It may not have seemed likely at the start of the pandemic, but the 55th Sunday of the Super Bowl is upon us once again. Every year, advertisers do their best to entertain the crowd of 100 million viewers who are expected to watch the CBS broadcast on Sunday. This year, there are more than 20 newcomers, as well as old favorites. Amazon shows a new sexy body to its assistant Alexa, Dan Levy apologizes for eating M & M’s and Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade turns a shower of lemons into a metaphor for the problems of 2020. And as always, expect some surprises too.
Amazon “New Body”
In an announcement to publicize the new spherical shape of Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa, a woman imagines that her new Alexa has the voice – and the body – of actor Michael B. Jordan, who takes off his shirt to dim the lights and reads an audio book for her in the bathtub, much to the chagrin of her unhappy husband. It is one of the only ads to play with sexual innuendo this year.
“It pushes sensuality, weirdness, the element of fantasy,” said Mark DiMassimo, chief creative officer at marketing agency DiMassimo Goldstein. “Which is culturally right for the moment when people are stuck at home together, without much fun.”
Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade “Lemons from last year”
Bud Light presents its new Seltzer Lemonade with an ad that depicts a shower of literal lemons in 2020, which spoils weddings, cancels flights, interrupts haircuts at home, destroys cardboard cutouts of baseball stadiums – and causes general chaos. It is a not-so-subtle nod to the plans that were derailed in 2020 and the axiom “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”
Cadillac “Edgar Scissorhands”
At another nostalgia festival, Cadillac revisits the classic 1990 film “Edward Scissorhands”. In the ad, the ad portrays Edward’s son Edgar, who has difficulty with his inherited scissorhands when he empties a football and cuts the cable at a bus stop. Then he experiences the Cadillac Lyriq’s “Super Handsfree Cruise” feature, which allows you to drive with little manual contact. Winona Ryder from the original film also revisits her role as Edgar’s mother.
Cheetos “it wasn’t me “
The Cheetos ad shows real-life couple Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher arguing about a package of Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix – to the sound of Shaggy’s 2000 pop hit “It Wasn’t Me” – with a couple’s frayed nerves stuck inside for a long time.
Dr. Squatch
There are more than 20 new advertisers this year, but most are looking to nostalgia and celebrities to stand out. Dr. Squatch, a little-known direct-to-consumer soap and personal care brand, is one of the few to embrace weird humor to stand out. The ironic ad shows a man walking through the forest defending why Dr. Squatch’s natural soap is the right choice for the modern man who “opens jars of pickles” and “lets his daughter braid her hair”.
GM “No Way Norway “
When Will Ferrell discovers that Norway has more electric vehicles per capita than the United States, he embarks on a crazy journey that spans countries with singer and actress Awkwafina and comedian Kenan Thompson to show GM’s new battery for electric cars soon it will be available to everyone.
Inspiration4 “Join us “
In what is certainly the first time in the history of the Super Bowl, an announcement from Inspiration4, a fully civil space mission supported by SpaceX, announces a chance for viewers to join the mission. The ad features photos of the SpaceX spaceman’s uniform in space to the sound of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and is directed by Bryce Dallas Howard.
M&M “Come Together “
An M&M bag is the perfect apology for accusing someone of complaining, calling someone “Karen”, having a genre that reveals an accident at a party and other contemporary faux pas. Dan Levy, from “Schitt’s Creek”, apologizes to the anthropomorphic M&M characters who are the pillars of the Super Bowl and says he promises not to “eat more of his friends”.
Squarespace “5 to 9 “
The website construction and hosting company hired Dolly Parton itself to rewrite the lyrics of its classic ode to the workday, “9 to 5”, to honor workers who work in their own businesses from “5 to 9”.
Uber Eats “Shameless Manipulation “
The food delivery service recruits “Wayne’s World” actors Mike Myers and Dana Carvey – along with singer Cardi B – to promote orders at local restaurants. It is one of several commercials that try to capitalize on the viewer’s nostalgia.
SURPRISE
While most ads have been revealed to try to capture the pre-game buzz, there will undoubtedly be some surprises on game day. Jeep, which created the successful remake of “Groundhog’s Day” starring Bill Murray last year, will also be back in the game. Online concert market Fiverr, a first-time advertiser, sparked that your ad will feature Four Seasons Total Landscaping, site of an ill-fated press conference by Rudy Giuliani in November.
Another first-time advertiser, DoorDash, is joining Sesame Street to promote delivery in the neighborhood. And E-Trade, famous for the talking baby ads it ran in the 2008 Super Bowl until “retirement” in 2014, is back in the big game with an undisclosed ad.
