It may not have seemed like the start of the pandemic, but the 55th Super Bowl Sunday is just around the corner. Every year, advertisers pull out all the stops to entertain the crowd of 100 million viewers who are expected to tune in to the CBS broadcast on Sunday. This year there are more than 20 newcomers and old favorites. Amazon shows off a sexy new body for its Alexa assistant, Dan Levy apologizes for eating M & M’s, and Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade makes a torrent of lemons a metaphor for 2020’s troubles. And as always, expect some surprises too .
Amazon “New Body”
In an ad supposedly promoting the new spherical shape of Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa, a woman imagines her new Alexa has the voice – and the body – of actor Michael B. Jordan, who takes off his shirt to dim the lights and create a audiobook to her in the bath, much to the chagrin of her unhappy husband. It’s one of the few ads to play with sexual innuendo this year.
“It stimulates the sexiness, the crazy, the fantasy element,” said Mark DiMassimo, creative head of marketing agency DiMassimo Goldstein. “Which is so culturally correct when people are stuck together at home without much distraction.”
Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade “Last Year’s Lemons”
Bud Light introduces its new Seltzer Lemonade with an ad that features a deluge of literal lemons in 2020, ruining weddings, canceling flights, disrupting home haircuts, destroying baseball stadiums cardboard cutouts – and causing general chaos. It’s a less subtle nod to the plans that went off the rails in 2020 and the axiom “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”
Cadillac “Edgar Scissorhands”
In another nostalgia feast, Cadillac revisits the classic 1990 film ‘Edward Scissorhands’. In the ad, the ad portrays Edgar’s son Edgar, who struggles with his inherited scissor hands when he deflates a football and cuts the cord of a bus stop. Then he tries out the Cadillac Lyriq’s “Hands-free super cruise” feature, which allows you to drive with little hand contact. Winona Ryder from the original film also returns to her role as Edgar’s mother.
Cheetos “It wasn’t me “
Cheetos’ ad shows married couple Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher wrestling over a bag of Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix – to the tune of Shaggy’s 2000 pop hit ‘It Wasn’t Me’ – with the frayed nerves of a couple trapped inside for too long .
Dr. Squatch
This year there are over 20 new advertisers, but most of them stick to nostalgia and celebrities to get noticed. Dr. A little known direct-to-consumer soap and personal care brand, Squatch is one of the few that embraces weird humor to get noticed. The ironic ad features a man walking through the woods embracing why Dr. Squatch is the right choice for the modern man who “opens pickle jars” and “lets his daughter braid his hair”.
GM “No Way Norway “
When Will Ferrell discovers that Norway has more electric vehicles per capita than the US, he takes a crazy trip across countries with singer and actress Awkwafina and comedian Kenan Thompson to show that GM’s new electric car battery will soon be available to everyone. will be.
Inspiration4 “Get involved “
In what is certainly a first in Super Bowl history, an ad for Inspiration4, a SpaceX-supported fully civilian space mission, touts an opportunity for viewers to take part in the mission. The ad features shots of the SpaceX astronaut uniform in space to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and directed by Bryce Dallas Howard.
M & M’s “Come Together “
A bag of M & M’s is the perfect excuse for mansplaining, calling someone a “Karen,” having a gender-revealing party mishap, and other contemporary faux pas. Dan Levy of “Schitt’s Creek” apologizes to the anthropomorphic characters of M&M who are the mainstays of the Super Bowl and says he promises to “not eat more of their friends.”
Squarespace “5 to 9 “
The website building and hosting company hired Dolly Parton herself to rewrite the lyrics of its classic ode to the working day, “9 to 5”, to pay tribute to employees working in their own company from “5 to 9”.
Uber Eats “Shameless manipulation “
The food delivery service uses “Wayne’s World” actors Mike Myers and Dana Carvey – along with singer Cardi B – to promote ordering from local restaurants. It’s one of the many commercials trying to capitalize on viewers’ nostalgia.
SURPRISES
While most of the ads have been revealed to try and capture the buzz before the game, there are bound to be some surprises on game day. Jeep, who remake the hit ‘Groundhog’s Day’ remake last year, starring Bill Murray, will also be back in the game. Online gig marketplace Fiverr, a new advertiser, has teased that the ad will feature Four Seasons Total Landscaping, the site of an ill-fated Rudy Giuliani press conference in November.
Another new advertiser, DoorDash, is partnering with Sesame Street to promote delivery in the neighborhood. And E-Trade, famous for the talking baby ads it ran in the Super Bowl from 2008 until they “retired” in 2014, is back in the big game with an undisclosed ad.
