From the halftime performance to the game itself, Super Bowl LIII was full of mixed reviews. One thing we know for certain, we’re big fans of the game outcome. As for the TV spots, check out our four CTPicks for best Super Bowl commercials below.

Stella Artois “Change Up The Usual”

Kevin Redmond – VP, Director of Growth & Innovation

I haven’t seen anything “Epic” yet, like Ram’s “God Made A Farmer”.  So I’ll go with funny, and give a nod to Stella for the Big Lebowski cameo.  I’m not saying this ad plays off an intrinsic human truth. But it gets my attention by using characters who we love, and it leverages their cred (and willingness to stray from their signature cocktails) to promote Stella.  So given the lack of another spot that really struck a visceral chord with me or broke new ground, I’m going with Lebowski. The Dude Abides.

Verizon’s “The Team That Wouldn’t Be Here”

Lindsey Campbell – Associate Creative Director

Verizon’s “The Team That Wouldn’t Be Here” made me feel something. And it was smart. Using real football players who made it through bad accidents thanks to first responders just made sense for when this was airing. And the tie to Verizon was stronger than I thought it was going to be while I was watching. Because they’re “America’s Most Reliable Network,” it makes you feel good knowing the most important call you might ever make will go through and potentially save a life. I give it two thumbs up, and two tears rolling down my face.

Amazon Alexa “Not Everything Makes the Cut”

Mark Bappe – VP, Creative Director

Alexa has become such a part of everyone’s everyday vernacular from every home in middle America to Southern California.  While everyone else is trotting out the biggest stars they can find, I like how Lucky Generals seamlessly integrated some star-power into the idea that there were some bad ideas that didn’t “make the cut.” Harrison Ford and Forest Whitaker, two unexpected Hollywood heavyweights playing themselves, added to the power of this ad. Though I wish they had taken a page from the nostalgia of Stella Artois spot and given us Han Solo and Jefferson from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. (Kidding, Forrest in his jammies is funny.)

The best part was how they keep coming back to the storyline of Harrison Ford and his obstinate pooch being affected by the misses. Or maybe I just like the award-winning performance from the Boston Terrier. Atta boy.

T-Mobile Texts

Yeliza Centeio – Associate Media Director

While other brands are using their ads to take a stand and draw emotions out of viewers, T-Mobile took to humor and made the brand feel relevant to younger viewers. You can tell that they took the time to understand what resonates with their audience, what type of videos are going viral and why, and then mimicked them as part of an ad campaign that extended beyond just a Super Bowl TV spot.