Super Bowl Alert: WeatherTech is back, Jack Harlow teases Doritos and Bud Light might sideline humor
Ad Age is counting down to Super Bowl LVII. In the weeks leading up to the game, which will air on Fox on Feb. 12, Ad Age will bring you breaking news, analysis and first looks at the high-stakes Big Game commercials—all in our Super Bowl newsletter. Sign up right here to get the latest updates via email.
Another booze brand gets in
One of the ad plotlines for Super Bowl 2023 is how many alcohol brands will get in the game after Anheuser-Busch InBev gave up its category exclusivity. We are now up to three newcomers after French Spirits Group Rémy Cointreau confirmed this week it would run an ad for Rémy Martin. Diageo’s Crown Royal and Molson Coors are also in the game.
AB InBev has also bought ad time, even though it will no longer have the game to itself. The brewer has yet to confirm which brands it will advertise, but it’s very likely that the game will serve as a launchpad for Anomaly’s first work for Bud Light. And the brewer’s top U.S. marketer is offering some clues on what to expect—notably that the brand will move away from humor. “There are many interpretations of being ‘funny,’ and I think Bud Light became the center of the joke, where we want to be a bit more inspirational, a bit more confident and charismatic,” CMO Benoit Garbe said at Beer Business Daily’s Beer Industry Summit this week, according to reporting from the publication.
He also shed light on why the brewer gave up its exclusivity, saying that it has to do with freeing up resources after “spending a significant amount of our yearly budget in Q1, and pretty much in one day,” Beer Business Daily reported, noting the brewer wants to spend more in the summer.
To keep track of all the advertisers running national spots in the game, bookmark Ad Age’s regularly updated Super Bowl ad chart.
Teaser season is here—and here come the celebs
Ready or not, brands will soon begin dropping tons of teasers, which are essentially ads for their ads. Doritos is one of the first brands out of the gate, releasing a video showing rapper Jack Harlow being pursued by fans and paparazzi, hinting at a “love triangle” plotline for the ad, playing off the chip’s shape.
Countless more celebs will appear in ads, but so far the list includes Kevin Hart for DraftKings and Rob Gronkowski for FanDuel. Bryan Cranston will reprise his role as Walter White for Frito-Lay’s PopCorners brand in a “Breaking Bad”-themed spot. Jesus will also be in the game—or at least alluded to—thanks to the Servant Christian Foundation, which will make its Super Bowl debut to continue its “He Gets Us” campaign.
Check out Ad Age’s Super Bowl blog for real-time Big Game updates.
WeatherTech, Booking.com are back
Two more 2022 advertisers confirmed this week they are coming back this year: WeatherTech will make its 10th appearance in the game, while Booking.com will appear in its second game—this time with a new agency, Zulu Alpha Kilo. But another travel brand is not coming back. Expedia, which ran ads for its namesake brand and VRBO last year, confirmed today it is out.
For a behind-the-scenes look at Super Bowl ad planning, check out Ad Age’s Super Bowl Playbook event on Feb. 7. It will feature brand leaders and agency execs behind the ads. Register here for the virtual event.
Job alert
The Kansas City Chiefs are seeking a Chiefs Ritual Officer as part of a new playoffs ad campaign. It’s only a one-day gig for a die-hard fan who must prove their own fan rituals (more here on how to apply). The team is also out with an ad narrated by actor and Chiefs fan Henry Winkler (who will forever be known as Fonzie) that highlights fan rituals inside “Chiefs Kingdom,” which is also the name of the club’s loyalty program. The Ritual Officer job includes a ton of perks, including 142 home game tickets across the 2022 playoffs and the 2023 season. Happy days, indeed.
This day in Super Bowl history
Super Bowl IX was played on this day in 1975 when the Steelers beat the Vikings in New Orleans. NBC carried the game and, according to this roundup on YouTube, advertisers included Miller Lite, Goodyear, and McDonald’s, which ran an ad featuring its now-iconic Big Mac song (two-all-beef-patties-special-sauce-lettuce-cheese-pickles-onions-on-a-sesame-seed-bun). RCA plugged its color TVs that apparently also doubled as “magnificent furniture.” TVs today are of course more about being slim and sleek—and one brand, TCL, today announced a new sponsorship making it the “official TV partner of the NFL.”
For a complete look at Big Game commercial history, check out Ad Age's Super Bowl ad archive.