Regardless of your political beliefs, it was impossible to ignore the overriding message of unity, equality, and inclusion stressed Sunday in this year’s crop of Super Bowl ads.
Feeling all these commericals dedicated to acceptance, equality and progress. This is American. #Superbowl #SuperBowlCommercials
— Megan Carlisle (@megsraye) February 6, 2017
And:
Do you guys realize that just about every #SuperBowl commercial is about all of us being #StrongerTogether?!
I am loving all this #Love!
— yvette nicole brown (@YNB) February 6, 2017
At least seven commercials encouraged viewers to look past party lines and learn to embrace different races, cultures, religions, and beliefs.
For instance, the Audi ad trumpeted women’s rights while the Michelin, Coca-Cola, Turkish Airlines, and Airbnb spots embraced global diversity and commonalities:
While many viewed the ads as a way to push past America’s divisiveness, others saw them as an attack on President Donald Trump.
We are living in a time where the bulk of SUPER BOWl commericals are a direct rebuttal of a sitting US President's policies. Crazy times.
— Shannon (@Shannondf) February 6, 2017
Plus:
This is where we are as a country: any commercial that celebrates American values is interpreted as an insult to the President.
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) February 6, 2017
The 84 Lumber commercial for instance showed that a proposed wall separating America from Mexico could still create a way to embrace immigrants with the help of the right individuals.
And an Anheuser-Busch spot showed that immigrants have always been unwelcomed in America, but persevered despite such prejudices:
In response, The Wire and Treme creator David Simon sarcastically tweeted:
So Monday is drinking so much Bud that I need to call Lyft to take me to Nordstrom where I corner a salesman and demand 84 Lumber products.
— David Simon (@AoDespair) February 6, 2017
But is that a direct dig at Trump? Depends on whom you ask. Meanwhile, the It’s a 10 hair care ad left no room for casual interpretation.
The commercial not only insulted Trump’s hair, it delighted in doing so and many on Twitter loved every minute of it. Rotten Tomatoes’ Editor-in-Chief Matt Atchity (live tweeting the game on the RT handle) declared it the best Super Bowl LI spot of the night:
That shampoo ad from "It's a 10" is the best commercial of the #Superbowl so far.
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) February 6, 2017
But it wasn’t all politics as usual. Some commercials avoided partisan drama and gave us all the cute babies, animals, celebrities, and laughs we could stand.
For instance, Buick turned to NFL star quarterback Cam Newton and supermodel Miranda Kerr, while Kia relied on comedic actress Melissa McCarthy, and T-Mobile teamed up with a gang of big names including pop star Justin Bieber:
For pop culture fans looking to get their TV and movie fixes, Netflix rolled out the highly anticipated teaser for season 2 of Stranger Things and Disney gave us a taste of the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Stranger Things will return on Halloween — and at one point the teaser trended on Twitter — and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is slated for Memorial Day weekend.
Although 52 percent of Rotten Tomatoes’ readers on Twitter decided the trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is “rotten,” 48 percent at the time of this post declared it “fresh.”
What did you think of the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales trailer?
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) February 6, 2017
To see every Super Bowl movie ad — including Baywatch (“Freedom!”), John Wick: Chapter 2, Logan, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and more — click here.
What did you think about the Super Bowl LI commercials? Tell us about your favorites in the comments.
