It’s hard to believe, but just like that, another Super Bowl has come and gone. A lot of money has come and gone, too. Advertisers paid their ad agencies millions of dollars for the creation and production of their Super Bowl spots, and millions more to Fox Sports – about 8 million more – for the thirty seconds of airtime to broadcast their brilliance.

That investment gives the advertiser the potential of reaching about 120 million people, hoping every single one of these consumers sees their commercial. The odds are pretty good that will happen, unless the viewer uses that commercial break to finally visit the bathroom, or to hit the kitchen and throw another couple of slices of salami on their six-foot hero. Barring those distractions, it’s a safe bet that zillions of people will see their commercial.

So, how did this year’s ads stack up? Well, we had the usual roster of celebrity endorsers, more AI spots, and a classic movie scene reworked into a commercial for mayonnaise. There was the usual attempt to sell with humor, (some nailed it – some missed) and most every ad accomplished what it was supposed to do: build awareness of the advertisers’ product or service.

Since creating advertising is what I do for a living, I have intimate knowledge of just how difficult it is to do. Producing a relatively low-budget commercial brings with it its own set of nightmares. Now imagine what it’s like to be responsible for your clients’ multi-million dollar you-only-get-one-shot Super Bowl investment. Lots of respect and kudos to my fellow creatives who produced this year’s group of spots. Here, in no particular order are my top five:

Hex Clad – “Unidentified Frying Object” – Gordon Ramsay as himself, and Pete Davidson as an Alien Ambassador, team up in this “out there,” funny spot for Hex Clad. I didn’t know their cookware was made from material from an alien spacecraft…

Michelob Ultra – “Ultra Hustle” – Actors Willem Defoe and Catherine O’Hara hustle pro-athletes in a pickleball tournament. The prize? Michelob Ultra. Defoe and O’Hara are brilliant as the devious hustlers, and the concept works to solidify Ultra’s brand appeal. Game. Set. Match…

Stella Artois – “David and Dave” – Matt Damon and David Beckham are brothers? Long-separated twins who both drink Stella Artois? Well, in this spot they are, and their chemistry is fabulous. It’s as if they were brothers…

GoDaddy – “Walton Goggins” – How can you not like this guy? In this spot, the actor explains how, as a small business owner, he has no idea what he’s doing. Luckily for him GoDaddy Airo does, and has some cool, AI powered tools to help entrepreneurs like him with his new product – Walton Goggins Goggle Glasses…

Budweiser – “First Delivery”– I’m a sucker for those Clydesdales. And this is another typically heartwarming story, beautifully filmed, that features a Clydesdale foal who’s too young to make deliveries, but proves himself quite capable of stealing the show…