Super Bowl advertisements have become nearly as big a deal as the game itself, so here is a preview of what to expect during the breaks in the action next Sunday.
WASHINGTON — As we all know, (at least) half the hype around the Super Bowl has to do with the ads. The industry of Super Bowl ads has become ever more popular, discussed and scrutinized, as the cost of a single 30-second ad has risen to as much as $5 million this year. But considering the increase in cord-cutting in contrast with the massive audience the game reels in — 114.5 million viewers last year — many companies consider purchasing a spot a worthwhile investment.
With that in mind, flip through the slides to see previews and sneak peeks at some of the advertisers and spots you can expect to see a week from Sunday.
(Getty Images/Frederick M. Brown)
Getty Images/Frederick M. Brown
Doritos
Continuing with the trend established in recent years, Doritos has crowdsourced their ads, including the spot above, and will run the winner out of three finalists. You can see the other two finalists and vote for your favorite here.
(Getty Images/Frederick M. Brown)
Bud Light
Bud Light’s going strong after the young adult demo, bringing in Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen for their new campaign, for which the above teaser spot ran during Championship Weekend. Presumably there will be more of an explanation come the big game.
(Getty Images/Frederick M. Brown)
Shock Top
Shock Top may seem like too minor of a beer brand to run a Super Bowl ad, but when you remember that the beer is made by Anheuser-Busch and a direct competitor in the wheat beer market to MillerCoors’ Blue Moon, the investment makes sense. They’ve brought in comedian (and GW grad) T.J. Miller, perhaps best known for his role in HBO’s Silicon Valley.
The preview above doesn’t give much away, so we’ll have to wait until next Sunday to see if it lives up to the hype.
(Getty Images/Frederick M. Brown)
Pokemon
Pokemon – yes, Pokemon — is celebrating its 20th anniversary by buying a Super Bowl spot. If that doesn’t make you feel old, I don’t know what will.
(Getty Images/Frederick M. Brown)
Butterfinger
Butterfinger promises to run a “bolder than bold” spot, and they’ve hired a skydiver to tell you about it. It’s hard to say what the teaser above will have to do with the actual spot, but there you go.
(Getty Images/Frederick M. Brown)
Kia
Here’s to hoping the Chris Walken-narrated Kia ad is more exciting than the spot you see above. Word from Kia is that it will be a 60-second spot split in two. I wouldn’t hold out any hope for more cowbell, but more Walken would be a good start.
(Getty Images/Frederick M. Brown)
Skittles
Skittles has veered away from football celebrity endorser Marshawn Lynch (and just in time, with Seattle missing the Super Bowl for the first time in three years), this time calling on Aerosmith front man Stephen Tyler. All we know so far is that Tyler will have some sort of candy-studded microphone, as you can see in the GIF above.
Squarespace
You may not remember that Squarespace aired an ad last year, but the actual spot was one of the most memorable, featuring a very The Dude-ish Jeff Bridges playing a flute. It was off the wall, but one of the more entertaining and attention-grabbing spots of the game.
This year, the company is back with another high-profile signing, comedians Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele. All we have so far is the screencap above, so the rest is up to your imagination.
(Squarespace)
Squarespace
Mini
Mini will be employing a host of celebrities for their #DefyLabels campaign, including Abby Wambach, who appears in the spot above.
(Squarespace)
Marmot
Outdoor clothing company Marmot is taking its shot at making a splash on the big stage this year, with a spot featuring, yes, a marmot. That’s the marmot there in the video above, peeing. Consider yourself warned.
(Squarespace)
LG
Liam Neeson will star in a 60-second spot for LG, a 15-second preview of which is above. That’s right – we’ve got a preview of a commercial (directed by Ridley Scott’s son Jake, no less), which means we’ve officially jumped the meta shark of capitalistic existence.
(Squarespace)
