For the second straight year, USA TODAY Ad Meter has welcomed creative minds and future marketing and business management maestros from universities and colleges to weigh in on the national Super Bowl commercials. As part of the marketing spotlight program, the movers and shakers of tomorrow let their voices be heard today.
It’s a debut for Suffolk University, a private research school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school had students from the Sawyer Business School Sports Management Program rate this year’s Super Bowl commercials while noting what worked and didn’t meet Big Game expectations.
As part of the Super Bowl commercial conversations that overtake the pop-culture mindset well after the game, the students have lifted the curtain on their thoughts about advertising’s biggest night in 2025.
How did the collective opinions compare to the overall Ad Meter ratings?
Suffolk University steps into the Marketing Spotlight.
Suffolk Top 5
1. Michelob Ultra, “The ULTRA Hustle”
2. Instacart, “We’re Here”
3. Bud Light, “Big Men on Cul-De-Sac”
4. Hellmann’s, “When Sally Met Hellmann’s”
5. Coors Light, “Slow Monday”
Suffolk Bottom 5
1. Coffee mate, “Foam Diva”
2. Poppi, “Soda Thoughts”
3. Hims & Hers, “Sick of the System”
4. Pringles, “Call of the Mustaches”
5. DoorDash, “DashPass Math”
What worked?
Michelob Ultra’s 60-second spot received the highest amount of positive feedback from the Suffolk University students, with the Anheuser-Busch brand landing at the top of the list with a mix of creative elements that caught (and kept) their attention.
“[I] enjoyed the intensity, looseness, and use of celebrities that made it seem like Ultra is one of a kind beer,” noted one student, while another added that they “loved the comedy aspects, along with how enjoyable it was to watch. Catherine O’Hara and Willem Dafoe made a perfect pair!”
First-time Super Bowl advertiser Instacart brought a grocery bag’s worth of commercial superstars to the Big Game lineup and delivered with the brand’s “We’re Here” campaign. While the All-Star cast of Kool-Aid Man, Jolly Green Giant, Mr. Clean, Puppy Monkey Baby, and more finished outside the overall top 10, the creative combinations were a hit with the students.
On the 30-second spot landing a No. 2 on this list, one student noted how they “enjoyed all the activations and famous icons being used” while also adding that Instacart made the best of the mere seconds a brand has to make an impact: “It was very quick and to the point while also showing company’s purpose.”
Coming in at No. 3 for the Suffolk collective, Shane Gillis, Post Malone, and Peyton Manning’s twist on the neighborhood block party for Bud Light had all the inventive elements of a top-tier Super Bowl ad, another impactful blend of star power that complemented the production value of the campaign.
Hellmanns’ also landed among the students’ most favorable spots, a nostalgic collision of ’80s legends and current pop culture in the “When Sally Met Hellmann’s” creative.
Rounding out the top of the list, some very relatable sloths battled the post-Super Bowl “Mondays” in the clever commercial from Coors Light.
What didn’t work?
Mixed messaging, a missed punchline, whatever the case — not all Super Bowl commercials strike advertising gold … or even silver or bronze. For every Big Game advertising win, there are a handful of commercial flops.
The national lineup in Super Bowl 59 didn’t disprove that premise.
Several of the commercials that finished near the bottom of the Ad Meter ratings also landed in Suffolk University’s least-favorable category.
The 30-second spot from Coffee mate earned the unfavorable distinction atop of the collective’s list, with one student noting the creative “was quite weird and there could have been a ton of different approaches the company could have taken for this ad.” Echoing that feedback, another student pointed out that, while plenty of people were talking about the dancing tongue, it “doesn’t really tie in with the actual product.”
Also missing the mark, the “Sick of the System” campaign from Hims & Hers had a negative impact on the students. On the disagreeable elements, one student explained that “informing 127 million people of a broken industry and proceeding to promote an FDA unregulated product does not make for a good commercial, and does even worse for brand image.”
Another student added: “Hims & Hers ad seemed to miss for me due to them claiming the healthcare system to be broken, then promoting their healthcare drug right after.”
The overall takeaway from the Super Bowl 59 commercial run?
Suffolk University students were another group that provided a remarkable mix of critique and insight into the pop-culture staples that now fetch $8 million for 30 seconds.
Overall, the collective provided feedback that mirrored the final Ad Meter ratings while also pivoting from the general consensus and allowing the viewpoints of the next generation to shine through as brightly as the limelight associated with Super Bowl marketing.
USA TODAY Ad Meter would like to thank Suffolk University for participating in the 2025 Marketing Spotlight, with a special note of gratitude to Professor Skip Perham.
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