The Super Bowl is not just about football–it's a cultural event where brands battle for attention with high-budget, creative, and sometimes bizarre commercials. This year's lineup featured everything from nostalgia to strange, with about 45 minutes of unforgettable imagery. Below, we have highlighted our top five greatest and worst commercials and our take on recurring themes defining this year's Super Bowl ads.

The Top 5 Greatest Super Bowl Commercials

1. Ram: Ram delivered an engaging and humorous twist on the classic Goldilocks tale featuring actor Glen Powell. The commercial focused on finding the "just right" balance in a truck, appealing to audiences who value power and luxury. It was clever, entertaining, and effectively showcased the product's features without feeling forced.

2. Instacart: Instacart went all-in on nostalgia and reliability, featuring various familiar characters in a fun and energetic ad. The message was clear: shopping with Instacart is quick and easy and brings all your favorites straight to your door. This commercial hit the sweet spot of being entertaining while reinforcing its brand message.

3. Doritos: Doritos nailed it again with its signature humor. This year's ad featured an alien abducting someone for their Doritos and an unforgettable Dorito-covered finger in the mouth. The message was simple: everyone craves Doritos, and you can't stop once you have one. It was weird, innovative, fun, and on-brand.

4. Nike: In its first Super Bowl ad in 27 years, Nike struck an emotional chord with a powerful commercial featuring women athletes. The ad challenged societal expectations with a message of empowerment: You can't do it...so be all of it. It resonated deeply, inspiring viewers and reminding them of Nike's core values of perseverance and achievement for ALL athletes.

5. Poppi: Poppi took a light-hearted approach to its soda alternatives, telling viewers to "stop spiraling, get a Poppi." The ad made choosing a better-for-you soda seem effortless and fun. It was catchy and vibrant, effectively positioning Poppi as the easy and obvious choice.

The Bottom 5 Worst Super Bowl Commercials

1. Tubi: Tubi's ad featured a character with an oversized cowboy hat, representing his love for movies. While the intent was to showcase Tubi's vast selection, viewers mostly walked away remembering the bizarre head rather than the brand's message—the unsettling imagery detracted from the ad's effectiveness.

2. Mountain Dew: Mountain Dew's attempt at humor featured a seal singing, but it fell flat. While quirky, the ad lacked a clear connection to the product and failed to leave a lasting positive impression. Instead, it just felt like a strange gimmick with no real takeaway.

3. Dunkin': This ad tried to do too much at once, leaving viewers overwhelmed. The visuals were chaotic, and the product itself didn't look appealing. Sometimes, less is more, and this commercial proved that throwing everything into one ad doesn't always work.

4. Hims & Hers: This commercial started strong but quickly turned controversial. It positioned itself against other weight-loss drugs while promoting its own, even though it isn't fully FDA-approved. The message came across as contradictory and left viewers feeling uneasy.

5.Bud Light: Bud Light, known for delivering standout Super Bowl ads, failed to inspire this year. The commercial lacked creativity, emotional pull, or humor–making it one of the most forgettable ads of the night.

Other Recurring Themes in This Year's Ads

1. Aliens: With the rise of social media and AI, audiences are embracing more surreal and abstract storytelling. Several brands leaned into this—Doritos' alien abduction and Totino's bizarre Chazmo Goes Home ad is the few that come to mind that tapped into the aliens to grab your attention.

2. Mature Women: While we can all agree many ads featured women, a significantly higher number of this year's ads featured strong, even sassy women in the 55+ category. Brands like WeatherTech and TickPick killed with their portrayal of women in their golden years embracing technology and living out loud.

3. Social Justice: Brands leaned into messaging that tackled societal issues, such as Nike's empowering message, Dove's calling attention to discouraging stats around girls' sports, and even the NFL weighing in by announcing its commitment to women's football. Whether through casting or content, many commercials used their Super BowlLIX opportunity to show their audience exactly where they stand.

This year's Super Bowl commercials brought a mix of hits and misses, with standout brands making a lasting impact whileothers missed the mark. The biggest takeaways? Nostalgia, empowerment, and a touch of comic relief ruled the night. Whether you laughed, cringed, or felt inspired, these ads proved that the Super Bowl is still a formidable battleground for brands to reacha captive audience.