This year’s Super Bowl advertisers are minding their manners. They’re trying hard to steer clear of everything from politics to the (hash)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 in Sunday when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the New England Patriots. Thirty-second slots are going for more than $5 million for airtime alone.
Last year Authentic Adam Boqvist Jersey , 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, such as Hillary Clinton reading from the Trump biography ”Fire and Fury.”
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 light-humor 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 lip-sync rap battle.
In a Pringles ad , Bill Hader has a snack on set and introduces a made-up practice dubbed ”flavor stacking,” in which he mixes and matches different Pringles varieties. 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. Chris Elliott lives in a bio dome to tout avocados from Mexico, while ”Stranger Things” star David Harbour shows up in Tide’s commercial.
”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.” The brand’s two spots showcase a mythical kingdom a la ”Game of Thrones” centered on Bud Light and the catchphrase ”Dilly Dilly.”
Amazon’s 90-second fourth-quarter ad stars a bevy of celebrities who sub for the voice of Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant: singer Cardi B, actress Rebel Wilson Terrell Edmunds Color Rush Jersey , 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.
Nonetheless, 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-flavored 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 biracial couple and a person in a wheelchair also appear in the spot.
”We want to celebrate all the people that make up the world Isaac Yiadom Color Rush Jersey ,” 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 staunchly pro-American approach in its ad, which shows the construction of a factory that opened late last year.
”At WeatherTech, we built our factory right here in America,” the ad’s text reads. ”Isn’t that the way it is supposed to be?”
It’s the fifth year WeatherTech has advertised in the Super Bowl touting its all-American operations. Founder and CEO David MacNeil said his ad doesn’t have typical Super Bowl accoutrements – ”no ponies, no puppies, no pretty girls” – but said it’s straight to the point about its message.
”Isn’t it just logical to build your own factory in your own country so your own fellow citizens can have jobs?” he said. He said he doesn’t believe the ad might be divisive. ”It wouldn’t occur to me that I could offend anyone by supporting my own country,” he said.
While the majority of advertisers release their ads ahead of time to try to drum up publicity, there are some holdouts. Fiat Chrysler usually appears during the game without advance warning. Other advertisers that have remained mum about their plans so far include E-Trade and Monster Products.
”It may be that advertisers with risky ads are waiting for the game, hoping to protect the surprise and break through the clutter www.giantsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-b.j.-hill-jersey ,” said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University.
Chris Paul is an ultra-intense competitor, often the most passionate player on the court.
But even for his Houston Rockets teammates, what they saw from him Tuesday night was on another level.
Paul scored a playoff career-high 41 points with eight 3-pointers to finally reach the conference finals, helping the Rockets eliminate the Utah Jazz 112-102 in Game 5.
”He said you get out of the way … I’m going to put us on my back,” James Harden said. ”You could see it in his eyes. He had that look in his eyes. If he has that look in his eyes … he’s a problem.”
The Rockets will meet Golden State after the Warriors closed out their series against the New Orleans Pelicans later Tuesday night. Top-seeded Houston will host the series opener Monday night.
It will be Houston’s second trip to the Western Conference finals in four years and the first ever for Paul. The point guard has been panned for failing to get past the second round in his nine previous trips to the postseason.
”He’s been under a lot of unfair scrutiny throughout the playoffs and tonight he showed that he wanted it,” Utah star rookie Donovan Mitchell, who is close with Paul, said. ”He does it every night, but taking over the way he did was very impressive.”
Paul, a nine-time All-Star in his first season with Houston after an offseason trade from the Los Angeles Clippers, also had 10 assists and seven rebounds. His previous career-best in the playoffs was 35 points www.buccaneersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jordan-whitehead-jersey , which he accomplished three times
The 33-year-old scored 20 points in the fourth quarter, answering everything the Jazz tried to do in order to close out the game and series.
”He was playing with a chip on his shoulder,” Luc Mbah a Moute said. ”In that fourth quarter, he just took over.”
Paul had been in the conference semifinals four other times before finally getting over the hump this season. He lost to the Spurs 4-3 in 2008 while with New Orleans and was swept by San Antonio in 2012 with the Clippers. He also lost 4-2 to the Thunder while with Los Angeles, and his Clippers had a 3-1 lead in 2015 before Houston won the next three games.
The Rockets were able to close out the series despite Harden, the front-runner for MVP, being under the weather. Coach Mike D’Antoni disclosed that Harden wasn’t feeling well Tuesday, and he looked a little worn down postgame. But when asked what was wrong with him, Harden said he was fine.
Paul said he was just trying to pick up the slack with Harden not feeling like himself.
”Whatever it took to win,” Paul said. ”James was under the weather so we were just trying to pick him up.”
Houston lost to the Warriors 4-1 when they last reached the conference finals in 2015. They believe they’re much better suited to match up with Golden State this time around, but know it won’t be easy to dethrone the defending champions.
”They’ve been built to beat everybody,” general manager Daryl Morey said. ”They’re going to be a tough matchup. We’ll have to bring our A-plus game and I think our guys are ready.”
While the Rockets took a minute Tuesday night to appreciate what they’ve done so far www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-martavis-bryant-jersey , they were quick to point out that they’re far from finished chasing their goals this season.
”We just advanced in another series which is an accomplishment, but that’s not our main goal,” Trevor Ariza said. ”We are still taking steps toward that, but this is an accomplishment.”
Houston is in the conference finals for the seventh time in franchise history and looking to win its first title since taking back-to-back championships in 1994-95.
Harden loves that he has so many players around him that have led to the team’s success this season and thinks that will be valuable moving forward.
”In order to get where we want to go we needed the right piece, and that’s what they’re here for,” he said. ”I know if we give the effort that we know we can it’s pretty tough to beat us.”
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