In another year of sports phenomena, the Superbowl Ads have sparked widespread controversy and conspiracies. Football’s significance in American culture has contributed to a large growth of commercial infrastructure. In the recent air of the big sport event, Americans have taken to theorizing and expressing their frustration with what’s shown in commercial media. Some say advertisers are communicating through hidden messages, while some say it’s all made up. What seems more true?
One of the most publicized matters right now is the release of the Epstein Files. The overlap between this widely discussed issue and one of the most watched television events of the year, has piqued the interest of internet commentators. Speculations of Epstein Island appearing in ads are in the Nerds, Pringles, and Ritz commercials.
In the Nerds ad, viewers claim that TV host Andy Cohen’s complexion closely resembles Epstein’s, which was meant to symbolically represent him. The commercial shows Cohen lounging in his backyard while children run around nearby as he stuffs his mouth with candy. This is argued to represent the findings of child predation written about in the files.
The Pringles ad features Sabrina Carpenter on a date with her “tasty” boyfriend who is made out of Pringles Chips. The ad concludes with Carpenter’s Pringle boyfriend crumbling apart, where onlookers quickly reach to feast on his remains, as Carpenter hesitates but eventually joins in. Viewers suggest this was a hint at cannibalism, one of the many conspiracies circling Epstein Island, and the advertiser’s way of arguing, “don’t knock it till you try it.”
Similarly, the Ritz ad featuring celebrities Jon Hamm, Bowen Yang, and Scarlett Johansson, is about A-listers who have the “privilege” of being invited to a secluded island party. In the ad, Hamm and Yang are excluded from the party invite, while Johansson was not. The two express their frustration, leading Johannsson to invite them herself. They are no longer mad, and the trio attend the Ritz party together where they all chew on salty delicacies. Viewers suggest that people are just “salty” that they weren’t invited to partake in the activities held on Epstein Island.
AI’s new place of significance in American media has seen progression while being heavily ridiculed. Controversy arose over the Svedka ad, which was fabricated entirely by AI, sparking a long-lasting argument of when and where AI use is appropriate. Clearly, it’s not for an eight million dollar ad that’s broadcasted to 350 million people.
Viewers, frustrated by the frequency of AI creations and ads in the Superbowl, began to theorize on potential hidden messages. In the Alexa ad, Chris Hemsworth tells his wife he feels skeptical of their new AI alexa, where his wife replies that he’s crazy. Alexa then suggests that she give him a simple back massage to ease his stress, and she does so successfully, making the ad have a calming conclusion. Viewers believe the purpose of this was to suggest that they stop worrying so much about the potential threat of AI and let chips fall where they may.
Many theories were made in the heat of the moment, but who’s to say what’s true and what’s not; Is the media really trying to speak to us beneath authoritative deception or is it all just conspiracy?
