Director Justin Casselle Shares His Faves from the Super Bowl Ad Extravaganza
In the ad world, Super Bowl Sunday is about anything but football. Or even Taylor Swift or Kendrick Lamar. It’s about the commercials! We are honored to have commercial director Justin Casselle shares his faves from the big night…
SCREEN: What was your favorite spot of the night?
JUSTIN: Reese’s “Don’t Eat Lava” was my favorite spot of the night! It was so original, fresh, and funny. It was clear the creative team and the director really believed in the humor and the simplicity of this spot. The brand and the spot itself didn’t take itself too seriously and did what I think a Super Bowl spot should do: be outsized, be different from the norm, and be memorable. I also deeply appreciated how this spot didn’t rely on celebrities! It trusted its humor, its amazing casting, and its strong writing and direction. And, of course, none of that would’ve mattered if the editing wasn’t as strong as it was so kudos to the post team for cutting a tight and hilarious spot. I just loved that it was a bit out there and had such great physical comedy. I could easily see everyone in the pitch meeting loving this concept. It’s one of those spots that make you say, “it feels like they had a really good time making this.”
SCREEN: What was your least favorite spot of the night or a spot you felt could have been more successful?
JUSTIN: I don’t have one least favorite spot. To be honest, I know firsthand how hard all of these creatives work to bring these spots to fruition so I won’t single out one spot BUT I will single out one industry that I thought didn’t do well tonight — the insurance industry. We all know the insurance industry isn’t known for having a high approval rating by everyday people (You ever try to get a hold of a customer service agent?? It’s d*** near impossible!) and to be honest their spots tonight across multiple brands were just as disappointing. Of course the production value was there but the lack of creativity was missing for me! These spots very much felt lifeless and uneventful; on any given day that’s totally fine but on the Super Bowl? We as advertising creatives already have to battle people clicking “skip now,” let’s not give them a reason to click the button even faster.
SCREEN: What would you like to see more or less of in terms of advertising in next year’s Super Bowl?
JUSTIN: I think I’ve said this previously before and I’m starting to sound like an old man yelling at clouds but I want to see less celebrity-driven spots. I know the surprise celebrity is a part of modern day Super Bowl commercial tradition but in recent years, I think we’ve gone too far! And I know it’s bigger than the spots on TV — it’s the social media posts, maybe a small activation somewhere, some other digital assets that can all capitalize on the celebrity’s cache, but there’s power in producing a spot that relies solely on the writing, the direction, and good casting . And if you think about it some of our most historic spots are cast with regular talent. So I’d like to see us get back to that (looking at you Reese’s, great job).
SCREEN: Any final words here, Justin?
JUSTIN: Some honorable mentions go to Lays for their “Little Farmer” spot, Hellman’s “When Sally Met Hellman’s” spot, the NFL’s “Somebody” spot, and of course Nike’s “So Win” spot, which is their first Super Bowl ad since 1998 so I really loved that it featured some of today’s top (and my some of my favorite) female athletes and that it was narrated by Grammy-award winning artist Doechii. I also want to shout out two friends: Erica Hernández who directed Doechii in the MLS ad “Game On” and my old friend Maddie Gorman, senior producer at Deutsch, who produced Nerd Wallet’s first ever Super Bowl ad.
Here’s Meg Ryan and that Hellmann’s spot…
Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Jordan Brand’s post-game spot “Love, Hurts” shutting up all the Jalen Hurts haters upon his Super Bowl victory. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a die-hard Eagles fan so that one holds a special place in my heart.
Thanks so much for chiming in, Justin! Check back here at SCREEN for more insight and interviews from advertising creatives between the coasts. You can also click right here to subscribe to our weekly email newsletter.
Related Articles
About Post Author
