This year's Super Bowl will bring ads from Bud Light, Cheetos, Robinhood, Chipotle, Pringles and many more. Follow along for more on the ads and watch them again after they play on the game.
Mtn Dew's 'Major Melon'
Mtn Dew's spot for its "Major Melon" flavor promises that whoever is first to count every bottle of the beverage in the spot and tweet the exact number could win $1 million.
Watch it here:
Fiverr’s ‘Opportunity Knocks’
Freelance worker platform Fiverr ran its first Super Bowl ad on the game, which features Four Seasons Total Landscaping owner and President Marie Siravo.
Money Report
In an interview with CNBC, Fiverr chief marketing officer Gali Arnon said the ad comes after a "landmark year" for the company.
"All over the world, freelancers [are] joining our platform, because of the situation, because of the pandemic and because of the high rate of unemployment all over the world," she said.
Watch an extended version here:
Guaranteed Rate's 'Believe You Will'
Mortgage lender Guaranteed Rate's ad, "Believe You Will," is slated to run in the fourth quarter of the game. The company says the ad is meant to promote the message that "Whatever your goals, from climbing Mt. Everest to getting a new home with a big yard or a better view, you can accomplish them if you believe you will."
The company said the ad was produced by its in-house creative team.
—Megan Graham
Verizon's 'Can’t Blame the Lag'
Verizon targeted gamers with its Super Bowl ad on Sunday. The spot featured a CGI version of actor Samuel L. Jackson taunting player avatars for blaming their video game losses on lagging internet.
The ad introduced Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband and ends with a reference to Jackson's movie "Deep Blue Sea," as an avatar of football player Juju Smith-Schuster rides a massive shark that eats Jackson whole.
— Sarah Whitten
Amazon's 'Alexa's Body'
Amazon Alexa's ad this year features Michael B. Jordan as Alexa personified. Amazon worked with agency Lucky Generals with the ad, which is meant to promote the new design of the smart speaker. In September, Amazon announced a new orb-like version of its Echo speakers.
— Megan Graham
Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s 'Get Back to Nature'
Outdoor retailer Bass Pro Shops and subsidiary Cabela's will run a 60-second ad on the game called "Get Back to Nature."
The ad voiceover says, "In these trying times, we need nature more than ever. We need nature to remind us that like a sunrise or the turning of the tides, these challenges will pass." The company says the ad was envisioned by founder Johnny Morris, produced in-house had creative support from St. Louis-based agency Kuhl-Swaine.
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
Robinhood's 'Born Investor'
Robinhood's first Super Bowl ad features the message: "You don't need to become an investor. You were born one." The company said the ad for Sunday's game is meant to highlight people of all backgrounds investing "time in themselves and in the people and things that they love," whether it's starting businesses or changing their hair color.
The company worked with MediaMonks on the ad, which comes as the company is at the center of controversy after restricting trading on equities including GameStop.
Watch Robinhood's ad here:
—Megan Graham
Klarna's 'The Four Quarter-Sized Cowboys'
Financial services company Klarna ran its first Super Bowl ad, featuring Maya Rudolph. The ad comes "on the heels of a year of remarkable growth and reflects the brand's ongoing commitment to the US market," the company said. Klarna worked with creative agency Mirimar on the ad.
Klarna said the characters played by Rudolph personify its "Pay in 4" offering, which it says lets customers shop for items online and pay in four interest-free payments.
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
Disney's 'Get Your Stream on With The Disney Bundle'
Disney ran a 30-second bundle spot on the game for Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN+, promoting shows like "WandaVision," "The Great" and "Peyton's Places." The spot was done with Buddha Jones.
Watch it here:
—Megan Graham
Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer's 'All-Star Cast'
Michelob Ultra's spot for its organic seltzer promises that the product is "as real as it tastes," and features a number of celebrity doppelgangers. This is the brand's first Super Bowl ad for the product.
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
Jeep's 'The Middle'
Bruce Springsteen encourages Americans to meet "in the middle" during a Super Bowl spot for Jeep. The musician stars in and narrates the scenic two-minute ad. The ad was done with Michigan-based agency Doner.
Read more on the making of the spot here.
—Michael Wayland
Anheuser-Busch's 'Let's Grab a Beer'
Anheuser-Busch just ran what it calls its first "corporate spot" with agency Wieden + Kennedy, titled "Let's Grab a Beer." The 60-second ad was produced by filmmaker David Fincher and scored by Atticus Ross.
Watch it here:
—Megan Graham
Cadillac's 'ScissorHandsFree'
Actress Winona Ryder is reprising her "Edward Scissorhands" in a Super Bowl ad for Cadillac. The 60-second commercial features Ryder as Kim and the mother of Edgar Scissorhands, played by Timothée Chalamet. The ad, done with Leo Burnett Detroit, features the Cadillac Lyriq crossover, an upcoming all-electric vehicle from the company.
Read more on the making of the spot here.
—Michael Wayland
NFL's "As One"
The Vince Lombardi trophy won't be hoisted until the end of the game, but man the famed prize is named after made an appearance during a commercial mid-game. The NFL paid tribute to Lombardi, who died of colon cancer in 1970, in an ad titled "As One."
The commercial features actor Russ Hutchinson as Lombardi as he walks through everyday America and recites a speech meant to inspire the masses. The speech is an amalgamation of speeches Lombardi made during his life, but tailored for a modern audience.
Watch the ad:
— Sarah Whitten
Squarespace's '5 to 9'
Squarespace's new spot features Dolly Parton's re-recording of "9 to 5" as "5 to 9," painting those hours as a time for side hustles. The spot was done by Squarespace's in-house creative team.
Watch it here:
—Megan Graham
WeatherTech's "We Never Left"
WeatherTech, maker of protective auto accessories, is running two in-game spots on this year's game (along with a third before the game). The ads were done with Pinnacle Advertising and were filmed in WeatherTech's facilities in Illinois.
Watch the company's ad called "We Never Left" here:
—Megan Graham
Cheetos' 'It Wasn't Me'
Frito-Lay's Cheetos' spot taps Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher and Shaggy for an orange-hued rendition of Shaggy's song "It Wasn't Me." The spot was done with Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.
The ad promotes "Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix," which combines crunchy Cheetos with Cheetos Popcorn.
"Mila and I both remember when 'It Wasn't Me' came out 20 years ago when we were first working together on 'That 70s Show,' so it's really cool to come full circle with Cheetos, work together again and remix this song," Kutcher said in a press release.
Watch it here:
—Megan Graham
What was up with Reddit's 5-second ad?
Reddit is running a five-second ad in a handful of markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington D.C., the company told CNBC.
"Big game spots are expensive, so we couldn't buy a full one," the company said in a blog post. "But we were inspired and decided to spend our entire marketing budget on 5 seconds of airtime. One thing we learned from our communities last week is that underdogs can accomplish just about anything when they come together around a common idea."
The commercial referred back to "Reddit Rebellion" that has dominated the headlines in recent weeks and spoke to the power of the online forum beyond that.
You can watch the ad on the post here.
—Megan Graham
Michelob Ultra's 'Happy'
Michelob Ultra's 60-second spot, "Happy," featrures talent such as Serena Williams, Peyton Manning, Anthony Davis and Brooks Koepka. It asks the question, "Are you happy because you win, or do you win because you're happy?" The company worked with Wieden + Kennedy on the spot.
Watch it here:
—Megan Graham
Uber Eats' 'Wayne's World & Cardi B's Shameless Manipulation'
Uber Eats tapped Mike Myers and Dana Carvey for a "Wayne's World" Super Bowl spot during the game to encourage viewers to "party on" and support local restaurants. The company worked with agency Special Group on the spot, which also features Cardi B.
The company says in addition to the spot, Myers and Carvey will be in a two and a half-hour video "that rolls the credits for the 100,000 local restaurants available on the Uber Eats app." That video will be on social media after the game, the company said.
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
Huggies' 'Welcome to the World, Baby'
Huggies' 30-second spot features babies born earlier today. The Kimberly-Clark company says the ad "celebrates babies everywhere and aims to feature real game day newborns in the ad, leveraging user-generated content captured by families and shared virtually with the brand's production team in a safe, responsible manner."
Watch it here:
—Megan Graham
Here are the most memorable halftime shows in Super Bowl history. Will The Weeknd join the ranks?
It's halftime and The Weeknd is set to headline Sunday's performance at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The PepsiCo beverage brand this year replaced its traditional Super Bowl ad slot with a new campaign to lead-in to its halftime show featuring the musician.
In the last 30 years, the Super Bowl halftime show has featured some of the hottest superstar performers including Prince, Beyonce and Lady Gaga. These jaw-dropping performances can even garner more attention than the game itself.
Ahead of The Weeknd's performance, you can look back at some of the Super Bowl's most memorable mid-game shows here.
— Sarah Whitten
‘Hellmann’s Fairy Godmayo’
Hellmann's is yet another first-time Super Bowl advertiser this year. The Unilever brand tapped Amy Schumer for the spot, which the company says is meant to inspire people to waste less food. The brand said it will also be sharing tips to prevent food waste.
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
E-Trade's 'Workout'
E-Trade made its Super Bowl return following a hot year for retail investor activity. The online broker, which was acquired by Morgan Stanley last year, has been known for its humorous Super Bowl spots throughout the years. The brand used a deep-talking baby pitchman for its TV commercials for years before "retiring" the baby in 2014. It last advertised during the Super Bowl in 2018.
The spot was created with ad agency Interpublic Group of Cos.′ MullenLowe
Read more on the ad here.
And watch it again here:
—Megan Graham
Jimmy John’s 'Meet the King'
Sandwich chain Jimmy John's will make its Super Bowl debut with a 30-second ad called "Meet the King." The company is also making its first brand identity and logo change since founding, and introducing chicken to its menu for the first time.
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
Vroom's 'Dealership Pain'
Used car retailer, and, yes, another first-time Super Bowl advertiser, Vroom used its airtime on the big game to show just how painful it says buying from a car dealership is. The 30-second spot was made with ad agency Anomaly and wants to show the benefits of "contact-free" at-home car delivery.
Read more on the campaign here.
And watch the ad here:
—Michael Wayland
Dr. Squatch's big game ad
Dr. Squatch, a DTC brand that promises "organic and natural handmade soap to men who want to feel like a man, and smell like a champion," will run its first Super Bowl ad. The company worked with agency Raindrop for the spot.
Watch the ad:
—Megan Graham
Tide's 'The Jason Alexander Hoodie'
Tide's spot, "The Jason Alexander Hoodie," promotes the Procter & Gamble brand's Tide Hygienic Clean Heavy Duty 10x detergent. The brand worked with its "Woven Collaborative" team for the ad, with Publicis' Saatchi & Saatchi leading the creative.
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
Mercari's 'Get Your Unused Things Back in the Game'
E-commerce company Mercari's 15-second ad wants to show you can "buy almost anything from home." The company, a first-time entrant to the big game, said it provided a safe way to clean out closets as Americans decluttered their homes during the pandemic. The ad was done with Rain the Growth Agency.
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
TurboTax's 'Spreading Tax Expertise Across the Land'
The 45-second spot for Intuit's TurboTax is titled "Spreading Tax Expertise Across the Land" and features interesting tax rules around America. The company worked with Wieden + Kennedy for the spot.
Watch it here:
—Megan Graham
Toyota's "Upstream"
Toyota will show a 60-second ad titled "Upstream" in the second quarter of Sunday's game to tell the story of Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long. The company said it wants to share an "uplifting message of hope and strength." It worked with Publicis' Saatchi & Saatchi on the spot.
The ad featuring Long, who was adopted by an American couple from a Russian orphanage, depicts a phone call about how Long needed to have her legs amputated due to a rare condition called fibular hemimelia. The spot ends with the line, "We believe there is hope and strength in all of us."
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
Paramount+ promotes its upcoming streaming service
ViacomCBS' upcoming Paramount+ streaming platform (set to launch on March 4) has been running ads for the service on the big game. Here are the ads that have run so far:
—Megan Graham
WeatherTech's "Family"
WeatherTech, which makes protective auto accessories, is running two in-game spots on this year's game (along with a third one before the game).
The ads were done with Pinnacle Advertising and were filmed in WeatherTech's facilities in Illinois.
Watch the company's "Family" ad here:
—Megan Graham
The Romos promote 'Skechers Max Cushioning'
Skechers will run a spot this year with Tony and Candice Romo to promote the brand's Skechers Max Cushioning line. The brand did in-house creative for the ad.
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
Scotts Miracle-Gro's 'Keep Growing'
Scotts Miracle-Gro's first Super Bowl ad includes cameos from John Travolta, Martha Stewart, Leslie David Baker and more. The ad promotes a giveaway, in which 42 winners will receive $15,000 and consultation with a lawn and garden expert.
"We got about 20 million new customers in Covid time last year and the goal is to keep them and grow the market," Hagedorn said on CNBC's "Power Lunch" last week. "We think we can do that, and the Super Bowl is a part of the reach we want — to reach out to people who were in and convince them to stay in."
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade's 'Last Year’s Lemons'
Anheuser-Busch brand Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade ran its first Super Bowl spot this year, titled "Last Year's Lemons." The spot, done with Wieden + Kennedy, pokes fun at 2020, calling it a "lemon of a year."
The Anheuser-Busch InBev brand announced its entry into the hard seltzer lemonade space earlier this month as it looks to stake a firm claim on the increasingly competitive category.
Watch it here:
—Megan Graham
State Farm’s “Drake from State Farm”
State Farm, which is advertising on the Super Bowl for the first time, said "With Rodgers and Mahomes on our #TeamStateFarm roster and both having incredible seasons, it made sense for 2021 to mark the first State Farm in-game Super Bowl commercial." The ad also features Drake.
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
Indeed's 'The Rising'
Employment website Indeed is running its first ad during the big game. The company said it "highlights the emotional journey of job seekers at a time when many people are facing economic distress." Indeed worked with MDC Partners' 72andSunny for the ad.
Indeed said it will also engage with other Super Bowl advertisers on social media during the game to share jobs related to the companies using the hashtag #HiringNow.
Watch here:
—Megan Graham
Dexcom's official Super Bowl ad
Dexcom, which makes glucose monitoring products, will air an ad featuring Nick Jonas, who has Type 1 diabetes. The company's first big game ad "calls for better care for people with diabetes who are still painfully pricking their fingers to measure their glucose levels," the company says.
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
Chipotle's 'Can a Burrito Change the World?'
Chipotle is running its first-ever Super Bowl ad, titled "Can a Burrito Change the World?" The ad was created with advertising agency Venables Bell and Partners.
Chipotle is one of the rare winners of the coronavirus pandemic from the restaurant industry. Chipotle's ad aims to keep customers coming back to its restaurants by focusing on its "food with integrity" pledge and how it sources its ingredients.
In the commercial, a boy asks if a burrito can change the world, from emitting less carbon to making farmers happier, while showing images of peppers and tomatoes being grown, picked and transported.
On Super Bowl Sunday, Chipotle will donate a dollar from every order to the National Young Farmers Coalition, an advocacy group for young farmers, and customers who order from the chain's website or app won't have to pay a delivery fee.
Watch it here:
—Amelia Lucas
Bud Light's 'Legends'
Anheuser-Busch brand Bud Light's "Legends" features stars of past ads, including Post Malone, the Bud Knight, Cedric the Entertainer and more as they help an overturned truck get its beer supplies to the store for waiting customers. The spot was done with Wieden + Kennedy New York.
The company said it's launching the "Bud Light Legends program," which will offer the first 10,000 people who sign up the opportunity to have their names engraved on Bud Light brew tanks in St. Louis.
Watch it here:
—Megan Graham
Pringles' 'Flavor Stacking Space Return Ad'
Pringles' "Flavor Stacking Space Return" ad, created with WPP's Grey Group, promotes the practice of "stacking" different types of Pringles to make flavor combinations.
The company says the ad "further propels viewers into the world of Flavor Stacking, which encourages fans to unlock new flavor combinations by stacking different crisps on top of each other."
Watch Pringles' ad here:
—Megan Graham
General Motors' 'No way Norway'
GM enlisted actor Will Ferrell for its Super Bowl ad, called "No Way Norway." More than half of the vehicles sold in Norway are all-electric, and GM is promoting its all-electric vehicle efforts, including its plans to launch 30 new models globally by 2025.
The company's chief marketing officer Deborah Wahl said the company hopes the ad will "keep the momentum going" for the automaker following recent announcements about EVs. It's an extension of the company's new "Everyone In" marketing campaign meant to encourage the adoption of all-electric vehicles.
The company worked with McCann Worldgroup for the spot. Read more on the campaign here.
Watch it here:
—Michael Wayland
First look at M. Night Shyamalan's "Old"
Viewers got a first look at M. Night Shyamalan's next movie on Sunday. "Old" is the director's first theatrical feature since 2019's "Glass."
"Old" centers around a group of people who find a dead body on the beach and slowly realize there is something unnaturally happening in the area.
Watch the ad:
— Sarah Whitten
Doritos' 'Flat Matthew'
Doritos' ad, "Flat Matthew," shows Matthew McConaughey as a 2D version of himself. That is, until he eats Doritos 3D. The Frito-Lay brand worked with Goodby, Silverstein & Partners on the spot.
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' on Disney+
Disney released a teaser trailer for its upcoming Disney+ series "The Falcon and the Winter Solider" during the first quarter of Sunday's game.
The show is the second Marvel TV production for the streaming service and is slated for debut on March 19, 2021. A full-length trailer was released on social media and YouTube.
Watch the ad here:
— Sarah Whitten
DoorDash's "The Neighborhood"
DoorDash is one of the many newcomer advertisers on this year's game. The ad features "Sesame Street" characters and Daveed Diggs highlighting items like paper towels (or yes, cookies) that it can deliver. The company last year began offering more convenience items, household supplies and other health and wellness products during the pandemic, when people were trying to limit their grocery store trips.
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
Shift4 Payments' ad for civilian space mission Inspiration4
Last week, SpaceX announced it wiull launch four private individuals on a Crew Dragon capsule into orbit around the Earth, dubbed "the world's first all-civilian mission." The spacecraft will be commanded by Jared Isaacman, the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments.
"You can be onboard," the ad voiceover reads for Inspiration4's Super Bowl ad. It prompts viewers to visit Inspiration4.com for a chance to go to space. The spot was done with Known Studios.
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
Logitech's 'Defy Logic'
Consumer tech company Logitech is another first-time Super Bowl advertiser with its 60-second spot "Defy Logic." The ad features Lil Nas X and his new song, "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)."
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
M&M's 'Come Together'
Mars Wrigley brand M&M's ad features actor Dan Levy. The company says the spot "features a variety of relatable 'wow, I really shouldn't have done that' scenarios and the people in them choosing to make it better with a bag of M&M's."
The ad, called "Come Together," was done with BBDO New York.
Watch the ad here:
—Megan Graham
This year's game brings a long list of new advertisers to the game
An ever-growing list of newcomers will be shelling out roughly $5.5 million for a 30-second commercial on this year's game. Among them: trading app Robinhood; freelance worker platform Fiverr; online food delivery company DoorDash; used car company Vroom; resale platform Mercari; gardening supplier Scotts Miracle-Gro; employment website Indeed; online betting company DraftKings; restaurant chain Chipotle; Kimberly-Clark's Huggies; and mayonnaise brand Hellman's, owned by Unilever.
Many of these companies are coming off a successful stay-at-home year and looking to build on that momentum by appearing on the game.
"Some of these are companies that have grown significantly during the pandemic, and they're looking to take that momentum and use this big Super Bowl moment as a launching point to get to the next level of brand awareness," said Lee Newman, CEO of Interpublic Group agency MullenLowe U.S. "Traditionally, the Super Bowl has been a vehicle to make that transition into becoming more of a household name, and this year will be no different."
Read more about the newcomers to the Super Bowl ad lineup here.
This year's Super Bowl ads: Lots of humor, but the reality of the moment still looms large
Advertisers appearing on the game tonight have to manage the right tone in a different kind of year.
Some Super Bowl advertisers will weigh in on the reality of the moment while trying not to be offensive. Many others are forging ahead with lighthearted humor, while some are going a practical route, showing how their technology can help in a stay-at-home world.
"I can't remember a previous time where we had so much else going on in our country and in the world," said Derek Rucker, who teaches advertising strategy at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. "You have an environment with the pandemic, you have a change in presidency, you have social justice movements. What that means is there are a lot of hot button or trigger issues..."
Read more on the tone of this year's Super Bowl ads here.
—Megan Graham
Want to get a head start on watching the ads? Watch the pre-released spots here
This year's slate of advertisers on the CBS Super Bowl broadcast will include Vroom, Toyota, Procter & Gamble's Tide, M&Ms, PepsiCo's Cheetos and Doritos, Fiverr, Kellogg's Pringles, Intuit's TurboTax and many more.
Watch the Super Bowl commercials that have already been released here. During the game, we'll be updating this blog with more on the ads as they run.
—Megan Graham
