Superbowl-ads.com Article Archive

See “Cam” from Modern Family (Eric Stonestreet) with once presidential candidate Bob Dole in this ad for Pepsi (2001) “Little Blue Friend”

There’s more in our collection of Weird and Bizarre Super Bowl Ads (Top 25).

In this Pepsi NEXT Super Bowl commercial teaser we see three friends shopping for the most unbelievable things they can bring to an epic party. What is the duct tape for? Why would Sharks be raised in a pool? Most importantly, do we have enough Pepsi NEXT? Tune in to the Super Bowl to check out the Pepsi NEXT Party!

In this Pepsi Next Super Bowl XLVII commercial we see parents coming home to find their house filled with foam and hundreds of people dancing. Their son Brandon quickly distracts his angry parents from the party with Pepsi Next. A guy duct taped to the ceiling? A unicorn DJ?? A jock pouring milk over his own head??? The real cola taste of Pepsi Next successfully overshadows the mayhem and destruction happening all over their property. You’re a good kid, Brandon.

All was surprisingly quiet this year on the “They Censored My Super Bowl Ad” front … until Friday, when Alex Bogusky tweeted that CBS had rejected the Super Bowl spot he was working on for SodaStream.

Every year, the Super Bowl attracts some of the best and most high-priced advertising in the world. But it also lures a horde of publicity-seekers claiming their commercials have been censored or rejected by the host network. In nearly all cases, the complaining marketers never really had a shot at the Super Bowl, thanks to shoddy production values, truly objectionable content and, more often than not, the inability to pony up more than $3 million for an ad. And it’s a common occurrence for the network to ask event sponsors to tweak or edit the content for a variety of reasons (which also can yield a PR bonanza if a sponsor cries foul — just ask serial offender GoDaddy.com).

But SodaStream, a mainstream advertiser that some time ago purchased a spot in the game’s fourth quarter, said this wasn’t a PR gambit. The content of its planned commercial seemed to have concerned CBS because it was a direct hit at two other Super Bowl sponsors and heavy network TV advertisers: Coke and Pepsi.

SodaStream Announces its First-Ever Super Bowl Commercial

SodaStream’s Mr. Nacasch said a new version of the ad CBS rejected was being prepared to appear on TV in coming days — likely before the Super Bowl airs Feb. 3.

Read More at : Adage

In the wake of her National Anthem lip synching scandal, it’s been revealed that Beyoncé will “SING” ‘Crazy in Love’ during a solo set to kick off the Super Bowl. Midway through the act, she’ll be joined by Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams to sing a medley of their biggest hits starting with ‘Bills, Bills, Bills,’ ‘Survivor,’ and ending with their new track ‘Nuclear.’

Pepsi has received thousands of fan photos as part of its latest promotion, which will feature hundreds of the crowd-sourced images in a unique, on-air video introduction welcoming Beyonce to the stage for the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show.

The program, which started on Saturday, encourages fans to submit photos of specific “poses” in hopes of being selected for a chance of a lifetime — being included with hundreds of other fans in a video that will kick off the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show on CBS on February 3, 2013.

When fans visit www.pepsi.com/halftime, they are given a series of poses, including head bopping, feet tapping, and hips shaking, to photograph and submit in hopes of being selected for the video introduction.

In addition, people who submit their photos by January 11th will be entered into a drawing for a chance to be one of 50 lucky fans selected for an on-field experience during Beyonce’s Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show performance seen by millions of viewers around the world.

Photo submissions for #PepsiHalftime will end on January 21st. For official rules and information, fans can visit www.pepsi.com/halftime. The “NFL Entities” (as defined in the official rules) have not offered or sponsored the sweepstakes in any way.

Beyonce and her newest brand partner, Pepsi, have opened up the halftime stage to 100 people to dance alongside the American Idol guest star at the Super Bowl XLVII.

Beyonce joined forces again with Pepsi earlier this month, which marks her fourth partnership with the soda brand, to the tune of $50 million dollars. The contract is larger than previous years, expanding from simple print ads to commercials, special edition Beyonce emblazoned cans, and a halftime show at SuperBowl XLVII on February 3rd at the Mercedes Benz stadium in New Orleans. It was just announced that 100 guests will join Beyonce on stage and serve as her backup dancers, along with being shown in an intro before the performance. One lucky winner will also get the chance to watch the halftime show from the field.

Those fans that want to show their moves off to the world are asked to take shots in various poses: from head bopping, to hip shaking, and shouting. Once the powers that be narrow the hopefuls to 50, those 50 lucky individuals will get to go onstage along with a friend during halftime and shake what their mama gave em! The promo shots will be shown before the performance and as Beyonce makes her entrance.

Submit your photos over at http://halftime.pepsi.com/.

Beyonce is reteaming with Pepsi for a multi-faceted branding deal that will coincide with her performance during the Super Bowl 2013 Halftime Show, of which Pepsi is a presenting sponsor. The news of the Pepsi pact was first reported by The New York Times.

Beyonce, who has been featured in ads for Pepsi since 2002, will appear in a new commercial to debut some time during first-quarter 2013 and appear on limited-edition cans bearing her likeness starting in March. Pepsi, in turn, will sponsor a variety of unspecified creative projects for Beyonce as well as help promote the singer’s upcoming fifth studio album. The multi-year partnership is valued at around $50 million in ad spend and promotional materials over several years. New music could arrive as early as Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 3, as producer The-Dream told Billboard last week that Beyonce will “definitely” have a single ready as part of her performance.

Read more at : Billboard

Here, in alphabetical order, are more than 90 percent of the players:

AB InBev, parent company of Budweiser, a perennial Super Bowl advertiser, will be back. In the past, they’ve been among the funniest and most memorable brands in the broadcast, but with this year’s marketing strategy combining hip-hop music and introduction of a new pseudo-craft beer, Black Crown, don’t count on history repeating itself. Not only will hip-hopper Jay-Z be on camera, but he’ll also have a hand in the creartive as well. They’ve also done multi-year deals for the air time, so they won’t be paying the full $3.7 million freight.

Audi of America will run one 60-second spot, their sixth Super Bowl appearance in as many years. Agency Venables, Bell and Partners is still working on the creative and production.

AXE will run one 30-second spot, entitled “Lifeguard,” that includes a “twist” at the end that “aligns with a creative campaign” that will kick off in the new year. The ads will be created by BBH London.

Best Buy hired a new agency, Crispin Porter & Bogusky, to do the television and related social marketing.

Cars.com will return with a :30. “There is no better platform,” marketing vp Linda Bartman told USA Today. That’s good, because at $3.7 million plus production costs, there’s no more expensive one. They, too, have a new agency, having replaced DDB with McGarryBowen in May. Their :30 will probably show how shopping on their website makes car buying a better experience. (Hey, anything that avoids showrooms and car salesmen is an improvement.)

Century 21 will run one :30 in the third quarter. Phildelphia agency Red Tettemer and Partners is still working on it.

Coke – After years of advertising with computer-generated polar bears in Super Bowl spots and after having printed them on all their soda cans, Coca-Cola has killed off the bears from their three new 30-second commercials. Nobody tell the global warmists.

Doritos for the seventh consecutive year, will once again be taking the cheap, easy way out, running the best amateur-produced commercial, as determined by USA Today’s Ad Meter consumer poll.

Fiat The re-invading Italian brand made a surprise splash in this year’s Super Bowl with its “Seduction” spot, previously seen in Italy, starring supermodel Catrinel Menghia. She returns in one of a handful of new Fiat commercials that CMO Olivier Francois showed at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week as potential spots that the brand will show during its Super Bowl commitment. The new seductive spot starring Menghia is on behalf of a new convertible Fiat 500 Abarth Cabrio. It depicts a scorpion making its way up the back of the bikini-clad model and then using its pincers to make a strategic snip. “Small, wicked … and now topless,” the ad says.

Ford whose sales of the Lincoln nameplate have been in a death spiral (down 63%) since 1990, will run a 60-second spot (almost $8 million worth of air time) to revive the brand by showing dead people. In the belief that history sells cars, the spot will feature an Abraham Lincoln lookalike stepping out of the mist, vintage Lincolns, and deceased Lincoln owners Clark Gable and Dean Martin leaning against front fender of the new MKZ through the magic of computer imagery. This is supposed to be an attempt to reach out to younger drivers, who probably never saw either Gable or Martin in their lifetimes.

GoDaddy is showing signs of growing up. For the first time ever, their advertising’s being done by a professional agency – Deutsch New York – and will graduate from prepubescent male fantasies of mostly undressed women to (gasp!) content and product. Indy car driver Danica Patrick, who’s been missing from their rebranding campaign, may or may not return. “We are working on the fourth quarter work now,” Val DiFebo, Deutsch New York’s CEO, told Business Insider, “and exploring that option, if there’s a way to do that.”

Hyundai has their internal agency, Inocean, is working on the advertising. The car manufacturer aired two :30s this year.

Kia will be back for the fourth year in a row. “The game has proven to be a powerful tool in our efforts to raise awareness and perception for the Kia brand,” according to marketing evp Michael Sprague.

Mercedes-Benz which advertised in 2011 but skipped this year, will be back with a fourth-quarter commercial of as yet unannounced length. Hey, when your name’s on the stadium, you kinda have to. Or, as spokeswoman Donna Boland put it more nicely, “It’s a big product year for us next year and the game will be played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, so all the planets are in alignment.” Rapper Usher is expected to be on-camera talent.

Pepsi is sponsoring the half-time show.

Samsung commercial will be created and produced by agency 72andSunny, where the longtime Apple creative director bolted after the disastrous “Genius” campaign.

Skechers will be running, but nobody knows what length, which quarter or what message yet.

SodaStream scheduled to air it’s ad during the fourth quarter of the game when people are most likely to notice the growing piles of bottles and cans strewn about the room and filling up their trash.

Volkswagen It must be a bad year for animals. Coke’s killed the polar bears, and VW’s abandoning the dog.

Read More at: Examiner.com

From Anheuser Busch to Volkswagen, Ads Are Shaping Up for the Big Game.

As CBS works to sell the last handful of spots for its 2013 broadcast of Super Bowl XLVII from New Orleans, Ad Age is posting its annual chart of which advertisers are buying into the event and what is known of their plans. With ad packages going for an average of $3.7 million to $3.8 million, the Super Bowl represents perhaps the biggest investment a marketer may make in a single media property all year.

The usual coterie of big sponsors is more or less on board again in 2013 — hello, Pepsi! hello Bud Light! — accompanied by opportunistic, smaller brands that want to make a big splash, such as Century 21 and GoDaddy.com, both of which are also returning to the game.

Read More at: AdAge

The soda giant says it struck a multi-year deal with the National Football League to sponsor the big game’s musical performance. Financial terms and the exact duration of the deal were not disclosed.
The Purchase, N.Y.-based company says it also bought 60 seconds of ad time during the big game, which has seen record ratings for the past three years.

Pepsi last sponsored the show in 2007, when the rock musician Prince performed. Bridgestone Tires sponsored the show after that.

PepsiCo Inc.’s reunion with the nation’s biggest sporting event comes at a time when the company is working to put some fizz back in sales of its flagship soda. Earlier this year, Pepsi announced its “Live For Now” global marketing campaign, which is intended to rekindle the company’s long ties with pop culture and music.

Although PepsiCo has a broad and diverse portfolio of brands — including Frito-Lay, Gatorade and Quaker Oats — its namesake cola remains by far its single biggest moneymaker.

So far this year, the marketing push for Pepsi has included a TV ad with singer Nicki Minaj, a global marketing campaign featuring 1 billion cans of Pepsi with a silhouette of the late pop star Michael Jackson and a partnership with Twitter to stream live concerts.

The latest move is nevertheless the most high-profile; an estimated 111.3 million people watched in February as the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots, 21-17, in a thrilling rematch of the contest four years earlier, according to The Nielsen Co. That made the game the most-watched television show in U.S. history for the third straight year.

Even better for PepsiCo, last year’s halftime show with Madonna, Cee Lo Green, Minaj and M.I.A. was seen by an estimated 114 million people — a higher average than the game itself.

Adam Harter, Pepsi’s vice-president of consumer engagement, said that the NFL is letting Pepsi have more input than past sponsors have had — including on stage design and which musicians perform during the show.

He declined to give details, but said Pepsi will also partner with the league in how the halftime show can be viewed online. Pepsi will also use the sponsorship for promotions on the soda cans and bottles its sells in stores.

“I think you’ll see more activation around sports and music together as the year unfolds,” Harter said.

On Monday, PepsiCo also announced a multi-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers to provide its drinks and Frito-Lay snacks at Heinz Field. The company said the conversion to Pepsi from The Coca-Cola Co. will be complete in time for the start of the coming season.

Coca-Cola has big marketing plans this year as well, with its sponsorship of the London Olympics this summer. The Atlanta company has sponsored the games since 1928, making it the longest continuous sponsor.

The Super Bowl may be the one time of year viewers are as eager to watch the commercials as they are the show… well, at least the halftime show. As always, we marketers tuned in to weigh in on how this year’s pack of advertisers managed the most expensive real estate on television. During the 2012 Super Bowl, advertisers delighted with many of its usual ploys (celebrities, endorsements and sex appeal), as with H&M’s provocative ad featuring David Beckham. There were also rave-winning new concepts, such as the Honda’s rendition of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off“. But while campaigns may win applause for recruiting the biggest celebrities or most daring scripts, which brands merely flashed their cash, and which truly engaged customers?

The winners, we found, reflected a thorough understanding of multi-channel marketing, and elongated the customer experience by tying their TV campaigns to other channels. This fully leveraged their massive investments not just by pairing the ads with lower-cost vehicles, but by allowing customers to actively experience the brand rather than just viewing it. You may have noticed that the most engaging ads weren’t the most “salesy”; these brands were more focused on crafting a residual customer experience than making an immediate sale. The following champs not only made the list of viewer favorites, they got viewers talking, tweeting, Facebooking, and otherwise immersed with the brands:

1. Bud Light – What better way to manage your corporate social responsibility strategy than to make a cute little rescued dog the face of your brand? Bud Light won high marks with multiple creative commercials during the 2012 Super Bowl, but the clear winner features Weego, a rescued mutt that clearly knows how to party. Dedicated to ensuring each of his guests is welcomed with a cold beer, Weego’s star power entertains while hitting a soft spot in viewers’ hearts. At the end of the commercial, Weego has undoubtedly won over most of America, the commercial reads, “Help Rescue Dogs”, along with a link to Bud Light’s Facebook page. Creating a seamless experience, Bud Light’s default Facebook image now showcases a classic Bud Light bottle, with Weego’s personalized dog collar looped around its neck. Visitors can find more video and images of Weego, as well as a custom app for a charitable campaign where Bud Light will donate $1 to the Animal Rescue Foundation for every “Like” Weego gets.

All in all, this Super Bowl campaign forms a model customer engagement experience: it captures and entertains viewers with a lovable and memorable icon (Weego, of course). It invites viewers to an extended engagement opportunity by connecting to a perfectly synchronized Facebook page. And while still scoring something for itself by requiring users to “Like” the main brand page page in order to “Like” Weego, Bud Light gives something back to the users, too-something they can feel good about (After all, they just earned needy animals a donation just by clicking on a button). And this doesn’t even take social virality into account-a Facebook user’s actions will show up in their friends’ feeds, too. Bud Light now has the opportunity to create a long-term if not lifelong customer experience with the thousands of Facebook subscribers it gained within mere hours of the Super Bowl.

2. Pepsi Max – Soft beverage giant Pepsico pushed its brand hard during the 2012 Super bowl, and while its Pepsi ad featuring such icons as Elton John and X-Factor’s Melanie Amaro generated plenty of buzz, it was the Pepsi Max commercial that really won high points with viewers and critics alike. The commercial draws a few chuckles as it depicts a disloyal Coke employee stealthily purchasing a Pepsi Max, as Patsy Cline’s “Your Cheatin’ Heart” plays in the background. Just when he thinks he’s in the clear, the register goes wild and none other but Regis Philbin appears to hand over a larger-than-life check, awarding the woeful shopper with Pepsi Max for life. But beyond the originality, humor, and effective use of a celebrity persona, Pepsi Max scores big in customer engagement by ending the commercial with a link to its Facebook page. Here, Pepsi Max is featuring a “Win Pepsi Max for Life” campaign of their own, allowing visitors to submit video entries to win. Original, consistent, and engaging– we like it.

3. Godaddy is no newcomer to integrating marketing channels to shape a unique customer experience. Its long-held television-to-web strategy has featured plenty of star power and provoking ads, always ending with, “See more at GoDaddy.com”. But this year, Godaddy went a step further, becoming the first to air a Super Bowl ad containing a QR code. And, according to a press release published by the company, the questionable move reaped huge awards, driving record traffic to Godaddy’s mobile site. “We decided it was worth the risk to play to all the people watching the game and using their smartphones simultaneously,” said Go Daddy Executive Chairman and Founder Bob Parsons. “I’m thrilled we made the decision. Viewers scanned the code and as a result, Go Daddy set an all-time sales record for our mobile site.”

Read More at : B2C

Sir Elton John and The X Factor winner, Melanie Amaro, face off in an epic, medieval music showdown. Proving once again, Where There’s Pepsi, There’s Music. Download the full version of Melanie Amaro’s “Respect” on iTunes now! http://pep.si/xmGQwe

Pepsi MAX, the official soft drink of the NFL, today announced that it will debut a new 30-second spot during the Super Bowl and be part of multiple activities during Super Bowl week in Indianapolis.

The Pepsi MAX commercial entitled “Check-Out” is the newest edition to the brand’s playful Cola Wars campaign. The spot depicts a Coke Zero driver deliveryman attempting to discreetly purchase a bottle of Pepsi MAX at the supermarket when he unexpectedly becomes the grand prize winner of “Pepsi MAX for Life.” As a surprise “on the spot” reporter, Regis Philbin appears to get the embarrassed driver’s thoughts on his big win. This role marks Philbin’s first television project since leaving Regis & Kelly.

A brand known for featuring great music as part of its Super Bowl ads, Pepsi MAX tapped Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles to record a renowned country ballad to accompany the spot.

“The ‘Check-Out’ ad was developed to extend the legendary cola wars through a humorous scenario,” said Amy Wirtanen, Senior Director, Pepsi Marketing. “The brand has a history of producing star-studded Super Bowl ads, and as one of the most iconic personalities to ever appear on television, Regis Philbin with his witty sense of humor was a funny highlight for this commercial.”

A longtime Super Bowl advertiser, Pepsi will also debut the highly anticipated X Factor spot featuring winner Melanie Amaro during the game this year.

Want a chance to win Pepsi MAX for Life like the Coke Zero driver? Head over to http://www.PepsiMAX.com before February 12th for your chance.

PepsiCo today released details about its iconic Pepsi ad to air during Super Bowl XLVI, which will be broadcast on NBC. Pepsi also announced digital partnerships that will enhance fans’ Super Bowl experience on-line.

The new ad titled “King’s Court” features Melanie Amaro, THE X FACTOR 2011 winner, singing for multi Grammy-winning music legend Sir Elton John who plays a “king of rock” in the commercial. The ad was produced by TBWA/Chiat Day and directed by Noam Murro. During the commercial, Amaro performs a song she recorded exclusively for the ad, a contemporized version of RESPECT, by Otis Redding, and made popular by the “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin. Pepsi fans who “Shazam” the spot during the big game will be able to view Amaro’s music video for RESPECT.

Set in a rock-fantasy version of medieval times, the 60 second commercial features Melanie Amaro performing in front of a “royal court of rock,” including Elton John’s character, the King. The ad establishes Pepsi as the brand for people who are not afraid to take a chance, raise their voice and give it their all. It also highlights the fact that Pepsi has an irresistible taste worth challenging a king for. With epic Pepsi scale and a big dose of humor, the commercial ends with a twist and the tagline, “Where there’s Pepsi, There’s Music”.

“Pepsi wanted to make me ‘King for a Day’ on Super Bowl Sunday. How could I possibly pass that up?” said Sir Elton John.

In addition to the Shazam offering during the big game, Pepsi will enhance the fan Super Bowl experience through integrated digital programming. Highlights include: an NFL-themed version of Pepsi Sound Off, the first brand-led social TV platform, which was launched during THE X FACTOR to engage consumers in a real time viewing party with celebrity hosts. Digital programming also extends to a partnership with Pandora providing fans with a Pepsi-curated Super Bowl-themed station to listen to before, during and after the game. Lastly, a partnership with social network, Get Glue, which allows users to check-in and unlock exclusive content and free Pepsi.

King’s Court is one of the two commercials PepsiCo plans to air during this year’s Super Bowl. Pepsi MAX, the official soft drink of the NFL, will also debut a commercial on this year’s Super Bowl, featuring legendary television personality Regis Philbin.

Pepsi and Pepsi MAX will provide fans with engaging Super Bowl XLVI activities from January 27- February 5 in Indianapolis, including:

• A Pepsi MAX footprint at NFL Experience where fans can win “Pepsi MAX for Life”
• The Pepsi Fan Jam Concert Series
• Tazon Latino VI, the annual celebrity flag football game featuring notable NFL alumni and Hispanic celebrities
• Pepsi Rookie of the Year
• NFL Honors

Pepsi is also the official sponsor of the Fan Jam Concert Series and Tazon Latino VI.