Super Bowl LI turned out to be one heck of a game, and so did the various ads that were lucky enough to secure coveted air time throughout the evening.
It’s widely known that major advertising dollars are spent for the mere seconds provided to companies who produce arguably their best content of the year. And this year the running theme seemed to be about one thing, fighting back.
A handful of ads sported stories about immigration, multiculturalism, and what’s in store for the next 4 years. Some were comical, others were worthy of an Oscar nomination and a box of tissues.
Here are some of the best Super Bowl LI commercials that aired last night.
Budweiser’s “Born the Hard Way”
The ad depicts the intense journey Adolphus Busch, co-founder of Anheuser Busch, took to get to America from his native Germany. Busch is shown as a young man enduring the struggles of coming over to America and being met with hateful rhetoric. The ad concludes with Busch meeting Anheuser in a bar as the two discuss Busch’s American dream of making beer. Budweiser claimed the ad was not meant to take a political stance on any policy.
Coca Cola’s “It’s Beautiful”
This ad aired for the first time during the 2014 Super Bowl and was met with scrutiny. The ad starts with “America the Beautiful” playing as numerous people sing the song in various languages. Images of people from all over the world are played as each one share a common thread, enjoying a Coca Cola. The ad plays up the beauty of diversity and inclusivity while being a real tear jerker.
84 Lumber’s Border Wall Ad
Perhaps the most controversial ad of the night was from 84 Lumber, a building and materials supply company in Pennsylvania, who’s ad showed a mother and daughter’s journey to America from Mexico. The original ad was deemed too controversial, and Fox opted for the shorter version to air. In response to their full version being denied, the company decided to put it on their website. The full ad shows the duo crossing lands in the hopes of making it to a better place only to arrive at the border to find a massive wall.
It’s A 10 Haircare’s Bad Hair Ad
Maybe one of the most comical ads of last night was from a company called It’s A 10, who manufactures haircare products. The ad begins with a voiceover of a man’s voice saying, “America, we’re in for at least 4 years of awful hair.” Black and white shotes of people and their unique hairstyles play as the commercial explains how it’s up to all of us to make up for bad hair with better hair.