The Super Bowl may be over. But Nike's retro football-inspired sneaker, the Field General, is just warming up.

Nike’s first big game ad in 27 years and other purpose-driven spots won the night, while ads built on celebrities, humor and politics had an uneven showing.

Kendrick Lamar, one of hip-hop’s most venerated artists for the past decade, performed “Not Like Us,” a diss track aimed at ...