Good day!
We know who will be in the Super Bowl (here’s hoping Tom Brady will star in another ridiculous local spot), but the ad lineup still features a bevy of unknowns. Over the long weekend celebrating Martin Luther King—side note: don’t use his speeches in a Super Bowl ad—some more brands released teasers and details about their Super Bowl ads and stunts. As always, check our Super Bowl Ad Tracker for all of the latest updates on the game.
PepsiCo reveals its star-studded lineup
PepsiCo is quadrupling down on some of music’s biggest stars (or former stars—looking at you Backstreet Boys) for its Super Bowl spots. We previously reported that Michael Buble will be in the Bubly ad, while Chance the Rapper and the aforementioned 90s boy band will collaborate in the Doritos spot. Over the weekend, Pepsi also debuted a teaser featuring Lil Jon. Make sure you watch it to the end. PepsiCo hasn’t revealed if these are the only celebrities who will appear in their ads, but the brand is off to a big start. We’ll have more on Pepsi’s out-of-home stunts trolling Coke on the site later today.
*Sings Avocados From Mexico jingle*
Kristin Chenoweth’s sensational set of pipes may be on full display in the Avocados From Mexico Super Bowl spot. The brand is known for weird and quirky spots—think First Draft Ever and Chris Elliot’s spot last year—and this year may be no different. The teaser features Chenoweth singing the jingle for a trio of dogs, who for some reason can’t seem to nail the notes.
Kia is putting some of its Super Bowl budget to good use (Verizon, too!)
The car brand is synonymous with celebrities in the Super Bowl. Steven Tyler, Christopher Walken, Melissa McCarthy have all graced Kia’s ads, but this year the brand is going in a different direction. Instead of spending millions on a celebrity, it’s creating a scholarship and using its Super Bowl ad to introduce that scholarship to the world. Of course this begs the question, will Kia never use another celebrity again or maybe just find one to do Super Bowl ads pro bono?
Verizon kicked off its Super Bowl campaign over the weekend during the NFC and AFC Conference Championships. It’s a continuation of last year’s tribute to first responders. This year’s work includes 12 vignettes about NFL players and coaches who wouldn’t be playing football if it weren’t for the heroic efforts of first responders. The brand will also donate up to $1.5 million to First Responders Outreach.
Skittles Takes Broadway
The candy brand revealed a few more details for its Broadway play that it hopes will cut through the clutter of Super Bowl Sunday. Michael C. Hall of Dexter fame will be the headlining celebrity in the 30-minute musical extravaganza. The brand debuted a 90-second teaser for the play, which features Hall addressing his anxiety over the ad to a therapist and a manifestation of those anxieties. Reporter Robert Klara noted that Hall’s career actually began in the theater with Cabaret and Chicago.
The first full spot goes to…Colgate!
The toothpaste brand released its full 30-second ad featuring Luke Wilson on Friday. The actor is very proud of his mouth and isn’t afraid to show it in the ad (worth noting you almost never see his teeth in the spot, oddly enough).
That’s all for now, but check back tomorrow as we’ll have even more teasers and a full ad or two on the site. Have a tip about the Super Bowl? Email me at jameson.fleming@adweek.com.
