There Are 51 Others That Matter Even More
As a creative, I was (of course) asked the one question on everyone’s mind Monday morning.
“What was your favorite Super Bowl spot?
Welp… I have the answer that I want you to consider.
I have two.
My favorite Super Bowl spots from this year, drum roll please, were Allstate’s Mayhem and Progressive’s Becoming your parents’ campaigns. Yes, I said it. The best Super Bowl spots this year weren’t in the Super Bowl.
Let that sit for a while.
They didn’t cost a quarter million a second. They didn’t need a celebrity cameo. They didn’t need a QR code. Nor did they need AI used in a zany and whacky way. They’ve been running for years.
“Mayhem” and “Becoming Your Parents” are brilliant, funny, episodic, and truly great marketing.
We gather around the biggest stage in advertising every February waiting for something unforgettable. We wait for the cultural moment. The clever twist. The line that makes us laugh out loud and nudge the person next to us.
And yet… the campaigns that we actually talk about all year long don’t show up just once. They show up relentlessly.
Mayhem doesn’t need a stadium. He is the stadium.
He is chaos in a grocery store parking lot. He is your phone sliding off the car roof. He is the shopping cart in the wind. You don’t need a logo in the corner. You don’t need a superscript explanation.
You see him.
You feel the brand.
That’s restraint.
And “Parentamorphosis” doesn’t scream at you. It whispers.
Gently.
Painfully.
Accurately.
It doesn’t sell insurance. It sells recognition. It sells the uncomfortable realization that you now comment on weather patterns and clap when the plane lands.
These campaigns do one thing well, all year long… It tells the truth. It sells it.
And here’s the thing about truth.
Truth doesn’t need fireworks.
It doesn’t need a one-night media buy to validate it.
It works on a Tuesday.
It works in July.
It works when no one is watching.
That’s what makes it Super Bowl worthy.
Why do I say this? Because I know these teams and I’ve been in those rooms. I’ve watched these creatives sitting in a room thinking they suck, that their writing isn’t funny, that their idea is just a stupid inside joke only they will get and only they will laugh at with tears running down their cheek.
These teams are the true Super Bowl winners.
Day after day, with saturation being the enemy, does the spot still make you smile after 20 views.
There was a time when the Super Bowl meant something different. It was the proving ground. The place where legends were made. The cultural launchpad.
Now?
It’s often a spectacle of trying too hard.
Too loud.
Too fast.
Too desperate to trend by morning.
The greatest advertising doesn’t beg for attention.
It earns memory.
The greatest advertising is intuitive, it’s emotional, and changes your life (if only for a few seconds).
Mayhem is a character. Not a commercial.
Becoming your parents is a mirror. Not a punchline.
They are platforms. Living, breathing ideas that stretch. That evolve. That allow writers and art directors to play inside a system without breaking it.
That’s discipline.
That’s craft.
That’s confidence.
There’s a lesson in that for every agency and every client who thinks greatness requires a single, expensive moment.
“Anyone can produce a million dollar spot with a million dollars. Show me what you can do with fifty thousand.” — Christian Wojciechowski.
Great advertising should be Super Bowl worthy every day.
Not because it’s loud.
Not because it’s funny.
But because it’s built on something human.
Recognition.
Fear.
Growth.
Identity.
The uncomfortable laugh.
The “that’s me” moment.
The nod.
The truth.
When you build on that, you don’t need a kickoff time.
You don’t need a halftime show.
You don’t need a countdown clock.
You just need consistency.
And courage.
Courage to build a platform instead of a stunt.
Courage to repeat what works instead of chasing what’s next.
And the courage to exercise restraint.
Because the best brands don’t show up once a year.
They show up every day.
And when they do decide to buy the big stage?
It’s just another day of the week.
So, congratulations to the Allstate & Progressive teams. The best Super Bowl spot will air next week on a random Monday.
And I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
Christian Wojciechowski leads &Barr’s creative team as senior vice president of Creative & Strategy, guiding the agency’s creative vision and strategic storytelling across brands and disciplines. A nearly seven-year veteran of &Barr, Christian brings more than 30 years of experience and a career defined by award-winning, culture-shaping work. He is known for bold creative leadership and a deep commitment to developing the next generation of talent.
