AI Just Hijacked the Super Bowl (And Your TV Deals Are Actually Good This Year)
NotionRemember When Crypto Ruined Super Bowl Commercials?
Well, buckle up. AI is about to do it again—but this time, it might actually matter.
Super Bowl LX hits this Sunday (Seahawks vs. Patriots, Bad Bunny halftime show), and the commercial lineup reads like a Silicon Valley pitch deck. Anthropic is running ads that literally throw shade at OpenAI. During the biggest advertising event of the year. The audacity is impressive.
Last year, Google's Gemini fumbled a cheese fact in front of 100+ million viewers. This year? AI companies are going all-in anyway. Because nothing says "we've learned our lesson" like doubling down on Super Bowl ads.
But Here's What You Should Actually Care About
Forget the AI hype for a second. The real Super Bowl play is happening in your living room setup.
LG's C5 OLED TV is on serious discount right before game day. Coincidence? Definitely not. Retailers know exactly what they're doing here.
The timing is perfect: premium OLED picture quality, right when you need it most, at a price that doesn't make your wallet cry. Add in deals on power banks and USB-C cables, and you've got the ultimate game day tech stack.
The Real Winner: Apple's "Humble" $29 Tracker
While AI companies burn millions on 30-second spots, Apple's second-gen AirTags are quietly becoming one of their most useful products ever.
Hot take alert: One reviewer declared AirTags superior to iPads. The internet lost its mind. But think about it—when was the last time a $29 gadget solved a daily problem this effectively?
Here's the value hierarchy:
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ Daily Problem Solved │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│ AirTags: Never lose stuff ████ │ High
│ iPad: Sometimes useful ██ │ Medium
│ AI Ads: Entertainment only █ │ Low
└─────────────────────────────────┘
The new AirTags focus on precision finding and better privacy features. No flashy Super Bowl ad needed—just solving the universal problem of "where did I put my keys?"
The Valentine's Day Wildcard
Plot twist: Valentine's Day tech deals are overlapping with Super Bowl sales. Digital photo frames, smartwatches, e-readers—all at post-holiday pricing.
Smart retailers are playing both holidays. The Aura Aspen digital frame? Down to near-record lows. Because nothing says romance like... actually, a rotating display of your best memories together is genuinely thoughtful.
What This All Means
The tech industry is having an identity crisis at the worst possible time. AI companies are spending millions to convince us we need their products. Meanwhile, the gadgets people actually use daily—item trackers, TVs, photo frames—are getting better and cheaper.
The pattern is clear:
Hype Investment → Actual Usefulness
────────────────────────────────────
AI Ads →→→→→ Still waiting...
AirTags →→→ Immediate value
OLED TVs →→→ Proven technology
So while Anthropic and OpenAI battle it out during commercial breaks, the real winners are consumers grabbing proven tech at Super Bowl sale prices.
The Bottom Line
This Sunday, you'll see millions spent on AI advertising. Most of it will be forgotten by halftime. But that LG C5 you bought on sale? You'll use it for years.
The real question: Are we watching the Super Bowl for the game, Bad Bunny, or to see which AI company embarrasses themselves first?
My money's on all three.