Humor, nostalgia and humanitarianism will be "among the main themes, as many marketers look to play it safe and steer clear of controversy" in their ads for Super Bowl LII, according to Suzanne Vranica of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. That is somewhat of a "reversal from a year ago when companies waded into sensitive political and social issues, only to be greeted with a backlash on social media." Marketing and branding firm Red Peak CEO Susan Cantor said, "The fear of a Twitter attack is fueling the play-it-safe approach." Marketers are in a "tough position." Ad execs said that consumers nowadays "expect brands to make a difference in society and take a stance on important issues." According to an online study conducted by Burson-Marsteller, almost 65% of Americans said that the Super Bowl "isn’t the appropriate place for political messages." Some 67% of those surveyed said that "funny ads should be the priority, and almost half want to learn something new about a product" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/2). USA TODAY's Erik Brady in a front-page piece notes many of Sunday's ads will "appeal to the better angels of nature." Many more will "appeal to our funny bones." None released to this point are "overtly political -- or, at this Me Too moment, overtly sexualized." Social responsibility "meets American consumerism on its high holy day of hype." Still, there will be "plenty of lowbrow laughs amid the high-mindedness." Super Bowl ads "often reflect the times," and sometimes that means "what is not in the ads as much as what's in them" (USA TODAY, 2/2).
NO IMPACT HERE: ADWEEK's Jason Lynch noted while some NFL advertisers "expressed concern over coverage of national anthem protests during the regular season, their anxiety didn’t spill over into Super Bowl ad sales." NBCU Exec VP/Sales & Marketing Dan Lovinger said, "Nobody that we’ve approached has said we’re not interested because of what’s going on. The Super Bowl transcends the league itself and all of those things that have come up in the past year and a half. I think advertisers recognize that, and this is the only event I know in television where people actually say they come to the screen to watch the ads more so than the content itself" (ADWEEK.com, 2/1). In Boston, Matthew Gilbert writes, "We don’t just watch Super Bowl ads; we spend at least a week before they appear, and then a day or two afterward, musing about them, giggling over them, grading them." This is the "era of Internet memes, and Super Bowl ads -- short, often jokey, always slick -- fit right in, as they reach into and around our online feeds like digital ivy" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/2).
BIG PUSH: AD AGE's E.J. Schultz notes Toyota is "making its biggest Super Bowl ad buy ever with two spots that push its global Olympics and Paralympics sponsorships and a third ad that will continue its long-running 'Let's Go Places' campaign." A Toyota spokesperson said that they had "originally planned two 60-second ads, but added a 30-second ad at the last minute." The buys make the marketer an "outlier in the automotive category, whose Super Bowl presence is down a bit from last year." But it is "not surprising Toyota is going big, considering its tight relationship with NBC." One 60-second spot, which will "run in the game's first commercial pod after kickoff, is called 'Good Odds.'" It portrays the journey of Canadian Paralympic skier Lauren Woolstencroft from "infant to gold medalist." A 30-second Olympics spot called "Mobility Anthem," will "run in the second half of the game." It is is a "cut-down version of a spot that first aired in October that squeezed 100 people -- ages 1 to 100 -- into a 120-second video." Toyota will "release the third Super Bowl ad on Saturday." The 60-second spot will "air prior to NBC's halftime report, which Toyota sponsors." NBC Sports anchor Dan Patrick will "introduce the ad" (ADAGE.com, 2/2).
A KNIGHT'S TALE: Bud Light on Thursday unveiled "Bud Knight," the newest "Dilly Dilly" spot that will air in the second quarter of Super Bowl LII. The brand will also have the previously released 30-second "Ye Olde Pep Talk" spot airing in the first quarter. The ads were created by Wieden+Kennedy, N.Y. (A-B InBev). AD AGE's Schultz noted the "Bud Knight " ad gives Bud Light a "new character to push on social media." On game day, the brand plans to "run quick social videos showing him suiting up, for instance." The brand also "produced a Snapchat game called 'Battle of Beer Run.'" Bud Light will also be doing some "local targeting of Eagles and Patriots fans" (ADAGE.com, 2/1). Wieden+Kennedy Creative Dir John Parker said that the agency has already been "working on a merchandizing effort for post-Super Bowl -- a Bud Knight take on 'Super Bowl champions' style T-shirts" (ADWEEK.com, 2/1).
CAPTURING EYES: AD AGE's Schultz noted Pepsi's Super Bowl ad this year "takes a quick spin through decades of the brand's brushes with pop culture, ranging from the DeLorean time machine that one-time Pepsi endorser Michael J. Fox used in the classic 1980s film franchise to quick clips of pop stars like Michael Jackson and Britney Spears." As previously teased by the marketer, the spot also "makes a reference" to Cindy Crawford's iconic '92 Pepsi Super Bowl spot, but this time her son Presley Gerber "appears in place of the two gawking boys from the original." Jimmy Fallon "supplies the voiceover for the ad, called 'This is the Pepsi.'" Other celebs In the 30-second ad include former NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, as well as Pepsi's "Uncle Drew" character, played by Celtics G Kyrie Irving. The ad was handled by PepsiCo's in-house agency, Creators League (ADAGE.com, 2/1). BROADCASTING & CABLE's Jon Lafayette noted Hulu is "buying a Super Bowl ad to promote its upcoming series 'Castle Rock.'" A year ago, Hulu promoted "The Handmaid’s Tale." Hulu’s spot will "air in the second quarter as the game heads into halftime" (BROADCASTING.com, 2/1). AD AGE's George Slefo noted Sprint revealed its 60-second spot on Thursday, which will air in the first quarter and "shows a scientist of sorts recording notes on the progress of Evelyn, an advanced AI robot with some shades of the film 'Deus Ex Machina' to her." It is the "second consecutive year" that Sprint worked with Droga5, N.Y., for its Super Bowl spot (ADAGE.com, 2/1). ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY's James Hibberd notes HBO has "created its first Super Bowl ad in 20 years." The net is "preparing to reveal the first full trailer for 'Westworld' season 2." HBO has "only purchased time during the big game twice before," in '97 and '98 (EW.com, 2/2).
NEXT ON THE TEE: Online tee time booking service GolfNow is rolling out a new ad campaign during Super Bowl pregame coverage on NBC. The company, run by Golf Channel, will debut its 30-second “Little Guy” spot on Sunday. The campaign will include three other 30-second spots that will begin running on Golf Channel. The spots use the tagline, “Why golf later when you can GolfNow?” The Martin Agency, Richmond, is GolfNow’s agency of record on the campaign. GolfNow last advertised during Super Bowl pregame programming in '15 for its Free Golf For Life sweepstakes (John Lombardo, Staff Writer).
DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS: In Austin, Will Anderson reported Shiner Bock's 30-second Super Bowl ad will "air throughout Texas" at a cost of $1.2M. McGarrah Jessee, Austin, is the agency behind the new ad. After the Super Bowl, Spoetzel Brewery, which makes Shiner Bock, will "run the commercial in Texas during broadcasts for sports such as MLB and NBA" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/1). Meanwhile, the Rangers will debut a new commercial during the Super Bowl that will air on Dallas-Ft. Worth's KXAS-NBC. The spot, produced by TM Advertising, Dallas, features an unexpected way to welcome the beginning of baseball season (Rangers).
AND THE WINNER IS...: SportsBettingDime.com's oddsmakers released lines on what ads will win USA Today's Ad Meter. For the brand category: Mountain Dew (9/1), Budweiser (10/1), Doritos (10/1) and the field (5/1). On which car brand will rank highest: Hyundai (5/3), Kia (5/3) and Toyota (6/1) (THE DAILY).
