This year's Super Bowl commercials lean heavily into humor and nostalgia, with many brands opting for lighthearted and familiar themes. Advertisers are hoping to provide a welcome break for viewers amidst a complex cultural landscape.
Most of the commercials airing during this year's Super Bowl are going for laughs, with advertisers betting that America could use a little break. As the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs hit the field in New Orleans, a parade of silly ads will hit airwaves on Sunday. Many companies put their ads online ahead of the game, but some held out to maintain an element of surprise. Humor dominates in the ads released so far.
Four old ladies go on a joy ride with WeatherTech, while Eugene Levy's eyebrows fly off and buzz around after he eats some Little Caesars. Sloths have a case of the Mondays in an ad for Coors Light. A man's tongue starts dancing to celebrate cold foam from Nestlé Coffee Mate. British singer Seal becomes an actual seal, sad that he can't hold Mountain Dew with his flippers. Actor Glenn Powell does a take on Goldilocks for Ram Trucks, while comedian Nate Bargatze clones himself and hires an opera singer because he saved so much money using DoorDash. Shaboozey takes a lighthearted stroll through New Orleans for Nerds, while the stars of the 'Fast and Furious' franchise take a slow cruise in a convertible so they can enjoy Häagen-Dazs ice cream bars.Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, said this was a complicated Super Bowl for advertisers. Most ads were in development during last fall's U.S. presidential election race, so avoiding controversy was even more of a priority than usual, Calkins said. The finalized crop of commercials feature a lot of simple humor, nostalgia and few creative risks, he said. But even that approach can backfire. 'That's the challenge this year. Everybody wants to be safe, but you also want to be interesting,' Calkins said. 'Safe advertising isn't the advertising you notice or remember.' And advertisers can't afford not to be noticed. Some of the roughly 80 Super Bowl ads spots cost a record $8 million for 30 seconds this year.Budweiser brings back its Clydesdales for its Super Bowl ad, including a foal that wants to join the delivery team. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal reenact their famous scene from 1989's 'When Harry Met Sally,' except this time Sally is expressing her enthusiasm for Hellmann's mayonnaise. The Muppets search for accommodations with Booking.com, while an Instacart ad features a parade of familiar mascots like Mr. Clean, the Jolly Green Giant and the Pillsbury Doughboy. Disney asks what the world would be like without the iconic characters it owns, like Elsa from 'Frozen,' Bart Simpson and the Marvel superheroes.Advertisers are leaning on nostalgia more than they used to in Super Bowl ads, according to Kimberly Whitler, a marketing professor at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. Nods to the past can broaden the appeal of an ad to different generations and connect products to positive cultural moments, she said.Putting celebrities together in unexpected combinations can also broaden the appeal of a commercial. In their Super Bowl ad for Michelob Ultra, actors Catherine O'Hara and Willem Dafoe are pickleball champs. Soccer star David Beckham and actor Matt Damon are long-lost twins who bond over Stella Artois. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and comedian Pete Davidson team up for a HexClad commercial, while Post Malone, Shane Gillis and Peyton Manning have a block party with Bud Light. A slew of celebrities, including Matthew McConaughey, Martha Stewart, Greta Gerwig and Charlie XCX, appear in an ad for Uber Eats.Linli Xu, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, said celebrity endorsements can get people talking. But with dozens of brands using them, there's a risk of diminishing returns. Celebrities can also get so much attention that viewers don't remember which brand they're advertising, Xu said.It isn't all fun and games at the Super Bowl this year. Pharmaceutical company Novartis urges women to get early detection for breast cancer. Dove warns that half of girls who quit sports have been criticized for their body type. Hims & Hers, a telehealth company, talks about America's obesity epidemic. For the third Super Bowl in a row, Come Near - a nonprofit that promotes the teachings of Jesus - is running an ad as part of its He Gets Us campaign. The ad, featuring Johnny Cash's cover of 'Personal Jesus,' shows everyday people being helpful and heroic. And the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, founded by New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, has a stark ad featuring Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady saying what they hate about each other, in an effort to show how pointless hate is. Xu said she expected more ads promoting that unifying message. But for the most part, advertisers went with humor, she said
SUPER BOWL ADVERTISING COMMERCIALS HUMOR NOSTALGIA CELEBRITIES
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