FCB Chicago Executive Producer Whitney Cusack Shares Her Super Bowl Hits and Misses

Which Super Bowl spots did you love? Which did you not love? Let’s hear what the pros had to say! We were thrilled to have FCB Chicago Executive Producer and Reelistic Media CEO Whitney Cusack stop by Screen after the game to present her picks…

SCREEN: What was your favorite spot of the Super Bowl?

WHITNEY: Between creepy rabbits and being a disruptor of parties across the nation, I honestly think Tubi won the night. The “Rabbit Holes” :60 made me laugh while also slightly terrifying me lol. “Interface Interruption” on the other hand made you think that someone did what is completely off limits during the Super Bowl, and that’s TOUCH THE REMOTE!

They were both very clever & unexpected, slightly irreverent, definitely attention grabbing and funny…once you realized that no one actually changed the channel. 

Great pick! Let’s enjoy that Tubi spot one more time…

SCREEN: What was your least favorite spot of the night or a spot you felt could have been more successful?

WHITNEY: The music in the Temu spot was VERY annoying. I didn’t want that jingle to get stuck in my head for one second. Then, when it came on again smh, I muted the television immediately. 

Ok Whitney, get ready to mute again, here is that Temu spot…

SCREEN: What would you like to see more or less of in terms of advertising in next year’s Super Bowl?

WHITNEY: LESS QR CODES PLEASE. I get it, it’s cheaper than shooting something and easier to track KPIs on how many people go to the site, etc etc. This was cool when it was first done a few years ago, but now I just stare at the screen wondering how many more seconds there are until the next ad. 

MORE DIVERSITY BEHIND THE SCENES. I haven’t looked up the stats yet, but I’m pretty sure the numbers are still scary low. Not sure how many times we can shout from the rooftops that there are tons of underrepresented directors, producers, creatives and agencies out there that more than deserve a chance at the big budgets on this main stage. 

SCREEN: Any final words here, Whitney?

WHITNEY: As a whole, I was mostly underwhelmed by the spots this year. I saw someone tweet during the game, “…this is the most clients-fingers-all-over-the-brief Super Bowl ad roster yet.” Sad, but ACCURATE lol. Oh to be in the rooms where the creatives tried to push for something that wasn’t cliche and got told ‘no’. 

*Honorable Mentions (because there were some great ones in the mix): 

• NFL’s “Run With It” – Such a great and empowering spot!
• PopCorners’ “Breaking Good” – Any ad that can get my favorite duo back together for SCIENCE lol and throw Tuco in the mix is a winner in my book. 
• Kia’s “Binky Dad” – A father going all out for his baby?! This was such a funny and cute adventure!
• Dexcom “Feels Like Magic” – Relatable celebrity talent, a good music track, a little pizazz and NO disturbing disclaimers over people dancing in slow motion. BRAVO.

Here’s that empowering Run With It spot…

Thanks so much for chiming in, Whitney! 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.

And for more from Whitney, here is our recent round Five Questions with SCREEN with Whitney.