Recapping Super Bowl LIII’s Snack and Candy Commercials
By Brett Dworski on Feb. 05, 2019Mercedes Benz Stadium
CHICAGO -- The New England Patriots’ 13-3 defeat over the Los Angeles Rams on Feb. 3 was the lowest scoring game in Super Bowl history. It was also one of the most boring games ever, according to those who attended my Super Bowl party—one of whom dozed off near the end of the third quarter. But the uneventful action on the gridiron was saved by the lively commercials breaks, and snacks and candy brands were at the forefront of the entertainment.
Here’s a recap of the Super Bowl LIII ads from snack and candy labels …
M&M's
M&M’s fifth Super Bowl ad of the past decade paired the red, orange and yellow characters with actress Christina Applegate to promote the brand’s new M&M’s Chocolate Bar. The 30-second spot begins with Applegate driving in a peaceful neighborhood, with the three characters—seemingly her children in this ad—bickering in the backseat. Tired of the squabbling, Applegate scorns her passengers:
“If you don’t stop, I will eat all of you alive right now,” she says. Frightened, the red M&M speaks up.
“I’d prefer the break-us-apart option,” he says, paying homage to the new candy bar.
Pringles
Kellogg’s aired its “flavor stacking” campaign for the second-straight Super Bowl, only this time there was no celebrity involved. Instead, the spot features two pals comparing more than 20 different Pringles flavors. When one of them stacks Cheddar, Jalapeno and Sour Cream & Onion—what he calls the Spicy Nacho stack—his buddy asks how many stack combinations are possible: “318,000,” their virtual assistant responds. The device then rants about its inability to taste the chips and its sad existence before one of the friends cuts it off. “Cool,” he says. “Play ‘Funky Town.' ”
Doritos
As promised, Frito-Lay’s Doritos ad featured Chance The Rapper, but the musician wasn’t the only big-time star in the commercial: The Backstreet Boys also appeared dancing alongside Chance after he tasted Flamin’ Hot Doritos for the first time. The ad ends in a duet as everyone sings the boy band's 1999 hit, “I Want It That Way.”
Planters
The Kraft Heinz Co.’s first Planters Super Bowl ad opens with Mr. Peanut recklessly driving a peanut-shaped Planters vehicle. So reckless, in fact, he’s called crazy by bystander Charlie Sheen. We soon learn what Mr. Peanut was in a rush for when he arrives at the home of former baseball player Alex Rodriguez, who’s about to grab a handful of Kale Chips while watching the game. Mr. Peanut jumps into the room, slides across the table and replaces the chips with Planters Deluxe Nut Mix just in time for Rodriguez to eat those instead.
Skittles
Skittles didn’t boycott the game, but the brand created a Super Bowl-specific ad that didn’t appear during it whatsoever. Instead, Skittles ran a few commercials leading up to the game promoting its new Broadway musical, which was performed in New York City hours before kickoff. Actor Michael C. Hall starred in the musical, which features him agreeing to participate in a Skittles commercial, but experiencing doubt at first. However, he soon changes his mind after eating a bag of the rainbow candies.