The five best and five worst Super Bowl commercials of 2020

Good morning! As the aroma of wing sauce and stale beer may or may not still linger amid your olfacto [Compass] [Presented by]( [AC HOTELS]( Good morning! As the aroma of wing sauce and stale beer may or may not still linger amid your olfactory leftovers, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on the other game last night. Yep, the commercials. Picking the best and worst Super Bowl ads is obviously a subjective exercise, and my evaluation of these multi-million-dollar attention seekers is no different. My criteria included best (or most unexpected) use of celebrity and best (or most unexpected) use of brand image or product, as well as those that didn’t need a big name—or even a recognizable name—to make a mark, or at least make me laugh. And it’s by no means a complete list. I hated P&G’s attempt to establish a CPG Cinematic Universe, which came off more like a stockholder cult recruitment video. And please, someone make the thirsty Baby Peanut stop. On the flip side, loved Cheetos’ MC Hammer spot, a flawless piece of advertising rooted in a direct product truth—that damn cheese dust. Microsoft’s miniprofile of 49ers assistant coach Katie Sowers was also pitch-perfect. But choices had to be made. [Here are mine](. What’s yours? —[Jeff Beer]( [The five best and five worst Super Bowl commercials of 2020]( [The five best and five worst Super Bowl commercials of 2020]( Big game, big brands, big ads: Here are the biggest hits and misses. [fastcompany.com]( [See Serena Williams’s debut designs for the beleaguered luggage brand Away]( [See Serena Williams’s debut designs for the beleaguered luggage brand Away]( Can the sports superstar help the brand move past its recent corporate drama? [fastcompany.com]( [Trump’s data team crushed Democrats in 2016. Can this small startup even the score?]( [Trump’s data team crushed Democrats in 2016. Can this small startup even the score?]( Alloy, a tech startup led by two Obama vets, aims to challenge the GOP for data supremacy. But its biggest competition may be the party it’s trying to save. [fastcompany.com]( A MESSAGE FROM AC HOTELS [Jonathan Adler & Tan France Toast To Thoughtful Design]( [Jonathan Adler & Tan France Toast To Thoughtful Design]( In this RE/DESIGN episode, Jonathan Adler and Tan France meet at AC Hotels to talk all things design. Inspired by AC Hotels’ refined, modern spaces and attention to detail, their creative collaboration leads to a beautiful transformation of an everyday object. [fastcompany.com]( [Yes, Bobby Berk of ‘Queer Eye’ really does renovate homes in 3 days]( [Yes, Bobby Berk of ‘Queer Eye’ really does renovate homes in 3 days]( ‘Fast Company’ talked to the ‘Queer Eye’ resident design expert about his time management strategy for those impossibly fast renovations. [fastcompany.com]( [The calmer, more private version of Instagram that Facebook killed]( [The calmer, more private version of Instagram that Facebook killed]( Filtergram offered Instagram without the ads, algorithms, or comments. Then one day, it stopped working. [fastcompany.com]( [This new H&M dress is made from wood and recycled jeans]( [This new H&M dress is made from wood and recycled jeans]( The fabric, called Circulose, is a new innovation that lets old fabrics be turned into new thread. [fastcompany.com]( [In this new Dutch neighborhood, there will be 1 shared car for every 3 households]( [In this new Dutch neighborhood, there will be 1 shared car for every 3 households]( Welcome to Merwede, a new proposed neighborhood in Utrecht being designed specifically to enhance Dutch biking culture. [fastcompany.com]( [One Medical claims to be the future of healthcare. But it relies on a broken system]( [One Medical claims to be the future of healthcare. But it relies on a broken system]( One Medical, which makes going to the doctor easier, has raised millions in an IPO despite losses. Can it survive a possible shakeup to the healthcare system? [fastcompany.com]( [Shakira’s Super Bowl halftime performance sparks memes and a much-needed history lesson]( [Shakira’s Super Bowl halftime performance sparks memes and a much-needed history lesson]( During the halftime show, Shakira let out a seemingly strange cry that the internet turned into a meme. But it’s actually a beautiful Arabic expression. [fastcompany.com]( Download the Fast Company Magazine app: Available for [iOS]( and [Android]( devices Did you enjoy this issue? [Fast Company] You can [update your details here](. If you don’t want to receive Compass anymore, [unsubscribe here]( If you were forwarded Compass and like it, [subscribe here]( [View this newsletter online]( Powered by [Revue]( 7 World Trade Center, 29th Floor, New York, NY 10007-2195