It’s time for the annual commentary on my favorite Super Bowl commercials for 2025.

Did you watch? Do you have a favorite — or two or three?

I still marvel how any company will pay $8 million for 30 seconds of commercial space during the game as well as pay the celebrities and pay for the production of the advertisement.

I was disappointed with the first commercial of the game — for Dunkin’. Not as good as last year. And I’m a Dunkin’ girl, so go figure.

Here are a few of my favorites this year.

The first was the commercial from Pfizer about a young boy fighting cancer and “ringing the bell” following treatment. He gets out of his hospital bed wearing boxing shorts and boxing gloves with a reference to Rocky. He goes through a parade of well-wishers to the waiting arms of a loved one at home with a message from Pfizer: “Hey cancer — we’re gonna knock you out. Pfizer is fighting for eight cancer breakthroughs by 2030. Join the fight at PfizerforAll.com.”

Another favorite was the “We’re Here Big Game Spot” by Instacart. It begins with hundreds of dachshunds in hot dog bun costumes running down the street carrying the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Also featured are the Green Giant and a number of familiar characters like the Kool-Aid Man, Mr. Clean, the Energizer Bunny and more. It showcases how Instacart will deliver all of your groceries. It was cute.

Another highlight was by “He Gets Us,” which asked the question, “What is greatness?” It begins with neighbors helping neighbors get a car out of the snow, firefighters, an organ donor and recipient, a woman helping a woman out of a car following an accident, people from all races and all walks of life interacting, an older gentleman consoling what appears to be his wife on the couch and more. It also spotlights a window washer dressed as a super hero saying hello to a small child in the hospital, which we have highlighted here in the Lehigh Valley.

Powerful commercial. Their message is “Jesus showed us what greatness really is. He gets us.”

“In a society struggling with division, loneliness and a crisis of meaning, Jesus’ life and teachings offer a countercultural path toward healing,” Ken Calwell, CEO at Come Near, the startup that acquired the “He Gets Us” organization about a year ago said in news interviews.

He continued, “We’ve been challenged and inspired by how Jesus said greatness is defined not by our achievements, wealth or power, but by how we love and serve others.”

It made my heart happy to see both teams hugging and congratulating each other after the Eagles won the Super Bowl Feb. 9.

Small gestures of kindness do matter.

Debbie Galbraith

editor

East Penn Press

Salisbury Press