Because its annoying and sometimes messy to have to look down from your bowl of chili to watch them on TV during the game, here is a link to some of tonight’s most-talked about Super Bowl ads on-line.
With NBC selling commercial time for upwards of seven million dollars per spot, the new ads feature an eclectic list of celebrities. You’ve got husband and wife Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost as well as another Saturday Night Live regular, Pete Davidson. You’ve got Canadians Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, William Shatner, Jim Carrey, Seth Rogan, and Mike Myers (as Dr. Evil). Matthew McConaughey, Anna Kendrick, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. There is Arnold Schwarzenegger — getting all dressed up as Zeus and with Salma Hayek — in an epic ad for a high-end electric car. Even Lindsay Lohan makes a surprise appearance in an ad which may even help her find work again (and will pay a few bills in the meantime).
For Ted Lasso fans there are glimpses of Jason Sedeikis and Hannah Waddingham. Community stars Joel McHale and Ken Jeong also cash in on the fun. Idris Elba, Andy Richter, JB Smoove, Zendaya, Ty Burrell, Steve Buscemi, Martha Stewart and Snoop Dog … the list goes on and on. Even two of Bruce Willis’ ex-wives in the same ad.
Athletes also suit up, including Peyton Manning and Serena Williams. And of course there are the Clydesdale horses.
What’s unusual is how many of these ads are not premiering on Super Bowl Sunday but have already been playing. Advertisers are getting wise to the idea that you can pre-release them the week before at much cheaper rates and then when they air during the game in front of 100 million people, the folks at your party will stop and go, “Here’s that ad I was talking about.”
Remember, just a few years ago, when the CRTC successfully forced Canadian NFL rights holder Bell Media to show the American feed so Canadians could watch the ads live? That move cost Bell millions. With many ads in pre-release and the majority available on-line (including this link to about ten of them on YouTube), it would never happen today.
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By the way, two football teams — the LA Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals — will be playing Sunday. The fun stars after 6 p.m. on CTV, TSN, RDS, NBC and Peacock. Rappers Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar will join R&B singer Mary J. Blige at the Half Time show.
