See how Cineverse boosted fill rates by 20% with exclusive demand

Super Bowl 2025 – What emotional analysis can tell us about successful ads

Directly after Super Bowl Sunday, there were plenty of storylines: that Eagles defense, Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show — but most of all, the ads.

Using our creative analysis tool, the same Gen-AI engine that powers our BrandDiscovery product, we took a deep dive into the 2025 Super Bowl ads, looking for key trends and insights.

The big picture

Measuring and targeting ads based emotions is one of Wurl’s unique capabilities. Our technology scores what’s happening on the screen based on Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, using an analysis of the picture, closed captions, and metadata. The system assigns a score from 1-10 to each of the core emotions of Joy, Trust, Fear, Surprise, Sadness, Disgust, Anger, and Anticipation. Using this score, we can start to build a picture of the emotional tone of ads and content.

Joy was the winning Super Bowl strategy

This year, we took a look at 55 ads that ran during the Super Bowl and compiled their scores. Some emotions stood out more than others during the big game’s ads:

A deep dive into Joy

Joy is one of the most powerful emotions leveraged in advertising, especially during high-energy events like the Super Bowl. It’s more than just happiness; it’s a captivating emotion that draws viewers in, creating a positive and memorable experience. Ads that effectively evoke Joy tend to leave a lasting impression, encouraging a positive association with the brand.

Of the 55 ads analyzed in the dataset, nearly half (26) featured a Joy score of 8. By tapping into this feeling, brands not only enhance the viewer’s enjoyment but also foster a halo effect around their products, making them more appealing to consumers.

Joyful ads often feature vibrant visuals, uplifting music, and engaging narratives that resonate on a personal level. The use of Joy is particularly effective because it transcends mere entertainment, embedding the brand into joyful moments that are likely to be remembered.

Some ads that featured a Joy score of 8:

Oreo Plot Twists

The Oreo ad titled “Plot Twists” was the ad with the highest concentration on Joy compared to other emotions. It scored an 8 on Joy, with 6 on Trust, 3 on Surprise, and 5 on Anticipation, with Fear, Sadness, Disgust, and Anger all scoring a 0. With an average score of 2 across all emotions other than Joy, the difference of 6 between Joy and other emotions was the highest measured in our dataset, making it the example that most focused on evoking Joy in the audience.

The Oreo “Plot Twists” ad is a great example of the considered application of emotional triggers in advertising, a technique that speaks directly to the subconscious of viewers.

Oreo evoked Joy with a cozy, relatable scene of binge-watching and friendship, complete with gags about one friend falling asleep midway through the session.

Going against the grain

Sometimes you have to do something different in order to stand out. While there are definitely core emotions, like Joy and Trust, that the majority of ads clustered around, doing something different can make your ad memorable. Apple’s famous 1984 Super Bowl ad, directed by Ridley Scott, got lots of attention with its dystopian and disturbing visuals and message. However, it has stuck in peoples’ minds and become one of the most memorable Super Bowl ads of all time.

Hims & Hers: ‘Sick of the System

The “Hims & Hers: ‘Sick of the System'” ad presents a distinctive emotional profile compared to the more common, upbeat emotions of other Super Bowl ads we analyzed. Whereas the majority of the ads scored high in Joy, Surprise, and Anticipation, Hims & Hers was an outlier across their emotional spectrum.

Here’s a breakdown of its emotional scores and how they differ from the average:

As you can see, the ad significantly diverges from the norm, with much higher scores in Sadness and Anger. Its theme involves challenging, provocative content, focusing on frustration or dissatisfaction with societal or systemic issues.

The “Hims & Hers” ad’s emotional palette marks a stark contrast to the generally upbeat and entertaining Super Bowl commercials. By leveraging emotions such as Sadness, Anger, and Fear, the ad likely aims to resonate on a deeper level, potentially sparking more direct action than more lighthearted approaches. This approach, while less common in such a setting, can be particularly memorable and impactful — but also runs the risk of a discordant emotional clash that leaves audiences cold.

Bringing some Surprise

For the most part, the Super Bowl 2025 ads we analyzed brought a medium amount of Surprise. As you can see in the graph below, the majority of the ads cluster in middle scores, with a slight bias towards more surprise. This makes sense for the fun and upbeat festivities of the big game.

Surprise works by disrupting viewers’ expectations, delivering something unexpected that sparks curiosity and interest. This can range from unexpected humor to shocking revelations or innovative product features. The element of surprise not only grabs attention but also enhances memorability, further extending its impact.

Heinz Mustard x Mustard

Heinz’s Mustard X Mustard ad is a rare example that really pushes Surprise as its dominant emotion. With a Surprise score of 8 and an average score of 2.57 across the other 7 emotions, Heinz’s Super Bowl ad was heavy on subverting expectations.

It’s not part of the analysis, but DJ Mustard’s appearance in the ad gains additional significance and relevance from his guest spot during the halftime show with Kendrick Lamar. This timely integration is a powerful outside factor, not captured by our software, that enhances the ad’s Surprise and relevance, linking Heinz directly with a current and highly visible cultural event.

Our findings showed that the ad’s emotional concentration was significantly higher than the average for other ads, where Surprise typically accompanies a higher Joy or Anticipation score. In “Mustard X Mustard,” the Surprise element is central, woven into the narrative as the ad reveals an unexpected collaboration between a traditional condiment brand and a contemporary music producer.

This focus on Surprise is designed to capture immediate attention and make the ad memorable. It uses the element of unexpectedness not just to entertain but to anchor the new product in the viewer’s mind

Heinz uses this ad to position itself as innovative and playful. It breaks away from traditional condiment advertising by integrating popular culture in a manner that’s both surprising and delightful.

Anticipation was the highest note

Anticipation is mostly used as an additional element, some extra flavor in an ad that otherwise features high Joy, Trust, or Surprise. That’s visible in the chart below. However, this year’s Super Bowl ads did feature some ads with very high anticipation scores.

Interestingly, four ads achieved an Anticipation score of 9. This was especially significant as no other emotion in any ad scored above an 8, highlighting the unique emphasis on Anticipation in a highly emotional context like the Super Bowl.

Anticipation works by building viewers’ expectations and curiosity about what will happen next, whether it’s the outcome of a narrative, the reveal of a new product, or the conclusion of a compelling story.

Anticipation is useful for teasers or action-orientated creatives, it’s notable that the ads that scored highly in Anticipation were movie trailers for Captain America and the Fantastic Four, the rewards app Fetch, and an action-movie creative for Novocaine.

Notable emotional outliers

Plenty of other ads stood out for their unique combinations of emotions and unusual focuses. For example, Totino’s Pizza Rolls’ ad “Chazmo Finally Goes Home” registered an unusually low Joy score of 4, standing out in the context of the Super Bowl’s festive atmosphere. Similarly, the payments system Papaya Global scored a 5 on Joy, emphasizing a more serious mood suiting a B2B offering.

On the Trust spectrum, ads like Dove’s “Care That Goes Everywhere, Everywhere,” Google’s “How Google AI is helping American small businesses,” and TurboTax’s” Now Business Taxes are Easier” scored exceptionally high (8), showcasing strong brand reliability and authority, aiming to underscore consumer confidence. For TurboTax, a lack of surprise also underpinned their message of Trust – after all, no business likes to be surprised come tax time. Their ad only scored a 2 on Surprise, helping to characterize them as a straightforward, dependable brand.,

It was two superhero-themed ads that elicited unusually high Fear scores (5 and 7, respectively): Marvel blockbuster “Captain America; Brave New World” and the clever action movie ad for Novocaine employed intense or suspenseful themes that are effective in capturing attention.

Wrapping up

Looking back at the emotions displayed in the 2025 Super Bowl ads, it’s clear that the right emotional appeal can greatly boost an ad’s impact. Most ads this year focused on joy, trust, and anticipation, matching the upbeat and hopeful vibe of the Super Bowl. This shows just how well emotions can be matched to what an event is all about.

Yet, ads like “Hims & Hers: ‘Sick of the System'” and “Heinz Mustard x Mustard” broke the mold by tapping into emotions like sadness, anger, and surprise. These ads stood out and got people talking, showing that a mix of different emotions can also grab attention and create meaningful conversations. This variety in emotional approach highlights how important it is for brands to really think about which emotions will resonate best with their audience, ensuring their message hits home in the most effective way.

The real challenge — and opportunity — for marketers lies in not just identifying these emotional triggers but mastering their use in clever, nuanced ways to ensure their messages resonate deeply.

Here are a few strategies to consider:

Wurl operates as a fully integrated CTV advertising platform, offering contextual targeting across US FAST inventory, including analysis of your ad creatives to find matching contexts.

If you’re interested in working with Wurl to place your ads in the contexts that will make them shine, get in touch. Our creative analysis service is free of charge for brands who advertise with us.

Get news and updates from Wurl