As 2017’s NFL championship played out on the field, the bigger-money game was taking place between the plays. Here is a look at the best, the worst and the just OK, our review of the Super Bowl ads that sponsors paid more than $5 million per 30 seconds to air.
Budweiser, B+
Instead of presenting another lost puppy improbably saved by Clydesdales, Anheuser-Busch this year plays it much less safe in its big storytelling spot. It tells the tale of founder Adolphus Busch emigrating to St. Louis and meeting Eberhard Anheuser, after first encountering Americans who tell him to “go home,” The boldness of this pro-immigration message, at this moment in our country, makes up for a narrative that’s only moderately compelling.