Superbowl XL commercial review -- where's the heart?

Full disclosure, this is going to be a little ranty.

Anybody else remember when Superbowl commercials were actually funny (or at the very least memorable)?

Even in years where most of the commercials were duds there were at least 2 or 3 standards that were above mediocre.

They either try too hard (with overused celebrity endorsements) or not hard enough &emdash; simple powerpoint presentations that are completely uninspiring.

In the past, companies would even tap fans through contests and have them film their own commercials. As lazy as the approach was, some of the best SuperBowl commercials resulted.

What happened? It's like the industries earning the most money simultaneously have the least amount of imagination (or least amount of foresight to pay that little extra for a good marketing firm to show off their creativity). Just slap some AI generated footage together and call it a day.

SuperBowl commercials used to be a chance for humans to show their best creativity, but in a sea of crypto and online betting commercials nothing stood out (when it easily could have). It has no soul, and if we're to use it as a mirror showcasing human creativity, that's pretty sad.

That said, I do think there's a fatigue settling in around these vapid technologies and there will be a resurgence in creative marketing because that's what's going to make brands stand out. We're on the precipice of a marketing Renaissance and the first products to realize that are the ones that'll shine the most.