The commercials were pretty dull this year, largely because we don’t have any universally beloved celebrities anymore.  Getting someone famous and likable to do something cute used to be the easiest way to create a great Super Bowl commercials but now, hardly anyone is likable and even most celebrities are only famous with a niche audience.  Humor, which used to be a key part of most good Super Bowl commercials, fell out of fashion in 2017 and, even though most people have moved on from that weird time, the advertising world still hasn’t quite recovered.  The use of AI isn’t helping.  For instance, this year, Dunkin Doughnuts tried to do a commercial with a bunch of old sitcom stars.  Usually, you would think that would work but the de-aging technology made the entire thing feel like a zombie movie.

Really, there’s only one non-movie commercial that really struck my fancy this year and it’s from Budweiser.  I don’t even drink but I do love horses, I love majestic birds, and I love classic Lynard Skynard.  Also, it should be noted that the eagle at the end of the commercial was not AI.  He’s an actual eagle by the name of Lincoln.  This commercial is called “American Idols” and it definitely deserves the title.

The Super Bowl was bland this year and I have a feeling that’s going to be the state of things for a while.  But this commercial definitely brought tears to my eyes.  This is what Super Bowl commercials are supposed to be all about.