent10n in Shreveport last year. Great job, Jorge and Francisco! We really want to buy a helmet for our avocados now…