Temu is a client that values the power of music. They are in U.S. brand-building mode, so our 2024 Super Bowl mission was to deliver a track that was ear-wormy, hard-hitting and on message.

Temu also wanted to change the brand pronunciation from “Tee-moo” to “Teh-moo.” And their brief required that Squeak E. Clean Studios continue to leverage last year’s “Shop Like a Billionaire” theme.

Calling on Carly & Martina—who wrote, sang and produced the track—we developed a song that had all the hallmarks of a sugary pop anthem, while still reinforcing the online marketplace’s brand attributes.

“We were aiming to mix worldly-sounding beats with a bubblegum pop melody to pay homage to both the international elements of Temu’s brand and the Americana of the Super Bowl,” say Carly & Martina. “The ‘ooh’ from Temu kept ringing in our ears, and we felt that by making it the cornerstone of our hook, we could capture the magic of the visual through our audio.”

Thanks to our research with Durham University in 2023—at the time, to compose an earworm eraser for software company Atlassian—we understood how the brain processes and recalls melodies based on specific factors. In that case, we used our findings to eliminate the earworm. For Temu, however, we used every page of the textbook to create a song that would outlast its 30 seconds of Big Game air time.

Some results: Sprout Social named Temu one of the top brands that dominated the online conversation for the game, garnering 40,448 mentions and 420,714 engagements.

We relied on the anatomy of an earworm to get the jingle off the ground, but exposure and audience interest helped ensure it became a song that stuck.

Director Mike Carson deployed more than 40 iPhone 15 Max and Max Pro handsets to film highlights of the live gig plus rehearsals and backstage footage.

And no doubt more than a few of the 61,000+ fans at Allegiant Stadium held their phones high as Usher, Alicia Keys, will.i.am and Lil Jon did their thing at the show, which Apple Music sponsored.

In our tech-obsessed age, this feels fitting. Life’s a panoramic digital canvas, 24/7/365.

It’s a quick-paced peek at a cultural happening. There’s nothing too deep, no huge revelations. But it’s compelling to watch the hard work and repetition behind all the glam. Everyone sweats and frets, as you’d expect. Throughout, the cast and crew’s dedication to excellence shines as they strive to meld R&B, hip-hop, modern pop and Hollywood musical stylings into 20-minutes of knockout entertainment.

“Shot on iPhone” boasts a history of impressive long- and short-form productions. Most recently, the tech titan won raves for this 15-minute Chinese New Year fantasy about a sad schoolgirl who learns to believe in herself.

CLICK HERE to watch all of this year’s Super Bowl commercials.

“It felt awesome,” says director Adam Morse about having “Javier in Frame,” his commercial for Google Pixel 8, debut during the Super Bowl.

“I’m aware of how big of a deal the Super Bowl is here,” the Brit enthuses. “Even back in the U.K., it’s an event that people stay up late at night for, and I know that the commercials are an event in and of themselves outside the game.'”

“Javier in Frame,” produced by SMUGGLER, won rave reviews for depicting how Google’s Guided Frame technology helps blind people like the spot’s titular Javier snap photos with their smartphones.

Morse lost most of his eyesight at the age of 19 due to a mitochondrial disease. That hasn’t stopped him from becoming an entertainment industry multi-hyphenate. Morse is perhaps best known for the feature film Lucid, which he wrote and directed. As an actor, he famously did his own stunts in a recurring role in the Jason Momoa Apple+ series See.

Morse is working hard to create opportunities for other disabled people in creative roles. Last year, he founded Crystal Vision Foundation, an organization that supports sight-impaired artists, and he is always happy to hear from people in search of guidance. So don’t be shy about hitting him up on IG.

We spent two minutes with Morse to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and his experience creating a Super Bowl ad.

Tell us…

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in Kingston, South London. I now reside in West London.

How you first realized you were creative.

Pretty early. Probably when I was a young child. I remember doing impressions of family members and people on TV. Baywatch was a big deal when I was a kid, and I remember impersonating Pamela Anderson going down the beach in slow motion to make my family laugh.

A person you idolized creatively early on.

Martin Scorsese, because I saw Goodfellas probably way too young. I was 11 years old when I saw that movie, definitely at an inappropriate age, but I was blown away by his filmmaking. From there, I went down the rabbit hole of his entire filmography. I remember going to Blockbuster and renting every movie I could find of his in the store.

A band/musician you admire.

There’s this incredible band called Explosions in the Sky. I’ve loved them ever since they were first on the scene, or when I discovered them, in the mid- to late-2000s. They were a great source of inspiration for me as a filmmaker and storyteller, because their music is all instrumental. There’s no vocals, but every song takes you on a sonic journey and paints pictures in your head. It’s just so cinematic. 

A recent project you’re proud of. 

This [“Javier in Frame”] Super Bowl spot. I’m proud of it because it’s advertising an innovation that provides accessibility to people with disabilities. It is more than just showcasing a novel innovation. It’s something that’s going to benefit the lives of many, myself included, which is why I was so passionate about coming on board. I get a sense of excitement and purpose when I work on a project that has social impact.

Your main strength as a creative person.

My openness as a collaborator. When it comes to filmmaking, it’s the most collaborative art form, so you have to be open as an artist to get the best work from yourself and your team. It’s definitely been a massive asset for me. It allows me to receive and filter ideas and create a space where everybody can share and have input. And, ultimately, I’ll decipher what my instincts tell me works best.

I’m a very sensitive person. I think I was a sensitive soul even before I went blind. But there’s something that happens to you when you go blind, where your emotional sensitivity just dials up so hard and so much, where you’re very affected vibrationally and energetically by everything and everyone for better or worse. But I think it’s for the better when it comes to my work as a filmmaker, because it allows me to connect faster and deeper with my crew and my cast. I get to build these strong relationships with my team. That has been, I have to say, an amazing advantage.

A mentor that helped you navigate the industry.

One of my earliest mentors when I made my first short film was Elliot Grove. He owns a film school in London called Raindance. I had done a short course there in the beginning of my career. That’s pretty much the extent of my film school. But he was very forthcoming, somebody that I could reach out to for advice.

What you’d be doing if you weren’t doing all the things you do in the entertainment business.

Football specifically—soccer. I’m registered blind, but I did actually play blind soccer for the London league in the U.K. I’m 34 now, so I’m getting to retirement age in soccer. But I would want to be involved in some way, whether as a coach or a manager of a club or even an owner—that is actually a dream of mine. I would love to own my own team and develop a club from grassroots. To take them from the bottom leagues, get them promoted through the divisions. I think it would be another cool piece of history, to be the first blind soccer manager or coach/owner.

Barking Owl peformed a variety of tasks from music arrangement to sound design on a number of spots, including the Budweiser “Old School Delivery” commercial that saw the return of the Clydesdales; Booking.com’s “Body Doubles” featuring many Tina Feys; Etsy’s cinematic “Thank You France;” and Starry’s entry with Ice Spice dumping a Lemon-Lime soda once the infatuation loses its fizz.

We caught up with Bayett to talk about the vibe at Barking Owl during the rush to meet tight Super Bowl ad deadlines, why her company is literally one of the rare shops in the industry that hires women (yes, multiple women, not just one woman!) and, of course, the work itself.

Share your Super Bowl LVIII stats.

We did sound design and mix on five, sound design on one, music arrangement on the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales piece, original music on one and a music license on one more.

How does this compare to the amount of work you’ve done for previous Super Bowls?

In previous years, we have done between two and 11, so this year was exceptional at 7. We are very grateful and excited about it.

What was it like to juggle all that Super Bowl work this year? Did you have to bring in additional people?

When you have the gift of a lot of Super Bowl spots, you take a deep breath and dive in. Everyone is racing toward the same finish line with the same intensity. We didn’t need to bring in more staff. Our existing team was able to handle it.

What’s the vibe like around Super Bowl time? Does your team get pumped about working on projects that will be seen by such a huge audience? Or is it another day at the office?

The Super Bowl is a huge event, and it’s always amazing to be a part of it. It’s also great for our families, who get bragging rights at their Super Bowl parties.

Notice any trends this year?

Comedy is always huge. Lots of fun this year. That was really the order of the day.

Tell me more about some of the work, starting with the sound design in the Booking.com spot with all those Tina Feys.

Anything by director Nick Ball is amazing, and they had a strong producer in Jake Hermann, so you automatically know it’s going to be a fun ride. Sound design is always a funny thing, because if you are doing it properly, it feels like you haven’t done anything. Our job was to ground each Tina in her environment, so you were fully transported to that place in the story. Gus had so much fun coming up with sounds to channel the different locations. Birds seemed to do the trick with the most immediacy: a Carib grackle for the tropics, the old trusty red-tailed hawk for Wyoming, jays for the “farmstay.” The horse hooves are a blend of coconut shells and the real thing.

How about the sound design in Etsy’s epic “Thank You France” spot?

Mikayla Peterson is an amazing young sound designer and mixer, and she really knows how to find the subtleties. Finding little Easter-egg sounds [for the ad] so you feel like you are in the U.S. and France was key. We wanted to lean into the humor of historical inaccuracies, so Mikayla created a soundscape of France through the perspective of American stereotypes.

You also did the music for the star-studded Homes.com “Mascot” spot.

We have a really extensive library, and the track from that piece came from there. We used the first five seconds of a track to create an intro that really sets the tone for the entire ad.

There are women credited with working on Barking Owl’s Super Bowl projects, which is, sadly, a big deal because women are barely represented in the music space in the ad industry. Why is it so difficult for women to get opportunities?

I have been in this business for 25 years, and for most of that time, I was the only woman in the room. Even recently, I have experienced it. It’s an intimidating space, and one I have had to very carefully navigate. In audio programs, you find mostly men entering. Women are encouraged to be the singer and the beautiful face of something. We are not encouraged to be the drummer or the bass player. We are not encouraged to be behind the board.

It’s interesting, because a brand recently focused on some female music producers and engineers, and they just showed them giggling and laughing in the studio. It’s almost impossible for women to be shown in a serious way. To make women in power digestible, we have to giggle and laugh and be easy to look at.

I have made it my mission to bring in and empower women. They will not only have a voice here but be backed up when someone tries to keep them from speaking. To have diversity initiatives are important, but to have the people on your staff know they are heard and seen is a completely different level of commitment.

Lara has over 15 years of experience across sports marketing, consumer goods, alcoholic beverages and beauty. She is currently CMO and EVP for the Kansas City Chiefs, which won their second straight Super Bowl title last night. Lara’s previous stints include Anheuser-Busch InBev, L’Oreal, Avon and PHD.

We spent two minutes with Lara to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations and recent work she’s admired.

Lara, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in Weston, Conn., and lived there until college. I now live in Kansas City after moving here three years ago from NYC.

Your earliest sports memory.

Outside of playing soccer and softball growing up, going to a Yankees game at the old stadium with my dad. He worked and commuted to the city every day, so going back into the city on weekends wasn’t something we would do much. But he would always make the effort for a Yankees game. There’s nothing better than a summer game and a hot dog with your dad!

Your favorite sports team(s).

Biased for sure—the Kansas City Chiefs.

Your favorite athlete(s).

Biased for sure again with our players on the Chiefs for what they do on and off the field. But I also love Alex Morgan and Serena Williams. They were the best of the best while also being amazing mothers. 

Your favorite sports show or podcast.

I have rewatched Friday Night Lights (the show) about three times. It’s one of my favorites. I also love 30 for 30, the best type of storytelling for avid and casual fans to learn about a player, team or athlete.

Your favorite sports movie and/or video game.

Does Mario Kart count as a sports video game? As a mom of little kids, we play it often. It teaches good sportsmanship for sure.

A recent project you’re proud of.

The work that our team did to bring a Chiefs game to Germany—the first NFL game in Frankfurt—and activate around it with our “ChampionShip.” It set the bar on how to drive the internationalization of the brand and grow our fanbase. It was truly a team effort and required a lot of belief and creativity to pull off.

Someone else’s project that you admired recently.

I love the work by State Farm. The ability to take a “transactional” product message and make it emotional, funny and memorable is amazing. Love the approach and creativity.

What sports can do that nothing else can.

There is no experience or product that I have worked on outside of sports that can bring people from all walks of life together with such intense love, loyalty and passion. The Chiefs’ fanbase is a gift. They show up physically and digitally to rally our brand on both the good and hard days. 

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in the sports world.

I have and will always want to be in the world of media and creativity.

Just call him Michel CeraVe from now on. And remember: Human skin is his passion.

Arrested Development and Superbad actor Michael Cera scaled cliffs with lotioned hands, gave himself a freaky massage and won the hearts of Super Bowl LVIII viewers in a satirical spot that capped off a brilliant brand campaign.

Dubbed “Michael CeraVe” and preceded by an impressive teaser blitz from the skincare company, the :30 netted the Super Clio from the Clio Awards, which recognizes the Big Game’s most creative commercial.

Ogilvy North America developed the initiative; Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim directed.

“Let my cream hydrate you,” Cera enthuses in the spot, which takes the form of a pitch from Michael, as he tries to convince CeraVe that his name offers “a perfect crossover opportunity.”

Indeed it did! The push provides meta commentary without seeming heavy-handed or forced. CeraVe built enviable anticipation for the 1st-quarter drop—and delivered. 

“It gets harder and harder to capture consumers’ attention each year, but viewership for live sports, especially NFL football, continues to grow,” says Clio Awards CEO Nicole Purcell. “An audience as large as the Super Bowl is rare, so brands and advertisers are under a lot of pressure to deliver a spot that has a cultural impact and generates buzz.”

Cera’s outing accomplished that mission, enjoying copious coverage leading into SBLVIII and enthusiastic social chatter when the ad broke.

Ultimately, CeraVe accomplished what most Super Bowl brands set out to do these days. It crafted an event of its own, extending the hype funnel beyond an in-game buy and stoking consumer conversations in fab fashion.

“Everyone is putting forth their best work in the same arena, and with the Super Clio, we celebrate the people taking bold creative risk,” says Purcell. “This award signifies that their peers and the leaders at the top of their industry saw their idea as the best of the best. It’s an incredible honor to be recognized this way and we love to share in the excitement of such an accomplishment.”

WPP Global CCO Rob Reilly has served as the Super Clio’s non-voting jury commissioner since the special award launched a decade ago.

Here’s the full list of 2024 jurors:

• Bianca Guimaraes, Partner & Executive Creative Director, Mischief
• Danilo Boer, Global Creative Partner, FCB Global
• David Kolbusz, CCO, Orchard
• Esi Eggleston Bracey, Chief Growth and Marketing Officer, Unilever
• Greg Harrison, Chief Creative Officer, MOCEAN
• Islam ElDessouky, Global Vice President Creative for Coca-Cola, The Coca-Cola Company
• Jason Campbell, CCO, Translation
• Jason LaFlore, Creative Director, 72andSunny
• Keith Cartwright, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Cartwright
• Kerstin Emhoff, CEO, PRETTYBIRD
• Kristin McHugh, SVP & Chief Brand Officer, Verizon
• Margaret Johnson, Chief Creative Officer and Partner, Goodby Silverstein & Partners
• Myra Nussbaum, CCO & President, Havas Chicago
• Rafa Rizuto, Chief Creative Officer US-Hispanic LATAM, Dentsu Creative
• Samira Ansari, Chief Creative Officer, New York, Ogilvy
• Shannon Washington, Global CCO, gotham
• Walter Geer, Chief Creative Officer, Innovation North America, VML

CLICK HERE to watch all of this year’s Super Bowl commercials. 

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American Values

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Apartments.com, RPA

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BetMGM, Highdive

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BMW, Goodby Silverstein & Partners

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Booking.com, Zulu Alpha Kilo

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Bud Light, Anomaly

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Budweiser, FCB New York

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CeraVe, Ogilvy North America

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Coors Light, Droga5

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CrowdStrike, In-house

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DoorDash, Wieden+Kennedy Portland

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Doritos, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

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Dove, Ogilvy

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Drumstick, Opinionated

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Dunkin’, Artists Equity

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e.l.f. Cosmetics, Shadow

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E*Trade, 72andSunny New York

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Etsy, Orchard

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FanDuel, Wieden+Kennedy New York

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Foundation to Combat Antisemitism

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Google, Gut

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He Gets Us, Lerma/

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Hellmann’s, VML

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Homes.com, RPA

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Kawasaki, Goodby Silverstein & Partners

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Kia, David&Goliath

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Lindt, Grey Toronto

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M&M’s, BBDO New York

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Michelob Ultra, Wieden+Kennedy New York

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Microsoft, Panay Films

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Mtn Dew, Goodby Silverstein & Partners

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Nerds, Digitas Chicago

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NFL, 72andSunny

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Oreo, The Martin Agency

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Paramount+, Droga5

A shortened version of this will run in-game.

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Pfizer, Publicis Conseil and Le Truc/Publicis N.Y.

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Pluto TV, Haymaker

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Popeyes, McKinney

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Poppi, Virtue

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Pringles, Grey New York

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Reese’s, Erich & Kallman

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Skechers, SKX Studios

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Snapchat

A shortened version of this ad ran during the Super Bowl.

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Squarespace, In-house

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Starry, VaynerMedia

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State Farm Insurance, Highdive

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T-Mobile, Panay Films

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Temu

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Toyota, Saatchi & Saatchi and Le Truc

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TurboTax, R/GA

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Uber Eats, Special U.S.

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Verizon

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Volkswagen, Johannes Leonardo

Tony Hale co-stars in the kooky romp, developed with Ogilvy.

Beyoncé displays awesome charisma and comic flair throughout. And we’re treated to great gags and Easter eggs as she works so hard yet fails to take Verizon offline.

There’s a bit with a lemonade stand, a Beyonc-AI creation and a faux flick called BarBey, which just might refer to a certain Hollywood blockbuster from last summer.

She even runs for the office of “Beyoncé of the United States.” Why bother? She’s already the Queen!

What’s more, the commercial teases the artist’s next album, set to drop on March 29. Maybe she’ll break Verizon then. Go get ’em, Bey!

CLICK HERE to watch all of this year’s Super Bowl commercials. 

They’re cool cats. Not as cool as these musical Meow Mix tabbies, but still.

“There’s no way to watch this campaign and its many outtakes, to try The DunKings Iced Coffee with the fun Munchkins Skewer, or to wear the pink and orange tracksuits without smiling. That’s the genuine, lighthearted connection we want people to feel when they think about Dunkin’,” says Jill McVicar Nelson, brand CMO.

“The DunKings” follows Ben’s popular “Drive Thru” outing for the chain in last year’s Big Game. More recently, he shared screen time for the brand with rapper Ice Spice.

Maybe she can give him some music tips. And pointers on choreography. But keep the rad garb, which goes on sale tomorrow at ShopDunkin.com.

CLICK HERE to watch all of this year’s Super Bowl commercials. 

“Some of the most powerful creative happens when the talent is germane to the idea as opposed to spots where celebrities can be rotated in to add star power,” says Alyson Griffin, State Farm’s VP of marketing. The objective for this year’s campaign is to “re-cement” the slogan in popular culture, she says.

The ad’s “to-be-continued extended cut” closes with a cliff-hanger—and a bit of a twist. Danny DeVito appears as part of a “script change,” taking over Arnold’s role as Agent State Farm. (Schwarzenegger and DeVito appeared together in the comedies Twins and Junior a generation ago. Here, the brand seized on long-standing rumors that the two actors might reunite on the big screen.)

The commercial was developed with HighDive, with integrated campaign support from OMD, Optimum Sports, The Marketing Arm, Infinity Marketing Team and Fleishman Hillard. 

This campaign included a teaser trailer with Schwarzenegger and Jake from State Farm breaking across social, digital and linear placements weeks ahead of the game. Arnie also plugged the commercial on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon., where Jason Momoa—also a Big Game ad star—congratulated Schwarzenegger on landing the role of Agent State Farm. TikTok singer/influencer Loren Gray amplified the message.

CLICK HERE to watch all of this year’s Super Bowl commercials.