The Best Guesses Behind The Mystery Star Of Downy's Super Bowl 2023 Commercial

From the exciting game to the captivating halftime show, there are plenty of reasons to tune into the Super Bowl. One of which includes watching the iconic commercials that play throughout the game. Most of the time when watching television, we use commercials to check our Twitter feed or take a trip to the bathroom, but not during the Super Bowl. Eyes are glued to the television during the ads to see which ones tug at our heartstrings, make us laugh, and surprise us.

Companies put their all into creating eye-catching and noteworthy ideas to have viewers talking about the advertisement for days to come. It's no cheap feat, either. According to NBC, if you're lucky to land a spot, it can cost upwards of $6.5 million for a 30-second commercial. As each year passes, the cost only rises, putting increasing pressure on companies to come up with one-of-a-kind ideas to see a return in revenue, per Statista. From the Budweiser puppy ads, Betty White's iconic Snickers ad, and the famous Old Spice, all of these commercials have captured fans' attention.

Each advertisement has its unique approach, but one strategy that seems to work for many companies is having a legendary face tied to your brand. As the 2023 Super Bowl approaches, companies are getting ready for the biggest marketing day of the year, and Downy seems to be teasing a big name attached to their ad.

The days to the 2023 Super Bowl are slowly dwindling, and the race to be the best commercial has already begun. Companies have been slowly teasing their ads to consumers, hoping to keep their brand at the forefront of their minds. Doritos has rapper Jack Harlow in a "love triangle," and singer Sarah McLachlan is in a parody for Busch Light, per CNN. However, none of the teasers have captured people's attention quite like the Downy advertisement.

Downy's ad was unlike any other commercial so far. Instead of showing their A-list celebrity, they are choosing to keep it a secret. The advertisement shows a mystery celebrity with a sweater covering their face. The secret star says, "Downy Unstoppables wants to use my face for their Super Bowl ad, but I haven't agreed yet." The star shared that the reason they haven't shown their face or agreed to "work" with Downy is that they don't believe the brand can keep clothes smelling good for over 12 weeks. They said, "So, I'm going to sniff this thing until the Super Bowl to see if it's true. But until then, I'm totally hiding my identity." A talking dog then popped out of the laundry, sharing that they believe the hidden star's identity is obvious. However, fans aren't so convinced. Although the mystery celebrity's voice is attached to the commercial, it's still sending viewers into a frenzy as to who it can be.

Downy's teaser for their upcoming Super Bowl ad has had fans guessing some of the biggest names in Hollywood. In December 2022, the brand gave a hint on Twitter that the person behind the sweater was an actor. Thus, beginning tons of speculation on who the person can be.

Viewers have had fun guessing on the brand's Instagram account. Jason Sudeikis is a popular guess, given his starring role in "Ted Lasso" and the connection to sports. However, other fans aren't so convinced. A Twitter user wrote, "​​That's obviously Danny McBrides voice." Many YouTube commenters have agreed, especially because the mystery star said, "You don't know me," which McBride's character, Kenny Powers, says in "Eastbound & Down." Although Sudeikis and McBride have been viewers' top guesses, people have also thrown out football star Rob Gronkowski and actor Rob Riggle.

The company is having just as much fun as audiences and has added to the speculation. After Bad Bunny showed up to a basketball game with a sweater over his face, they suggested he could be the possible star. They tweeted, "Tití me preguntó: Are you the Downy Unstopables celeb @sanbenito ???" Regardless of who it is, fans appreciate the commercial strategy. One user wrote on Instagram, "This is a great marketing idea I'm dying to know who it is." Just like the rest of us wanting to know the mystery star, everyone will have to wait until the 2023 Super Bowl.