Super Bowl commercials rely on comedy, nostalgia to avoid potential missteps
Most of the commercials airing during this year's Super Bowl are going for laughs, with advertisers betting that America could use a little break.
As the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs hit the field in New Orleans, a parade of silly ads will hit airwaves Sunday. Many companies put their ads online ahead of the game, but some held out to maintain an element of surprise.
Humor dominates in the ads released so far. Four old ladies go on a joy ride with WeatherTech, while Eugene Levy's eyebrows fly off and buzz around after he eats some Little Caesars. Sloths have a case of the Mondays in an ad for Coors Light. A man's tongue starts dancing to celebrate cold foam from Nestlé Coffee Mate. British singer Seal becomes an actual seal, sad that he can't hold Mountain Dew with his flippers.
Actor Glenn Powell does a take on Goldilocks for Ram Trucks, while comedian Nate Bargatze clones himself and hires an opera singer because he saved so much money using DoorDash. Shaboozey takes a lighthearted stroll through New Orleans for Nerds, while the stars of the 'Fast and Furious' franchise take a slow cruise in a convertible so they can enjoy Häagen-Dazs ice cream bars.
Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, said this was a complicated Super Bowl for advertisers.
Most ads were in development during last fall's U.S. presidential election race, so avoiding controversy was even more of a priority than usual, Calkins said. The finalized crop of commercials features a lot of simple humor, nostalgia and few creative risks, he said. But even that approach can backfire.
'That's the challenge this year. Everybody wants to be safe, but you also want to be interesting,' Calkins said. 'Safe advertising isn't the advertising you notice or remember.'
And advertisers can't afford not to be noticed. Some of the roughly 80 Super Bowl ads spots cost a record $8 million for 30 seconds this year.
Here are some of the themes of this year's Super Bowl ads:
Heartwarming nostalgia
Budweiser brings back its Clydesdales for its Super Bowl ad, including a foal that wants to join the delivery team. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal reenact their famous scene from 1989's 'When Harry Met Sally,' except this time Sally is expressing her enthusiasm for Hellmann's mayonnaise.
The Muppets search for accommodations with Booking.com, while an Instacart ad features a parade of familiar mascots like Mr. Clean, the Jolly Green Giant and the Pillsbury Doughboy. Disney asks what the world would be like without the iconic characters it owns, like Elsa from 'Frozen,' Bart Simpson and the Marvel superheroes.
Advertisers are leaning on nostalgia more than they used to in Super Bowl ads, according to Kimberly Whitler, a marketing professor at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. Nods to the past can broaden the appeal of an ad to different generations and connect products to positive cultural moments, she said.
Celebrity mashups
Putting celebrities together in unexpected combinations can also broaden the appeal of a commercial. In their Super Bowl ad for Michelob Ultra, actors Catherine O'Hara and Willem Dafoe are pickleball champs. Soccer star David Beckham and actor Matt Damon are long-lost twins who bond over Stella Artois. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and comedian Pete Davidson team up for a HexClad commercial, while Post Malone, Shane Gillis and Peyton Manning have a block party with Bud Light. A slew of celebrities, including Matthew McConaughey, Martha Stewart, Greta Gerwig and Charlie XCX, appear in an ad for Uber Eats.
Linli Xu, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, said celebrity endorsements can get people talking. But with dozens of brands using them, there's a risk of diminishing returns.
Celebrities can also get so much attention that viewers don't remember which brand they're advertising, Xu said.
Serious moments
It isn't all fun and games at the Super Bowl this year. Pharmaceutical company Novartis urges women to get early detection for breast cancer. Dove warns that half of girls who quit sports have been criticized for their body type. Hims & Hers, a telehealth company, talks about America's obesity epidemic.
For the third Super Bowl in a row, Come Near — a nonprofit that promotes the teachings of Jesus — is running an ad as part of its He Gets Us campaign. The ad, featuring Johnny Cash's cover of 'Personal Jesus,' shows everyday people being helpful and heroic. And the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, founded by New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, has a stark ad featuring Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady saying what they hate about each other, in an effort to show how pointless hate is.
Xu said she expected more ads promoting that unifying message. But for the most part, advertisers went with humor, she said.
'We just had an election year and there's a lot of discussion around divisiveness,' she said. 'People might be wanting to see some unity, everybody coming together as a country.'
Artificial intelligence arrives
Several Super Bowl ads make the case for AI as a helpmate. Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth and Kris Jenner team up for an ad wearing Meta 's smart glasses, which use artificial intelligence to answer questions about what wearers are seeing. Actor Walton Goggins pitches GoDaddy Airo, which uses AI to help build websites and social content. And Google's '50 States, 50 Stories' campaign will show viewers a small business from their state that's using Google's Gemini AI assistant. But Cirkul, a water bottle brand, pokes fun at AI, showing comedian Adam Devine accidentally ordering 100,000 bottles using the AI assistant on his phone.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Voice of America
19-02-2025
- Voice of America
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the ‘Super Bowl' of Dog Shows
At America's 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show, Monty the giant schnauzer won the top prize. The lively schnauzer beat six other finalists in New York City to become the first of his breed to win Westminster's 'best in show.' The prize is the most important and respected in the U.S. dog show world. While Monty came close to winning Westminster the past two years, he fell short of the big prize. In December 2024, the dog won another big prize, the huge American Kennel Club championship. But for dog show lovers, Westminster is considered the Super Bowl of all shows. This year the comparison is especially fitting. That is because the most respected U.S. dog competition opened on the same weekend as the Super Bowl -- the most important game in American professional football. This rare happening came after the dates of both competitions changed in recent years. At Westminster, dogs first compete against other members of their breed. Then, the winner of each breed goes up against other dogs within different competition 'groups.' Among the groups are sporting, working, toy, and herding. Group winners then compete in the final round. The best in show winner gets an award – a large, shiny cup called a trophy – and a place in dog-world history. The top prize, however, does not include money. In her report on the dog show, Learning English's Caty Weaver explains that the Westminster show dates back to 1877. It centers on the traditional purebred judging that leads to the best in show prize. But over the last few years, the organization has added agility and obedience events open to mixed-breed dogs. In 2024, Sage, a miniature poodle, won best in show at the 148th Westminster Kennel Club dog show. And in 2023, a petit basset griffon Vendéen, named Buddy Holly, won best in show at Westminster. The breed he represents is known for its rabbit-hunting abilities. I'm Anna Matteo. Writers for the Associated Press reported this story from New York. Anna Matteo adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. Quiz - Top Dog Takes Westminster, the 'Super Bowl' of Dog Shows Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ________________________________________________________ Words in This Story giant –adj. something unusually large or powerful finalist –n. a contestant in a competition finals breed –n. a particular kind of dog, cat, horse, etc. fall short (of something) –phrase fail to meet an expectation or standard for something herd –v. to move animals or people in a group agility –n. the quality or state of being ability to move with quick easy grace obedience –n. an act or instance of taking commands miniature –adj. something small of its kind
Voice of America
16-02-2025
- Voice of America
'Conclave' leads the pack, 'Emilia Perez' faces test at Britain's BAFTA film awards
Stars including Cynthia Erivo, Hugh Grant, Ariana Grande, Lupita Nyong'o, Timothee Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan walked the red carpet at London's Royal Festival Hall for the awards, known as BAFTAs. The prizes are closely watched for clues about who will triumph at Hollywood's Academy Awards on March 3, in an unusually hard-to-call awards season. They also have a distinctly British accent. The ceremony kicked off with its kilt-wearing host, Scottish actor David Tennant, leading the audience in a rousing singalong of The Proclaimers' anthem 'I'm Gonna be (500 Miles).' The best film contenders are 'Conclave,' 'Emilia Perez,' Brady Corbet's 215-minute architecture epic " The Brutalist,' the James Mangold-directed Bob Dylan biopic 'A Complete Unknown' and Sean Baker's Brighton Beach tragicomedy 'Anora.' 'Anora,' about an exotic dancer entangled with a Russian oligarch's son, is emerging as a best picture favorite after winning the top prizes last week at the Producers Guild Awards and the Directors Guild Awards. 'The Brutalist' has nine BAFTA nominations, while 'Anora,' the sci-fi epic 'Dune: Part Two' and musical 'Wicked' have seven each. 'A Complete Unknown' and Irish-language hip-hop drama 'Kneecap' received six nominations apiece. Nominees in the category of outstanding British film include Andrea Arnold's 'Bird,' Steve McQueen's 'Blitz,' Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator II' and animated adventure 'Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,' which won the award for best family and children's film. The leading actor favorite is 'The Brutalist' star Adrien Brody, who faces stiff competition from Fiennes and Chalamet, who plays the young Dylan in 'A Complete Unknown.' The other male actors nominated are Grant for his creepy role in the horror film ' Heretic,' Colman Domingo in real-life prison drama ' Sing Sing ' and Sebastian Stan for his portrayal of a young Donald Trump in 'The Apprentice.' Stan, who is also Oscar nominated, said it was 'incredibly validating' to get recognition for the film, which initially struggled to find an American distributor. It's an origins story that focuses on Trump's relationship with ruthless power broker Roy Cohn, played by Jeremy Strong. 'We were told this was going to be a thankless job that was never going to lead to anything,' Stan said, describing the movie as a 'fair' depiction of the president. Whoever takes the best actress award will be a first-time BAFTA winner. Nominees are Gascon, Demi Moore for body-horror film ' The Substance,' Mikey Madison for 'Anora,' Ronan for 'The Outrun,' Erivo for 'Wicked' and Marianne Jean-Baptiste for the Mike Leigh drama 'Hard Truths.' Erivo or Jean-Baptiste would be the first non-white performer to win the leading actress BAFTA. British stars on the red carpet had high praise for Jean-Baptiste's blistering performance as a woman beset by depression, and for Moore, already a Golden Globe winner for 'The Substance.' 'I'm very excited for Demi Moore tonight," said 'Game of Thrones' and 'Severance' star Gwendoline Christie. She said Moore's 'visceral" performance 'transcends so many different boundaries.' What's new and where to watch Britain's film academy introduced changes to increase the awards' diversity in 2020, when no women were nominated as best director for the seventh year running and all 20 nominees in the lead and supporting performer categories were white. Most winners are chosen by members of the 8,000-strong U.K. academy of industry professionals, with one — the Rising Star Award —- selected by public vote from a short list of nominees. This year's contenders are performers Mikey Madison, Marisa Abela, Jharrel Jerome, David Jonsson and Nabhaan Rizwan. 'Willow' and 'Return of the Jedi' actor Warwick Davis will receive the academy's top honor, the BAFTA Fellowship, for his screen career and work to create a more inclusive film industry. BAFTA chairwoman Sara Putt sent a message of strength to everyone hit by last month's devastating Los Angeles wildfires. Jamie Lee Curtis, a supporting actress nominee for 'The Last Showgirl,' was absent because the fires delayed filming on her current work. Co-star Pamela Anderson will accept the prize for Curtis if she wins. The event was without a dash of royal glamour this year. Neither Prince William, who is honorary president of the British film academy, nor his wife Kate, is attending. The awards coincide with school holidays for their three children. The show will include a performance by grown-up boyband Take That, whose 2008 hit 'Greatest Day' features on the 'Anora' soundtrack. 'Wicked' wizard Jeff Goldblum will play piano during the ceremony's tribute to people who have died in the past year. The ceremony airs on BBC in the United Kingdom and BritBox in North America and started at 1900 GMT (2 p.m. EST).
Voice of America
10-02-2025
- Voice of America
Super Bowl commercials rely on comedy, nostalgia to avoid potential missteps
Most of the commercials airing during this year's Super Bowl are going for laughs, with advertisers betting that America could use a little break. As the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs hit the field in New Orleans, a parade of silly ads will hit airwaves Sunday. Many companies put their ads online ahead of the game, but some held out to maintain an element of surprise. Humor dominates in the ads released so far. Four old ladies go on a joy ride with WeatherTech, while Eugene Levy's eyebrows fly off and buzz around after he eats some Little Caesars. Sloths have a case of the Mondays in an ad for Coors Light. A man's tongue starts dancing to celebrate cold foam from Nestlé Coffee Mate. British singer Seal becomes an actual seal, sad that he can't hold Mountain Dew with his flippers. Actor Glenn Powell does a take on Goldilocks for Ram Trucks, while comedian Nate Bargatze clones himself and hires an opera singer because he saved so much money using DoorDash. Shaboozey takes a lighthearted stroll through New Orleans for Nerds, while the stars of the 'Fast and Furious' franchise take a slow cruise in a convertible so they can enjoy Häagen-Dazs ice cream bars. Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, said this was a complicated Super Bowl for advertisers. Most ads were in development during last fall's U.S. presidential election race, so avoiding controversy was even more of a priority than usual, Calkins said. The finalized crop of commercials features a lot of simple humor, nostalgia and few creative risks, he said. But even that approach can backfire. 'That's the challenge this year. Everybody wants to be safe, but you also want to be interesting,' Calkins said. 'Safe advertising isn't the advertising you notice or remember.' And advertisers can't afford not to be noticed. Some of the roughly 80 Super Bowl ads spots cost a record $8 million for 30 seconds this year. Here are some of the themes of this year's Super Bowl ads: Heartwarming nostalgia Budweiser brings back its Clydesdales for its Super Bowl ad, including a foal that wants to join the delivery team. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal reenact their famous scene from 1989's 'When Harry Met Sally,' except this time Sally is expressing her enthusiasm for Hellmann's mayonnaise. The Muppets search for accommodations with while an Instacart ad features a parade of familiar mascots like Mr. Clean, the Jolly Green Giant and the Pillsbury Doughboy. Disney asks what the world would be like without the iconic characters it owns, like Elsa from 'Frozen,' Bart Simpson and the Marvel superheroes. Advertisers are leaning on nostalgia more than they used to in Super Bowl ads, according to Kimberly Whitler, a marketing professor at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. Nods to the past can broaden the appeal of an ad to different generations and connect products to positive cultural moments, she said. Celebrity mashups Putting celebrities together in unexpected combinations can also broaden the appeal of a commercial. In their Super Bowl ad for Michelob Ultra, actors Catherine O'Hara and Willem Dafoe are pickleball champs. Soccer star David Beckham and actor Matt Damon are long-lost twins who bond over Stella Artois. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and comedian Pete Davidson team up for a HexClad commercial, while Post Malone, Shane Gillis and Peyton Manning have a block party with Bud Light. A slew of celebrities, including Matthew McConaughey, Martha Stewart, Greta Gerwig and Charlie XCX, appear in an ad for Uber Eats. Linli Xu, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, said celebrity endorsements can get people talking. But with dozens of brands using them, there's a risk of diminishing returns. Celebrities can also get so much attention that viewers don't remember which brand they're advertising, Xu said. Serious moments It isn't all fun and games at the Super Bowl this year. Pharmaceutical company Novartis urges women to get early detection for breast cancer. Dove warns that half of girls who quit sports have been criticized for their body type. Hims & Hers, a telehealth company, talks about America's obesity epidemic. For the third Super Bowl in a row, Come Near — a nonprofit that promotes the teachings of Jesus — is running an ad as part of its He Gets Us campaign. The ad, featuring Johnny Cash's cover of 'Personal Jesus,' shows everyday people being helpful and heroic. And the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, founded by New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, has a stark ad featuring Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady saying what they hate about each other, in an effort to show how pointless hate is. Xu said she expected more ads promoting that unifying message. But for the most part, advertisers went with humor, she said. 'We just had an election year and there's a lot of discussion around divisiveness,' she said. 'People might be wanting to see some unity, everybody coming together as a country.' Artificial intelligence arrives Several Super Bowl ads make the case for AI as a helpmate. Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth and Kris Jenner team up for an ad wearing Meta 's smart glasses, which use artificial intelligence to answer questions about what wearers are seeing. Actor Walton Goggins pitches GoDaddy Airo, which uses AI to help build websites and social content. And Google's '50 States, 50 Stories' campaign will show viewers a small business from their state that's using Google's Gemini AI assistant. But Cirkul, a water bottle brand, pokes fun at AI, showing comedian Adam Devine accidentally ordering 100,000 bottles using the AI assistant on his phone.
