Companies are reportedly paying Fox up to $5 million per 30-second ad in hopes of reaching more than 100 million viewers at any given moment during the Super Bowl on Sunday. There are about 70 slots available during the game.
>> For complete coverage of Super Bowl LI, click here
To maximize exposure, marketers are less and less likely to “surprise” viewers on Super Bowl Sunday. Rather, they are often releasing ads or “trailer” teasers of ads in advance in hopes to capture buzz on top of those 30 seconds. We in the media play into the interest by writing about the ads, which are usually a mix of maudlin and humorous, with celebrity names thrown in for good measure.
Related: Five of the best Super Bowl commercials of all time
Here are a few ads already out there. Budweiser is a perennial and its ads frequently top the favorites list every year.
This one below focuses, coincidentally or not, on the immigrant experience, which also includes a little xenophobic comment as the founder of Budweiser enters the United States from Germany. “You’re not wanted here!” some dude says to him. “Go back home!” But he stays and creates Budweiser.
Snickers is trying something different by shooting its ad live during the game featuring actor Adam Driver, who has had roles in the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy and HBO comedy-drama series "Girls."
Skittles is going for humor, too, and this one's amusing, with a gopher thrown in for good measure. It's already received 3.5 million views as of Tuesday evening.
Intel smartly hired Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for an ad before knowing he'd be in the Super Bowl.
SquareSpace, a website builder, blog platform, hosting service and domain name registrar, hired John Malkovich.
GoDaddy, another web domain registrar, is back again and going for animal humor in some ads, like one with a cat and another with a panda, and taking on pop culture moments, like the dress, in others. Two teasers are below. The others can be seen on GoDaddy's YouTube playlist.
Website developer wix.com decided to turn its ad into an action scene in a restaurant featuring "Wonder Woman" actress Gil Gadot and "Expendables" star Jason Statham.
Kia hired Melissa McCarthy.
TurboTax reaches for Humpty Dumpty, and you can guess what happens to poor Humpty.
Mr. Clean decided to get into real good shape.
Peter Fonda returns, in a sense, to "Easy Rider" land for Mercedes-Benz.
If you like avocados and miss Jon Lovitz on “Celebrity Apprentice,” this is for you.
Steve Carell stars in a Honda ad. Here's the teaser:
Lexus has already released a dance-themed extended version of what will air on Sunday featuring Sia's "Move Your Body."
Febreze positions itself right after halftime and right before Lady Gaga for a reason, according to this teaser.
Tide hired Jeffrey Tambor and Rob Gronkowski – for contrast purposes. This is the teaser:
Wendy's tries for humor in its first Super Bowl ad in a 50 years.
KFC is using Rob Riggle and Billy Zane dressed as Colonel Sanders. One of the teasers is below:
And here's a cute King's Hawaiian ad. This is the first time the roll company has opted for the Super Bowl.
According to Ad Age's Super Bowl ad tracker, Tiffany & Co. has hired Lady Gaga for an ad while other advertisers include Buick, Audi, Hyundai, WeatherTech, Wonderful Pistachios, Bai, Busch, Fiji Water, Top Games USA, GNC, It's a Ten Haircare, Persil, 84 Lumber, Sprint and Wealthsimple.
Some advertisers from last year that are skipping out this time: Butterfinger, Doritos, Heinz, Mini USA, Taco Bell, Toyota and Visa.
About the Author