At a difficult time for America, Super Bowl advertisers asked viewers to take care of themselves and others — and maybe even crack a smile. Ring showed how neighbors can use their doorbell cameras to find lost pets. A Budweiser Clydesdale protected a bald eagle chick from the rain. Novartis touted a blood test that can detect prostate cancer. Toyota reminded viewers to wear their seatbelts. Mister Rogers was invoked twice: Lady Gaga sang his classic "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" in a tearjerker for Rocket Companies while the National Football League used "You Are Special" to promote its work with youth sports organizations. "A key thread running through this year's Super Bowl ads was a desire for peace, harmony, community, and neighborliness," said Kimberly Whitler, a marketing professor at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. "There is a general theme centered on people coming together to support one another." America is uneasy. U.S. consumer confidence fell to its lowest level since 2014 in January. The killings of two protesters by federal officers in Minneapolis last month led to widespread outrage. And winter weather has been brutal across much of the country. "There is a collective trauma. Everybody is stressed out. It doesn't matter who you are, it's something that's impacting everyone," said Vann Graves, the executive director of the Brandcenter at Virginia Commonwealth University. Super Bowl ads, he said, give people a much-needed respite and a rare shared moment. "It's been a bit of time that we can just be human and be silly and enjoy ourselves," Graves said. Playing for laughs There is plenty of silliness in this year's commercials. Sabrina Carpenter tried to build the perfect man out of... Read More