The 5 best ads of Super Bowl 51

The overarching theme from the commercials during this year's big game was brands looking to make statements about diversity and inclusion — but those weren't necessarily the best ads of Super Bowl 51.

Scroll down to see Business Insider's pick of the bunch.

5. NFL — "Baby Legends"

The NFL aired three spots during the Super Bowl, but the "Baby Legends" ad was the standout.

The ad showed babies dressed up as well-known football legends Marshawn Lynch, Michael Irvin, Von Miller, Vince Lombardi, Mike Ditka, Bill Belichick, and Joe Namath. The ad ended with baby versions of Belichick, the Patriots coach, and Devonta Freeman, the Falcons running back, next to the Super Bowl trophy.

The spot served as a follow-up to last year's "Super Bowl Babies Choir" and served as a tasteful and fun piece of nostalgia for football fans watching the game.

4. It's A 10 Haircare — "Four More Years"

While many of the Super Bowl ads this year appeared to take a poke at President Donald Trump, this ad for a relatively-unknown haircare brand made the strongest – but most-lighthearted — reference.

"America, we are in for at least four more years of awful hair," is the narrator's opening line. The ad then goes on to state how It's A 10 Haircare wants to help all sorts of people, with all sorts of hair, have great hair.

The script is funny, the haircuts are awful, and perhaps the only criticism of the spot was that it was shot in black and white rather than color.

3. Audi — "#DriveProgress"

Audi made a big statement on gender pay equality with its Super Bowl ad, which depicted a dad watching his daughter taking part in a kart race and contemplating the times she might be treated differently just for being female.

When the ad was pre-released before the game, the automaker came under a heap of criticism from social media users who alleged the company was being sanctimonious and wasn't practicing what it preached — particularly because it has an all-male board and its senior management team only has two women.

However, Audi kept to its guns and responded to detractors on social media, explaining the steps the company has taken to drive equality among its staff. The car marque appeared to have turned a lot of the negativity surrounding the ad, with many first-time viewers of the ad praising it after it aired on TV.

2. Tide — "Terry's Stain"

Tide's ad offered a dose of realism between some of the more polished Super Bowl commercials.

Fox TV football pundit Terry Bradshaw wore a shirt with a barbecue sauce stain on it during the actual Super Bowl analysis show before the commercial break in which the ad ran.

Bradshaw's stain began "trending" on social media and he suffered real-life teasing as he embarked on a humorous hunt to find a new clean shirt. In real-life, social media users were also discussing the mysterious stain that suddenly appeared midway through the second quarter, leading to news sites debunking the speculation — growing Tide's organic reach as a result.

1. Mr. Clean — "Cleaner of Your Dreams"

Procter & Gamble's cleaner brand's ad showed a woman instantly attracted to the animated Mr Clean character, who shows off his sexy dance moves as he does the housework, while wearing a tight white t-shirt and matching pants that emphasize his muscly features.

Viewers were in equal parts disturbed and amused, a winning — if unusual — formula when it comes to brand recall.

Mr Clean's marketing team didn't just let the big game TV spot do the talking. The Mr Clean Twitter account trolled other Super Bowl advertisers as their commercials came on screen.

The 5 best ads of Super Bowl 51

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