At the 2024 Super Bowl, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Usher soaked up the limelight as the Kansas City Chiefs became back-to-back champions with their overtime defeat of the San Francisco 49ers.
And of course, the Super Bowl was again a venue for dozens of advertisers — who spent up to $7 million for a 30-second spot in CBS’s telecast — to try to break through on the noisiest night on TV. Many marketers used the time-tested tactic of deploying star-studded commercials, a phenomenon described by one ad exec as “a celebrity arms race.”
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As tracked by YouTube, the No. 1 most-watched spot on Super Bowl Sunday was Tina Fey’s turn for Booking.com, in which the “Saturday Night Live” alum hires “body doubles” to imagine different versions of herself on vacation. The ad featured cameos by her “30 Rock” costars Jane Krakowski and Jack McBrayer, as well as Glenn Close, who impersonated Fey in one of her fantasy travel bookings. (It’s a repeat win for Booking.com, whose Melissa McCarthy ad last year was the most-viewed Super Bowl ad on YouTube.)
Star power fueled other top-ranked Super Bowl ads on YouTube’s list, including the return of Bradley Cooper and his mom for T-Mobile, auditioning the likes of Laura Dern, Common and Jennifer Hudson for the wireless carrier’s loyalty program; Arnold Schwarzenegger having trouble delivering State Farm’s “Like a Good Neighbor” tagline in his thick Austrian accent; Aubrey Plaza and Nick Offerman reuniting to pitch Mountain Dew; and Mr. T dressing down Tony Romo for saying there’s no “T” in Skechers and pitying the fool who doesn’t wear them.
Among movie trailers in the Super Bowl broadcast, 20th Century Studios’ “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” and Universal’s “Twisters,” starring Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones, landed in YouTube’s top 10.
A surprise on YouTube’s most-watched Super Bowl spots ranking was “Decide for Yourself,” from the controversial Church of Scientology. The 60-second Scientology commercial aired only regionally (not in the national CBS telecast) but apparently still prompted widespread interest.
Meanwhile, views per hour on the officially YouTube channel of Usher — who performed the halftime show at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium — peaked at more than seven times higher on Feb. 11 compared with the Sunday prior (Feb. 4), according to the platform.
YouTube’s top 10 most-viewed Super Bowl ads ranking measured views worldwide on game day (Feb. 11) from 12 a.m. ET until the end of game (10:46 p.m. ET). All told, Super Bowl ads posted on YouTube had more than 90 million views on game day, generating more than 1 million watch hours, according to the internet video giant.
Super Bowl 2024: Top Ads by Gameday Views on YouTube (Global)
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Booking.com: Tina Fey books whoever she wants to be
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T-Mobile: Auditions – 2024 Big Game Day Commercial
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State Farm: Like A Good Neighbaaa – feat. Arnold Schwarzenegger
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Snap: Snapchat – Less social media. More Snapchat.
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Google: Javier in Frame – Google Pixel Super Bowl Commercial 2024
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Mountain Dew: MTN DEW – Aubrey Plaza Having a Blast Super Bowl Ad
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20th Century Studios: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – Official Trailer
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Universal Pictures: Twisters – Official Trailer
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Scientology: Decide for Yourself
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Skechers: Skechers ’24 Big Game Spot: Mr. T in Skechers
SEE ALSO: Super Bowl Ad Review: Celebrity Commercials Tried for Fun, but Many Stuck With Formula
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Carol Dennis is an entertainment aficionado with an eye for all things pop culture. She dives into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry, from movie premieres to music festivals. Carol’s passion for storytelling extends beyond her reporting, as she’s an aspiring screenwriter in her free time.
