Super Bowl ads play it safe
Peyton Manning takes a family to Universal Parks & Resorts. Chris Pratt works out to get in shape to tout Michelob Ultra. Bill Hader takes a break on set to snack on some Pringles.
This year’s Super Bowl advertisers are minding their manners. They’re trying hard to steer clear of everything from politics to the #MeToo movement with lightly humorous ads that don’t offend.
The goal is to capture the attention of the 111 million-plus viewers expected to tune tomorrow when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the New England Patriots. Thirtysecond slots are going for more than US$5 million ($6.8m) for airtime alone.
Last year, ads that tackled political issues fell flat, like an 84 Lumber ad about immigration. And some thought the recent Grammy Awards’ low ratings were because the show contained too many political moments.
People are in the mood for ‘‘political-free entertainment,’’ said Kim Whitler, a marketing professor at the University of Virginia.
Several ads will be taking a lighthumour approach with mostly male celebrities. PepsiCo brands Doritos Blaze and Mountain Dew Ice are showcased in two 30-second linked spots showing Morgan Freeman and Peter Dinklage in a lipsync rap battle.
M&Ms enlisted Danny DeVito to embody what happens when a red M&M becomes a person after wishing on a lucky penny.
Keanu Reeves surfs on his motorcycle through the desert in an ad for Squarespace.
‘‘They’re light hearted and good natured,’’ Whitler said. ‘‘That’s on target with the mood of the country.’’
‘‘We’re exposed to so much constant negativity,’’ said Andy Goeler, a marketing executive at Bud Light. ‘‘Delivering something just light hearted and fun is the root at what beer is all about.’’
Amazon’s 90-second fourthquarter ad stars a bevy of celebrities who sub for the voice of Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant: singer Cardi B, actress Rebel Wilson, star chef Gordon Ramsey and even actor Anthony Hopkins putting a Hannibal Lector spin on things. Leading up to the halftime show, Pepsi’s ad references past celebrities who have appeared in Pepsi Super Bowl ads: Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Cindy Crawford and others.
Two Super Bowl ads are bucking the trend and sidling up to political issues, however obliquely.
Coca-Cola’s anthemic 60-second ad features varieties of Coke, from Coke Zero to the stevia-flavoured Coke Life, quaffed by women, men and a person who uses the ‘‘they’’ pronoun.
‘‘There’s a Coke for he, and she and her and me and them,’’ a voiceover states.
Coca-Cola executives say the ad highlights the diversity the company has always used in its advertising, adding that they consulted African-American and LGBTQ groups among its own employees. A bi-racial couple and a person in a wheelchair also appear in the spot.
‘‘We want to celebrate all the people that make up the world,’’ Coca-Cola executive Brynn Bardacke said. ‘‘We don’t want to exclude anyone.’’
On the other hand, WeatherTech, which makes car mats and other interior car products, has a proAmerican approach in its ad, which shows the construction of a factory that opened late last year.
—AP