Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce appeared in a State Farm Insurance ad earlier in these NFL playoffs, but they were busy Sunday night.
So State Farm opted for another set of ‘Twins’ – and ended up winning the hearts of Super Bowl viewers.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, first paired in a 1988 box-office smash, were reunited for State Farm’s Super Bowl entry and walked off with the top spot in USA TODAY’s 36th Ad Meter contest.
The 60-second spot features Schwarzenegger playing a State Farm employee in an action film, rescuing puppies and a pregnant woman from a burning home. Yet the Austrian-born bodybuilder/actor/former governor of California struggles to pronounce the insurance giant’s tagline, giving his pal DeVito an opening to save the day in a surprise cameo.
“Like A Good Neighbaaa” scored 6.68, outpointing Dunkin’s 6.52. The coffee giant’s ad once again teamed actor Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Lopez, joined by Affleck’s Boston bros, Tom Brady and Matt Damon.
In a commercial lineup dotted by several current megastars – most notably Beyoncé, whose Verizon spot dovetailed with the release of two new songs off a forthcoming album – it was Schwarzenegger, 76, who carried the day.
The ‘Terminator,’ ‘Predator’ and ‘Kindergarten Cop’ star remains popular across generations – he has 26 million Instagram followers, nearly double Mahomes and Kelce combined – and revived his action-star iconography for this spot.
Yet it was a far campier vehicle – 1988’s ‘Twins’ – that first paired Schwarzenegger and DeVito. The film grossed $216 million and led to the 1994 follow-up, ‘Junior.’
“I’m always there for him,” DeVito, 79, told USA TODAY before his surprise turn was revealed during a commercial break after the first quarter. “He’s always there for me. We have a great relationship.
“He’s got an outstanding fan base. We’re looking forward to being together again, on the big screen, one day.”
One year after a rookie entry, The Farmer’s Dog, captured the Ad Meter crown, State Farm returned the title to a legacy advertiser. Dunkin’ was followed in the top five by Kia (6.36), Uber Eats (6.26) and the NFL (6.23), which like Dunkin’ recorded a second consecutive top-five finish.
It was a rougher second year for the Jesus-touting ‘He Gets Us,’ whose two entries finished eighth and 15th in its 2023 debut. “Foot Washing” finished 44th out of 59 rated ads, while “Who Is My Neighbor?” finished 55th. A spot for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential bid, which replays a jingle from his uncle John F. Kennedy’s campaign in 1960, finished last with a 3.41 rating.
