A "startling number of brands" that have ran ads in past Super Bowls are bowing out this year as "advertisers struggle to hit the right note in a country plagued by the coronavirus pandemic, social and political unrest and record unemployment," according to Alexandra Steigrad of the N.Y. POST. Coca-Cola will not run an ad in CBS' Feb. 7 telecast after running one every year since '06, except in '19 when it "aired a pre-game ad instead." Also out are Hyundai, Olay, Avocados From Mexico, Little Caesars and Ford. In ending its six-year Super Bowl streak, Avocados From Mexico said that it is "'reinventing' itself for its return to the game next year." Hyundai, which has run ads in 12 of the past 13 Super Bowls, also "hinted the time-out is temporary, saying it 'will certainly be back.'" Experts said that brands running ads -- including M&M’s, TurboTax, A-B InBev, Toyota, Pringles and Mtn Dew -- are "largely expected to play it safe" and to "tread carefully given the divided political climate, the pandemic and both the Black Lives Matter and MeToo movements" (N.Y. POST, 1/25).
First-time Super Bowl advertiser DoorDash's spot will feature beloved "Sesame Street" charactersDOORDASH
STEP THROUGH THE DOOR: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Sahil Patel notes DoorDash "will advertise in the Super Bowl for the first time next month as it kicks off a larger marketing campaign promoting its options beyond food delivery." The company's one-minute commercial, airing during the first quarter, stars actor/rapper Daveed Diggs and "'Sesame Street' Muppets including Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Grover," as it "reimagines the 'People in Your Neighborhood' song." The spot was created by The Martin Agency, Richmond, and Sesame Workshop. DoorDash has allocated at least $20M to "back the campaign," and the decision to make a Super Bowl debut was "made in November." DoorDash VP/Marketing Kofi Amoo-Gottfried: “To be in this one moment to drive real top-of-mind awareness, we thought the trade-off was worth it" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/23).
ANOTHER FIRST-TIMER: AD AGE's Jeanine Poggi reports Mercari, an online marketplace where people buy and sell items, will make its Super Bowl ad debut. Its commercial, which "has already been airing," was created by Rain the Growth Agency, Portland, and is "part of the company’s 'Goodbye, Hello' campaign." The 15-second spot will air in the third quarter. Mercari "joins a batch of first-time Super Bowl advertisers looking to capitalize on consumer growth amid the pandemic." These include online car seller Vroom, freelance platform Fiverr and Scotts Miracle-Gro (ADAGE.com, 1/25). ADWEEK.com's Emmy Liederman noted several brands that "saw growth during the pandemic will replace some of the Big Game’s classic advertisers" who are sitting out (ADWEEK.com, 1/23).
