Super Bowl ads keep it light by using nostalgia and stars

BOOKING.COM

Actress Melissa McCarthy stars in a musical number for the travel site about her desire to go on a trip “somewhere, anywhere.”

BUD LIGHT

Actor Miles Teller (“Top Gun: Maverick”) and his wife Keleigh Sperry Teller dance to customer service hold music while drinking a Bud Light.

BUDWEISER

In a regional ad, a diverse group of people share a six-pack of Budweiser — a voiceover by Kevin Bacon showcases the “six degrees of Bud.” Although he’s not shown, the ad is a nod to the “Six degrees of Kevin Bacon” meme — the idea that anyone in the entertainment business can be linked to Kevin Bacon in six connections.

BUSCH LIGHT

A mountain man talk talks about surviving the outdoors in an ad that stars singer Sarah McLachlan spoofing her well-known and oft mocked animal-advocacy ad that uses her song “Angel.”

DEXCOM

Singer Nick Jonas returns for the second year in an ad that highlight’s Dexcom’s glucose monitoring system.

DOWNY UNSTOPABLES

Super Bowl regular Procter & Gamble promotes its Downy Unstopables brand in an ad showing actor Danny McBride — who wants to go by “Downy McBride.”

DRAFTKINGS

The online betting site shows stars including skateboard mogul Tony Hawk and singer Ludacris discussing DraftKings free bet offer at a party at actor Kevin Hart’s house.

GENERAL MOTORS AND NETFLIX

Actor and comedian Will Ferrell drives different GM electric vehicles through different Netflix shows, including “Bridgerton” and “Stranger Things,” to announce that Netflix will feature electric vehicles in its original shows.

GOOGLE

Google promotes its Pixel photo editing tools “Magic Eraser” and “Photo Unblur” with a 90 second spot featuring Amy Schumer, Doja Cat and NBA star Giannis Antetekoumpo.

HELLMANN’S

The mayo brand shows actors Jon Hamm and Brie Larson in a fridge with a jar of Hellmann’s mayo — to drive home the point that Hellmann’s would go well with a “ham and brie” sandwich.

MICHELOB ULTRA

Michelob Ultra’s two ads are set at Bushwood Country Club, the fictional country club in “Caddyshack,” and star a bevy of stars and athletes: tennis great Serena Williams, actor Brian Cox, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, soccer player Alex Morgan and boxer Canelo Alvarez.

PEPSI ZEROSUGAR

Pepsi is running two ads starring Ben Stiller and Steve Martin that ask “Great acting or great taste?” and ask viewers to taste Pepsi Zero Sugar for themselves.

PLANTERS

Jeff Ross, Natasha Leggero and other comedians hold a “roast” for the Planters spokescharacter Mr. Peanut.

POPCORNERS

The Frito-Lay brand recreates “Breaking Bad” with Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul — but this time the duo are cooking up the PopCorners snack in their RV instead of anything illicit.

PRINGLES

Anyone can get their hand stuck in a Pringles can, according to Pringles’ latest Super Bowl ad effort, including singer Meghan Trainor.

RAKUTEN

The online shopping site tapped “Clueless” stars Alicia Silverstone and Elisa Donovan to recreate a scene from the 1995 hit and convey that Rakuten gives shoppers cash back on purchases. Designer Christian Siriano also appears as a student.

UBER ONE

Uber’s ad for its membership program Uber One shows hip hop mogul P. Diddy working to create a hit song for Uber One. The ad features singers of famous hits, including Montell Jordan (“This is How We Do It”), Kelis (“Milkshake”), Donna Lewis (“I Love You Always Forever”), Haddaway (“What is Love”) and Ylvis (“What Does the Fox Say”).

WORKDAY

In the first Super Bowl ad from the enterprise software company, actual rock stars Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Joan Jett and others complain that office workers shouldn’t call each other “rock stars.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Big name advertisers from Netflix to Google are paying as much as $7 million for a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl on Sunday. In order to get as much as a return on investment for those millions, most advertisers release their ads in the days ahead of the big game to get the most publicity for their spots. In the ads released early, actor Miles Teller dances to customer-service hold music for Bud Light, Will Ferrell crashes popular Netflix shows like “Bridgerton” in a joint ad for GM and Netflix; and Alicia Silverstone reprises her “Clueless” character for online retailer Rakuten.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Super Bowl is advertising’s biggest, glitziest stage.

Big name advertisers from Netflix to Google are paying as much as $7 million for a 30-second spot during the big game on Sunday, in order to capture the attention of the roughly 100 million viewers who tune in each year.

In order to get as much of a return on investment for those millions, most advertisers release their ads in the days ahead of the big game to get the most publicity for their spots. In the ads released so far, actor Miles Teller dances to customer-service hold music for Bud Light, Will Ferrell crashes popular Netflix shows like “Bridgerton” in a joint ad for GM and Netflix; and Alicia Silverstone reprises her “Clueless” character for online shopping site Rakuten.

NEW YORK (AP) — A bevy of booze brands will be in the Super Bowl ad lineup this year. Anheuser-Busch has ended its exclusive advertising sponsorship after more than 30 years. The St. Louis, Missouri, beverage giant will still be the largest alcohol advertiser during the game, with three minutes of national airtime and a 30-second regional Budweiser spot. But this year, it will be joined by others, including beer brands Heineken and Molson Coors and liquor brands Remy Martin and Crown Royal, all eager to make their mark on advertising’s largest stage. Brands pay premium dollars to advertise during the gridiron classic, which draws about 100 million viewers each year.

NEW YORK (AP) — A bevy of booze brands will be in the Super Bowl ad lineup this year, now that Anheuser-Busch has ended its exclusive advertising sponsorship after more than 30 years.

In addition to celebrities hawking Budweiser and Michelob Ultra, viewers will see some famous folks touting the qualities of Heineken and Coors, and even suggesting they drink cognac or whiskey — responsibly, of course.

Anheuser-Busch, parent of the Bud, Ultra and Busch beer brands, said in June it would end the exclusivity deal it first struck in 1989. The company is still a big presence at NFL games, sponsoring all major NFL moments during the offseason, such as the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas.

And the St. Louis, Missouri beverage giant is still the largest alcohol advertiser during the game, with three minutes of national airtime and a 30-second regional Budweiser spot.

On A-B’s roster this year: A Bud Light ad shows actor Miles Teller and his wife Keleigh dancing to on-hold music. A regional Budweiser ad focuses on people connecting with a six-pack. A Michelob Ultra ad spotlights actor Brian Cox and tennis star Serena Williams at a new members day at the Bushwood Country Club, the golf club in “Caddyshack.” And a Busch Light ad shows singer Sarah McLachlan sharing a tent with a wolf spoofing her well-known animal-advocacy ad.

The other alcohol brands running ads include beer brands Heineken and Molson Coors and liquor brands Remy Martin and Crown Royal, all eager to make their mark on advertising’s largest stage.

Brands pay premium dollars to advertise during the gridiron classic, which draws about 100 million viewers each year. This year, most 30-second ad blocks sold for between $6 million and $7 million — for the ad space alone. Companies spend millions more to create the ads themselves and book celebrity sponsors.

Heineken is promoting its alcohol-free beer Heineken 0.0 with an ad that’s part of its larger partnership with Marvel — the ad, under wraps until the game, will feature actor Paul Rudd as his Marvel character “Ant Man.”

“We were really excited to hear that category opened up, and almost immediately we thought, you know, what a great way to really blow out Heineken 0.0 momentum and share that brand and that product with the wider market,” said Heineken chief marketing officer Jonnie Cahill in an interview with the AP.

Beer sales have held steady in the U.S., but the beer category has been losing market share to other types of alcoholic drinks, said Bart Watson, chief economist for trade group Brewers Association.

Beer’s share in the alcohol market had dropped from 58% in 2000 to about 46% in 2022, while other alcoholic beverages, particularly spirits, have gained share. But overall beer barrel shipments are still up during the same time frame because the overall category has grown, according to figures tallied by the Beer Institute and Brewers Association.

For Anheuser-Busch, the decision to end its Super Bowl exclusivity is likely about putting marketing dollars elsewhere, Watson said.

“You have a new generation that consumes alcohol differently and beer differently. (For A-B), to put all their eggs in this basket isn’t getting the return that maybe it once did.”

Molson Coors is also keeping its ad for the big game under wraps. But it is attempting to make a splash as a first-time national advertiser by letting fans bet on what the ad will have in it — such as whether the game will feature its Coors Light or Miller Lite brand — via betting site DraftKings.

Other alcohol ads have enlisted celebrities: Diageo’s ad for its Crown Royal whisky will feature musician Dave Grohl. Rémy Cointreau is also using Serena Williams, in an ad that spotlights its Rémy Martin cognac.

Not all alcohol makers are jumping to the national stage. Boston Beer Co. is sticking to a regional spot for its Samuel Adams beer — the third year it has run a regional ad. The ad shows Bostonians imagining what would happen if everyone in the city was nice and polite.

“Samuel Adams is a relatively small player in the beer category, so a regional approach enables us to be part of the Super Bowl conversation without having to pay the huge price tag of a national ad,” said Lesya Lysyj, chief marketing officer. A cut of the ad will run nationally beginning the week after the Super Bowl, she added.

Aside from alcohol, big brands including Pepsi Zero Sugar, Doritos, M&Ms, Google, Downy and Kia will all be advertising during Super Bowl LVII, which airs Sunday on Fox.