Super Bowl LX Commercials: Where Was African Creative Excellence?
The Seattle Seahawks dominated Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots, but the real conversation should be about what was missing from the commercial breaks. While American brands spent millions on flashy ads, African creative talent remains sidelined from the world's biggest advertising stage.
The Same Old Formula
This year's Super Bowl commercials followed the predictable Western playbook. Budweiser recycled their animal formula with 'Free Bird' by Lynyrd Skynyrd, already hitting 6 million YouTube views. Pepsi reignited the tired Cola Wars with their polar bear mascot loving zero sugar Pepsi, somehow reaching 51 million views.
Meanwhile, African brands with authentic stories and vibrant creativity struggle for global recognition. When will the world see our narratives on such platforms?
Hollywood Nostalgia Over Fresh Perspectives
Dunkin' brought back Ben Affleck playing Will Hunting alongside Jason Alexander, Matt LeBlanc, and other 90s sitcom stars. Pure nostalgia, but where are the fresh African voices that could revolutionize advertising?
Xfinity reimagined Jurassic Park with original cast members, while Michelob Ultra featured the usual celebrity lineup. These brands play it safe with familiar faces instead of exploring the dynamic creativity emerging from Lagos, Accra, and Nairobi.
Missing the Real Innovation
Novartis created a Silicon Valley-inspired spot, Pringles featured Sabrina Carpenter, and Oakley showcased PGA Tour star Ashkay Bhatia. Even Kinder Bueno's highly-rated commercial with 24 million views stuck to conventional Western marketing approaches.
The most telling example? Lay's 'Last Harvest' commercial was apparently created because 42% of their customers didn't know potato chips came from potatoes. This disconnect shows how removed these brands are from authentic food culture, something African brands understand intimately.
A Call for Change
While Ring's commercial raised privacy concerns about corporate surveillance, the bigger issue is representation. African creative agencies produce world-class content daily, yet global platforms like the Super Bowl remain closed to our perspectives.
It's time for African brands to demand their space on the world stage. Our stories, our creativity, and our authentic connection to community deserve global recognition. The Super Bowl commercial lineup shows what happens when diversity is an afterthought, not a priority.
Until then, we'll continue building our own platforms and celebrating African excellence, because our creativity doesn't need Western validation to shine.