Eugene Levy’s trademark eyebrows fly off for Little Caesars. A tongue dances to Shania Twain to promote Nestle’s Coffee Mate Cold Foam. And Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal reunite at Katz’s Deli in an ad for Hellmann’s.
A frenzied mix of silliness and celebrities is hitting the airwaves and the internet, and that means one thing: it is Super Bowl ad time again.
Veteran advertisers are using tried-and-true tactics like celebrity cameos, humor and cute animals to win over watchers. Meanwhile, first-time and newer advertisers are courting outrageousness and using stunts to try to stand out in the battle to capture the attention of the more than 120 million viewers expected to tune into Sunday’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs on Fox.
Super Bowl viewers are a unique audience because they’re as primed to watch the ads as they are the game.
With 80-plus ad spots divvied up among the 50-something advertisers during the game, it’s tough to make sure viewers remember your brand message. And with a few ad spots going for a record $8 million for 30 seconds this year, the stakes have never been higher.
But the price tag is worth it, advertisers say. Rachel Jaiven, head of Häagen-Dazs marketing, says the brand decided to make its first-ever appearance in the game due to the size of the viewership and its association with snacking.
“We know at the Super Bowl these days that everyone watches, it’s a wide audience,” Jaiven says. The brand’s ad shows stars from the Fast & Furious franchise enjoying an ice cream bar. “We thought it was time for us to tell our story, remind people what they love about Häagen-Dazs and, of course, have them stock up on Häagen-Dazs in their freezer.”
