Attracting an average of 160 million fans each year, the Super Bowl is traditionally the biggest advertising event in the calendar. But how do things differ during a global pandemic? The Drum rounds up the best ads rolling towards this particularly different Super Bowl Sunday.
The biggest game in the US sporting calendar, each year, the Super Bowl is a perfect excuse to crack open a couple of cold beverages with some friends, before sitting back to watch the show unfold. So, what happens to one of the most-watched TV advertising slots in the time of a global pandemic?
While chancing millions of ad spend has always been a precarious investment, this year, that risk has only increased. As such, some of the world biggest brands have decided to sit this one out, including the likes of Coca-Cola, Ford and Budweiser.
However, by opting out they have generated just as much buzz. Last week, Budweiser has already been declared the 'winner', after it decided to redirect its funds to the Ad Council and Covid Collaborative to help drive vaccine distribution across the country.
As for those gutsy brands that are standing by the $5.5 million fee to participate in Super Bowl LV, most are avoiding sobering themes, in lieu of some humorous escapism.
Below, The Drum rounds up the best Super Bowl creative this year. Scroll down to see what brands have come up with so far.
State Farm: Drake from State Farm by The Marketing Arm
A behind-the-scenes style spot that plays on the concept of body doubles, State Farm has enlisted the help of a starstudded cast, as it gets on board the Super Bowl for the first time.
The spot opens with State Farm regulars, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes sizing up their 'stand ins' on the set of a commericial selected by 'Jake from State Farm'.
While they poke fun at the stunt doubles (Packers fan-favourite Adrian Martinez 'The Cheesehead' and Kansas City Chiefs fan Paul Rudd) Jake from State Farm is less disapppointed by his body double - the rapper, Drake.
: 'Drake from State Farm'
Bud Light: Bud Light Legends by 3pm and Weber Shandwick
Launched locally in the Tampa Bay area, in support of the Buccaneers this Super Bowl, Bud Light has realsed a custom 'Real Men of Genius' anthem.
The original ad has endured the test of time because it perpetually poked fun at trends, human insights and key cultural moments in time with a ton of Bud Light fun.
And this custom spot is no different. Developed with 3PM and Weber Shandwick, it highlights the perseverance the 'Bucs' have shown throughout the season and gives a special shoutout to Bud Light friend and Bucs TE, Rob Gronkowski.
: 'Bud Light Legends '
Reddit: Super Owl by R/GA
Marking Reddit's first-ever Super Bowl ad (and TV commericial) it went for a 'blink-and-you'll miss' strategy. At five-seconds long, 'Superb Owl' is an unconventional approach to the typical big-budget, flashy commericials that typically roll out throughout the big game.
"Big game spots are expensive, so we couldn't buy a full one," reads the ad. "But we were inspired and decided to spend our entire marketing budget on 5 seconds of airtime."
Riding on the attention driven by the GameStop debacle, it wants to prove that the past two weeks have shown powerful things can happen when passionate communities come together.
Created by its Agency of record, R/GA, Reddit rallied against the odds to produce this spot, in a matter of days.
: 'Superb Owl '
Oatly: Wow, Wow, No Cow
Leaving viewers unsure how to respond, Oatly's Super Bowl ad has been the talk of the town since it aired last night.
For its first-ever Super Bowl ad, its chief exec Toni Petersson wrote a song 'Wow, Wow, No Cow' which he sings (quite roughly) repeatedly, in a field of oats.
The 30-seconds spot was made with minimal production costs back in 2014, it is actually now banned in Sweden, after the Swedish dairy lobby sued Oatly.
: 'Wow, Wow, No Cow '
Cadillac: ScissorHandsFree
Cadillac cuts through the Super Bowl hype with a nostalgic trip back in time with the 1990 Tim Burton classic, Edward Scissorhands.
Continuing the tale of Johnny Depp's incomplete fantasy android, the piece sees Timothée Chalamet play Edward's son Edgar with Winona Ryder reprising her role as Kim, Edgar's mother.
Together the pair demonstrate the everyday challenges inherent to living a life without the aid of an opposable thumb or ten digits, should your hands ever be replaced by lethal blades.
As with all good fairytales, a happy ending is provided when Edgar takes the wheel of an all-electric Cadillac LYRIQ equipped with a Super Cruise driver-assistance system - which is proven to be so versatile it can even be driven by a walking Swiss Army knife.
: 'ScissorHandsFree'
Audi Norway: Don't Hate. Imitate by POL
Hitting back at General Motors (and Will Ferrell) Audi Norway has enlisted the help of Kristofer Hivju (who plays the wildling leader Tormund Giantsbane in Game of Thrones).
In GM's Super Bowl spot, Ferrell is seen making a voyage to Norway to give it a piece of his mind, spurred on by GM's desire to crush its reign as EV-sales leader. In the spot, Ferrell even punches a globe where Norway lies.
And in response, Audi (the best-selling EV car brand in Norway) has devised a series of ads to highlight its hurt at the threatening ads (in a jokey way).
: 'Don't Hate. Imitate.'
General Motors: No Way, Norway by McCann Detroit
General Motors' (GM) Big Game ad stars Will Ferrell, who discovers Norway far outpaces the United States in electric vehicle adoption. In the commercial, 'No Way, Norway', Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina join Ferrell on his journey to give Norwegians a piece of his mind.
It is an extension of GM's 'Everybody In' campaign, which launched in January, intended to excite a new generation of vehicle buyers and accelerate EV adoption while showcasing the company's Ultium battery platform. The spot features upcoming Ultium-powered electric vehicles, including the Cadillac Lyriq luxury SUV and the GMC Hummer EV supertruck.
: 'No Way, Norway'
Rebecca Riter - Co-Composer
NFL: As One by 72andSunny
Reusing past speeches of legendary head coach Vince Lombardi, the NFL is championing equality this Super Bowl LV, using CGI to bring him back from the dead.
Directly before kickoff, the spot saw Lombardi walking the streets of today's America, wearing his iconic fedora, and speaking about man's ability to unite and overcome obstacles, regardless of background, race, creed, or sexual orientation. It arrived alongside 'It Takes All Of Us'' voiced by NFL star LaDainian Tomlinson, to use words from the NFL family through yesterday and today to help send the NFL into tomorrow.
: 'As One '
Fiverr: Opportunity Knocks by Publicis
Fiverr, the Israeli marketplace for online services has unleashed a green-fingered 15-second SuperBowl salute to a memorable Trump campaign news conference set against the insalubrious backdrop of an industrial yard on the outskirts of Philadelphia.
Sandwiched between an adult book store and a crematorium, the Four Seasons Total Landscaping features as the tongue-in-cheek backdrop to Fiverr's marketing campaign which trumpets that success is about being ’in the right place at the right time’.
: 'Opportunity Knocks'
Another Round, Another Rally: Mixing with Diddy and Beckham by Maximum Effort
Aviation American Gin owner Ryan Reynolds, DeLeón Tequila Owner Sean Combs (P Diddy) and David Beckham of Haig Whisky are coming together to raise money for Another Round, Another Rally, a nonprofit financial resource for the hospitality industry in the US. providing reimbursement grants and immersive educational scholarships.
Airing this Super Bowl, in the spot created by Reynolds ad agency Maximum Effort, sees Reynolds announce they are working on "an industry first" whereby they will combine all three of their spirits with the “natural ingredients from Tampa Bay and Kansas City for a cocktail everyone can agree on while watching the Big Game this weekend.” Soon realizing they are not mixologists, instead, they come together to support the bartending community.
: 'Mixing with Diddy and Beckham'
Amazon: Alexa's Body by Lucky Generals
Amazon has partnered with Michael B Jordan for his first-ever Super Bowl ad. Created by teams at Amazon and Lucky Generals, 'Alexa's Body' sees Jordan act as the voice (and body) of Amazon's voice assistant.
As the ad discusses Alexa’s new form factor, one executive daydream’s what other beautiful forms Alexa could live inside of…like say the handsome and widely adored actor.
: 'Alexa's Body'
Creative Agency: Lucky Generals
Media Agency: Initiative
Director: Wayne McClammy
Production Company: Hungry Man
Editing: The Den
Post-Production: The Mill
Sound: Beacon Street Studios
Frito Lay: 'Twas the Night Before Kickoff
Frito Lay had gone Dickensian this Super Bowl, with 'Twas the Night Before Kickoff.' It stars two former New England Patriots greats, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, alongside Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott.
Narrated by 'Beast Mode' the former Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch, the commercial follows the NFL stars as they eagerly anticipate this years Super Bowl. It was created in-house.
: ''Twas the Night Before Kickoff '
Huggies: Welcome to the World, Baby by Droga5
The first diaper brand to run a Super Bowl ad, on Sunday (7 February) Huggies is to make its debut.
Ahead of the game, Huggies is teasing another spot - 'Welcome to the World, Baby' created by Droga5 New York. It demonstrates what its like for babies being born brand new in life, covering all its marvels - big and small. The ad on Sunday is tipped to feature babies born on game day.
: 'Welcome to the World, Baby'
Squarespace: 5 to 9
Singer, songwriter and American icon Dolly Parton re-recorded her 1980 workplace anthem 9 to 5 as 5 to 9 for Squarespace’s seventh Super Bowl commercial that issues a rallying call to the historic number of people who are working to turn an after-hours project or passion into their own business.
: '5 to 9'
Cheetos: It wasn't me by Goodby, Silverstein & Partmers
Mila Kunis gets caught orange handed, snacking on husband, Ashton Kutcher's Cheetos, in its Super Bowl ad.
First teased last week, the spot sees Kutcher catch Kunis on countless occassions, but thanks to some help from Shaggy, she manged to wangle herself out of it with the phrase, 'It Wasn't Me'.
: 'It wasn't me'
Tide: The Jason Alexander Hoodie by Saatchi & Saatchi
Jason Alexander has played a long list of iconic roles, from George Costanza in Seinfeld to Hugo the gargoyle in Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame. He has never played himself as a hoodie, however... until now.
As the official detergent of the NFL, Tide was not going to miss the Super Bowl party. This year it is challenging people to think about all the situations they subject their clothes to, suggesting how the Seinfeld star might react if he was treated in a similar way.
: 'The Jason Alexander Hoodie'
Chief Executive Officer – Andrea Diquez
Chief Operation Officer – Sarah Beaumont
Chief Creative Officer – Daniel Lobaton
Chief Creative Officer, Woven – Paul Bichler
Creative Director – Lauren Varvara
Creative Director – Adrian Chan
Head of Production, Fabric Care – Dani Stoller
Account Director – Jen Brotman
Account Supervisor – Guillermo Betancourt
Account Executive – TJ Daigler
Assistant Account Executive – Sosun Wahab
Planning Director – Nayantara Mukherji
Associate Strategist – Luna Perez
Director Digital Experience – Alan Lin
Senior Business Affairs Manager – Lisa Rimmer
Client: Procter & Gamble, Tide
Vice President, North America Fabric Care – Aga Orlik
Brand Vice President for NA Laundry, Tide – Amy Krehbiel
Brand Director – Alex Perez
Senior Brand Manager – Buki Samuel
BBIC – Kimberly Doebereiner
Manager, Advertising Production – Paul Chick
Communications Manager – Henry Molski
Media Director – Tracy Suer
Associate Director of Media – Patrick McGuinness
Associate Director of Media – Justin Bracco
Research Specialist, Consumer Insights & Product Research – Brandon Dunphy
Director & Assistant General Counsel – Robert White
Group SVP, Consumer Practice and Agency Marketing – Laura Brinker
SVP Brand Business – Samantha Halpern
VP, Brand Management – Melissa Chua
Senior Account Supervisor, Brand Management – Noomi Grootens
Group SVP, Director, Talent and Partnerships – Marissa Festante
VP, Earned Media – Patricia Jones
Senior Account Supervisor, Earned Media – Tom LaBelle
Account Supervisor, Influencer Marketing – Clare Redway
Account Supervisor, Project Management – Alyssa Bowie
VP, Talent – Lori Heckman Golden
Manager, Talent – Casey Grochocinski
Sr. Director, Music – Amanda Levine
Director – Jeff Low
Partner / Managing Director – Shawn Lacy
Executive Producer – Holly Vega
Producer – Jay Veal
Head of Production – Sean Moody
Director of Photography – Jonathan Freeman
Production Designer – Joe Cooney
Editor – Geoff Hounsell
Assistant Editor – Max Hoffman
Executive Producer – Sila Soyer
Producer – Fanny Cruz
Executive Producer – Anastasia Von Rahl
Producer – Valentina Cokonis
Production Coordinator – Mike Cimino
Executive Creative Director – Chris Knight
Creative Director – Becky Porter
3D Lead Artist – Graeme Turnbull
Shoot Supervisor – Siro Valente
Production Support – Utkarsha Santosh Shinde
2D Artists – Shauna Prescott, Kai Chun Tsai, Bob Homami Katerina Arroyo, Stephen Paragone, Krystal Chinn, Chris DeCristo, Rakesh Venugopalan, Nithin Babu, Mangesh Borkar, Satya Narina, Nikhil K M,
Pushpendra Singh Bhadauriya, Naga Praveen Kumar, Sathya Sagar Kolli, Mahesh Ravila, Prajeesh E, Mohit Garg, Basabendu Sarkar
3D Artists – Alice Panek, Jae Jun Yi, Matthew Choy, Jason Kim, Daniel Soo, Lalida Karnjanasirirat, Freddy Para, Greg Gutkin, Michael Kash, Rijo R, Sendil Kumar J
Art Department – Kevin Diaz, Valerie Chernysh
Partner/Audio Engineer – Philip Loeb
Michelob Ulta: 'Happy' Super Bowl by Wieden+Kennedy New York
"Are you happy because you win, or do you win because you're happy?" - that's the thought-provoking question Michelob Ultra poses in its Super Bowl ad this year.
Questioning the role joy plays in success, 'Happy' features a whole host of sports superstars, including Serena Williams, Anthony Davis, Peyton Manning, Brooks Koepka, Jimmy Butler and Alex Morgan.
: '“Happy” Super Bowl'
Bud Light Seltzer: Last Year's Lemons by Wieden+Kennedy New York
While Budweiser chose to redirect its ad spend to vaccine distribution efforts, its competitor Bud Light is still going ahead, offering its take on the expression - 'when life gives you lemons'.
Inspired by the do-it-yourself haircuts, postponed weddings and other inconvenient but relatable situations in 2020, the ad looks at the bright moments in a challenging year, to turn last year’s lemons into the new Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade.
