Why Brands Played It Safe and Turned This Year's Super Bowl Into a Nostalgia Fest

Few ads stood out from the crowd

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The Dude abides—and this year, most brands were content to do the same.

Viewers looking for the equivalent of Tide’s 2018 Super Bowl takeover were disappointed. So were those hoping for brands to take bold stances on sociopolitical issues beyond basic female empowerment and homages to everyday Americans.

Beyond some exceptions—like Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale promo, which referenced the 1984 Ronald Reagan “Morning in America” ad—most brands played it safe with humorous or sentimental spots, many of which centered on decades-old names like Sex and the City, The Backstreet Boys and Andy Warhol.

“I was sitting there last night thinking, this is quite safe, [especially] compared to the last two years when brands took the moral high ground,” said TBWA Worldwide global CCO Chris Garbutt.

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