TV’s most memorable ads are aired on Super Bowl Sunday

BY MAUREEN CALLAHAN

“People are usually annoyed by advertising. But one day a year, they love it.” – Soraya Faber, SVP, Executive Account Director of McCann New York

It’s the big day! The dips are made, the chili is simmering, and the beer is icing down in the cooler. Chalk talk is over, oddsmakers have determined the over/under, and pregame rituals are in full swing. But this annual slice of Americana is not only a rivalry of the NFL’s best football teams. With the most expensive airtime at stake, competition among advertisers is every bit as fierce! It’s GO TIME!

Let’s face it—millions tune in to the big game just to watch the ads. And with $8 million on the line every thirty seconds, you can bet advertisers bring their A-game! “People are usually annoyed by advertising,” said Soraya Faber, Downers Grove resident and SVP and Executive Account Director of McCann New York. “But one day a year, they love it.”

Today, every second counts.

Just one clever and memorable spot (ad) represents a myriad of moving parts that are the work of hundreds of people over many months. Making one is a process often set in motion right after the end of the annual game.

Soraya Faber (far right) after the Verizon Cable Guy Ad with Jim Carrey (2020) wrapped.

Soraya is one of the first people clients consult when they want to make an ad for the big game. “I sit down with a client, for example, Verizon, and help them determine what they want to say and what will be the key takeaways when their ad is blasted out to such a huge audience,” she said. “Is there a new product or service they want to focus on? What will the audience find compelling?”

“So much of what can be included relies on two budgets,” said Natalie Schrimpl, Director of Business Affairs at Publicis Production (the former Leo Burnett), who grew up in Downers Grove.

“The one to reserve the airtime and the one for the actual production of the commercial.”

Once the central idea is determined and the budget is established, the creative directors come up with the preliminary outline. Schrimpl helps them determine what is realistic. “Even though ad budgets for the big game are much bigger than others, not all can accommodate hiring celebrities and licensing Beatles songs. So we help them figure out what they want and how we can make it feasible,” she said.

The idea is then pitched back to the client. If they buy into the concept from a creative standpoint, it’s awarded (accepted). “That’s when the real fun begins,” said Schrimpl.

Eric Faber served as Group Executive Producer on the 2020 Super Bowl ad for Reese’s Take 5, “the best bar you’ve never heard of,” at McGarryBowen.

From there, creative teams take up the reins. Scriptwriting and storyboarding for the commercial come next. “The ads are so short, but what viewers might not realize is that it could have taken a creative team at an agency six months to concept and develop an idea they have thirty seconds to deliver,” said Brian Smego, Elmhurst resident and Managing Director of Dictionary Films. “There’s always a balance. If you’re using humor, you want people to laugh, but the humor must tie into the audience remembering the brand.” The final idea is then revised to sell to the client.

Once the creative team has a script and some key frames in hand, Eric Faber, Downers Grove resident and the in-house Executive Producer at Allstate, gets to work. “As a producer, my job is to make the ad,” said Eric. “That’s anything it takes to get it off the page and onto the screen. Producers work with the experts of many fields—anything from directors, editors, costume designers, special effects people, animators, visual effects artists, and beyond. Each of them brings their individual corner of expertise to a project.”

State Farm Good Neighbors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito (2024).

It’s important to have experts. According to Smego, one of the best—and worst—things about big game day ads is the scrutiny. Ads aired that day immediately go under a microscope. Obviously, it’s a huge investment on the clients’ side, so it better hit the mark. “If you’re going for an emotional response, it has to be the right tone,” said Smego. “Otherwise, there can be backlash, and you definitely don’t want that.”

After a production company is hired, an editor is the next call. Elmhurst resident and award-winning editor Grant Gustafson of Cutter Studio polishes raw footage in post-production into the ad you’ll always remember. With 20 big game day ads under his belt—four of which have been deemed number one by USA Today’s Ad Meter—he’s an expert. “I’m fortunate clients trust me with their spots for the big game,” said Gustafson. “I’ve been lucky to have some memorable opportunities.”

Like the 2020 Jeep spot with Bill Murray returning to Groundhog Day in Woodstock. Gustafson moved his editing equipment into a hotel near the set and worked with the production team as they shot the ad. While it’s unusual for him to work on site, an excruciatingly tight one-week schedule dictated the break in protocol. “It was exciting but stressful because we worked around the clock,” Gustafson remembered. “We got it out the door on Thursday for the game on Sunday! Crazy, but fun.”

Practically every step of the ad-making process involves give-and-take. Schrimpl negotiates between the creatives, the account people, and the legal team. No two commercials are the same, so there are lots of bases to cover—like insurance if the ad involves automobiles or licensing for master and publishing rights for any music included. All ads must be cleared by networks before they can be shown, too. “It’s a high-level process and the final step to getting the commercial on air; it would be a shame to spend the time and money and then not be able to get it air-approved.”

And while viewers may see just thirty seconds flash across the screen, each spot represents months of strategy, creativity, collaboration, and sleepless nights from teams determined to get it right. So when the big game kicks off and the commercials roll, know there’s far more at play than clever punchlines or celebrity cameos. These ads are the result of hundreds of professionals who brought their A-game, just like the athletes on the field.

Tune in, watch closely, and enjoy the competition!

Join the fun and vote on your favorites during game day at admeter.usatoday.com/2026