In this solo YouTube monologue, actor and coach Aaron Marcus reviews the 2025 Super Bowl commercials from the standpoint of a working actor. He notes that the majority of spots rely heavily on famous actors, which he understands from a brand‑payoff perspective but criticizes for crowding out non‑celebrity talent. Marcus shares his personal experience of being cast in one Super Bowl ad, then explains why he found most of the other commercials unmemorable despite their multi‑million‑dollar budgets—there were few distinct catchphrases, jokes fell flat, and the product‑to‑ad connection was weak. He calls for more opportunities for lesser‑known actors and invites viewers to share their own opinions on the ads. The video also promotes a bonus segment on handling one‑word auditions. Throughout, he emphasizes that his critique is not driven by bitterness but by a desire for more creative, engaging advertising that benefits both brands and actors.
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In this video, I'm going to be sharing with you my thoughts about the 2025 Super Bowl ads. Basically, it's going to be from the actor's perspective. Watch this video to the end. I've got a great bonus video for you. It's all about how sometimes one-word auditions can be really difficult. So here's a hint, try this. Okay, let's get started. Hi, my name is Aaron Marcus, and welcome to the Acting and Modeling Quick Tips channel and the Actor Career Center. So I didn't watch every single TV commercial of the 2025 Super Bowl. I did see quite a few of them though, since my Ravens weren't in. I didn't have a whole lot in the game, but I did watch a good part of it. And I want to make this really clear. It's not— I'm not feeling angry. I'm not bitter because I didn't get a chance to audition for any. Look, I did get cast in one Super Bowl TV spot, which was really pretty cool. It was a very exciting experience for me. But I'm really talking about this from the actor's perspective, not just mine. And this is really For all actors. First of all, I have to say it was so disappointing for me to see pretty much— not all— pretty much every single commercial with famous people in it. And I'm not blaming the people, the actors who are in it. Look, just because you have a tremendous amount of money doesn't mean that You don't still want to be paid a lot of money for things. So I absolutely understand why a well-known actor would like to be in a Super Bowl spot, and I even understand why a lot of the— apparently a lot of the ad agencies and the owners of the products that are being sold, why they want to do it. I think part of it is, I'm assuming, they think that They will sell their brand better if they have famous people. I get that. And I think part of it too is I think they like to hang out with famous people on a set, and they will get a chance to do that if they hire a famous actor. The part that bothers me though is, number one, it's like I feel like most actors just don't get a chance. to audition for these things. And I'm sure there are so many actors who are not famous that could do incredible things in the TV spots that can make them really interesting. And I have to say— and I— look, I'd love to get your opinion about this, please. If you watched a bunch of the 2025 Super Bowl TV spots, Please share it here. I'd love to hear your perspective. Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you find them interesting? Whatever your thoughts were, please share it here. And, and you know what, and if before I forget, if you haven't done this yet, subscribe, click the notification bell so you always know when a quick tip video has been uploaded, and share the link with fellow actors. I appreciate that. But the thing is, honestly, for me, most of them I didn't find interesting. I really didn't. And, and look, I know people put a lot into these things, and I'm not making a statement about people's abilities or anything like that, but gosh, when you're spending $8 million for a 30-second spot, you would think That you want it memorable. You would think that you want to be able to have the name of your product out there, to have people talking about it in a positive way, people making the connection about the product and the spot. I just— I wasn't seeing that. And I would see a lot of the same well-known actors who were in it last year. I saw them in spots this year, and for some of them, I don't remember what the product was. I really don't. So anyhow, I find it really disappointing. I thought the— for the most part, it was kind of disastrous just to see these common themes where they were trying to make something funny. I don't know, for me it just— it wasn't doing it, and I just don't have any takeaways. I— it's not— there's some— there's no catchphrase, there's nothing, there's nothing That memorable for me after watching a lot of these TV spots. So anyhow, I'm just really— and once again, I want to make this really clear. I'm not this angry, bitter kind of guy who, well, I didn't get in the TV spot, so I'm just going to trash everything. That's not it at all. I wanted to see things that were fun. I wanted to see things that were interesting. For the most part, I really didn't. So anyhow, I'd love to hear your ideas, your take on this. By the way, I did promise if you look up here, you'll see the link for this great bonus video. It's, you know, some strategies for dealing with one-word auditions, which sometimes can be really hard. So anyhow, I can't wait to hear your ideas here. I am Aaron Marcus, and I can't wait to talk with you again soon. See ya.
