This is Maya Rudolph four times in Klarna’s Super Bowl ad.
Video by Leslie Katz / CNET
The competitive Super Bowl high-interest advertising landscape looks a bit different this year, as big names like Budweiser, Pepsi (the sponsor for the break) and Coke single out their regular commercial purchases, while reconsidering how to best promote their brands during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. After all, there is no shortage of creative and entertaining commercials to watch as the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the reigning champion in Kansas City Chiefs. Sunday 7 February.
Here are some of the best, funniest and most uplifting commercials of the big game released early on. We will continue to update this message when new ads appear.
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch may have chosen to skip his regular Budweiser brand this year under Super Bowl ads, but debuted with his first company ad ever for the big game. David Fincher, director of Gone Girl and Fight Club, produced the film video, which shows how everyday people enjoy beer together in a poignant reminder of pre-pandemic life.
Klarna
The shopping app Klarna is looking for a boost with a Western themed ad featuring four miniature Maya Rudolphs. The Saturday Night Live star gets his song chops.
Samuel Adams
Some Super Bowl viewers will still see Clydesdale horses. Beer producer Sam Adams took a turn at Budweiser with an ad showing how the horses got loose and wreaked havoc in city streets. The ad is broadcast only regionally in New York and Boston.
Indeed
Jobs site Indeed has launched its very first Super Bowl ad, which takes advantage of the emotional side of the job. The star of the show is a rising new recording of Andra Day’s song Rise Up which is covered by singer and TikTok star Christian Shelton.
Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer
Quite a number of prominent doubles (and one true celebrity) play in Michelob’s pursuit of his organic seltzer brand. The challenge is to spot the real celebrity (spoiler: it’s Don Cheadle).
Jimmy John’s
The sandwich chain has yet to announce its actual Super Bowl ad, but an extensive teaser starring Brad Garrett as the ‘King of Cold Cuts’ does not appreciate Jimmy John moving into his field. There’s a whole mob-inspired storyline going on as a one-sided sandwich war begins.
Scotts and Miracle-Gro
Scotts relies on the traditional Super Bowl tradition of leveraging celebrity power in its promotion of Miracle-Gro fertilizer. You see many familiar faces, but John Travolta dancing with his daughter is a standout.
Knoblig
The Bud Light Legends ad is an outing in memory. It gathers the stars of Bud Light commercials from the past, including the Bud Light Knight and Cedric the Entertainer, to help save a overturned truck full of beer.
Frito-Lay
In an ad that would appear right before the coin toss, snack maker Frito-Lay featured a who’s who of Super Bowl stars, including the Manning brothers, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw, Jerome Bettis and Deion Sanders. Former Seattle Seahawk Marshawn Lynch Tells a Custom Version of A Visit From St. Nicholas, who redesigned it as ‘Twas the Night Before Super Bowl’.
Squarespace
This is the extended version of a shorter Squarespace ad featuring national treasurer Dolly Parton’s reworked version of her hit song 9 to 5. The website provider’s ad is full of dancing entrepreneurs performing after their normal office hours. And there is upper form like a squirrel.
Amazon
Amazon has put out quite a few different Alexa devices over the years, with a few different looks. The company’s Super Bowl ad raises the question, “What would be the ideal body for Alexa?” The answer is Michael B. Jordan, star of Black Panther and Creed.
Doritos
Actor Matthew McConaughey appears as a flattened 2D version of himself bowled by a footballer and confused with a robotic vacuum cleaner until a bag of Doritos 3D chips restores him to his normal self.
Cheetos
Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher and Shaggy come together for a semi-musical mashup ad in which Kutcher repeatedly accused Kunis of eating his Cheetos Crunchy Pop Mix. She is caught orange-fingered, but manages to deny it.
Logitech
Logitech described its big game ad as an ‘ode to creators’. The ad is powered by music star Lil Nas X of country rap Old Town Road fame. It’s all about using technology to unleash creativity.
Pringles
Pringles got a case of space fever with a story about returning astronauts who were left at sea because mission control was too busy stacking chips to save them.
Gety
In a big nod to surreality, Tide Detergent lingered over all the ways a hoodie with Seinfeld actor Jason Alexander’s face got dirty. Yes, it’s as weird as it sounds. This is an early contender for the game’s weirdest ad.
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser’s parent company, said in a statement that it would abandon the brand’s airtime and instead place the funds for public awareness and education for COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
Anheuser-Busch still awarded slots to Bud Light and Michelob and filmed his first ever corporate commercial, taking a serious look at his community work and economic recovery efforts.
Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade
Speaking of Bud Light, the low-beer brand has given a humorous look at how awful 2020 was with a lemon-filled ad for its hard seltzer lemonade. Make an ad out of it if life gives you lemons.
Michelob Ultra
Michelob Ultra provided a thoughtful reflection on the nature of happiness set to the tune of Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side. Sports stars, including Peyton Manning and Serena Williams, appear.
Stella Artois
Musician Lenny Kravitz performed for Stella Artois for an ad with an introspective message based on the idea that people get about 2.5 billion heartbeats in a lifetime.
Coors Light
Honorable mention: Coors Light will not be hosting a Super Bowl ad during the game, but rather taking a wild turn by launching its Big Game Commercial of Your Dreams campaign to encourage people to dream about its beer instead. It called in a psychologist to develop a video that would possibly cause visions of Coors Light during the night. The dream-inducing video will be available to try from February 3rd.
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