The Super Bowl isn’t only a championship game for pro football, it’s also the biggest day in advertising, with top brands aiming big-budget commercials at an expected audience of more than 100 million viewers. Many of those companies are releasing their ads early, hoping to generate buzz before the February 11 game.
There’s a lot on the line for businesses, which this year are paying $7 million for 30 seconds of air time during Super Bowl LVIII. A winning commercial can stir interest in a brand, cement customer loyalty and even boost sales.
“It’s the last tent-pole mass media event at the moment,” Kofi Amoo-Gottfried, chief marketing officer for DoorDash, which has a commercial in this year’s Super Bowl, told CBS MoneyWatch. “It’s the one time you have left where you can have 100 million people-plus paying attention to the same thing.”
Super Bowl LVIII will broadcast live on Sunday, February 11, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on CBS and Nickelodeon, as well as on streaming on Paramount+ (CBS and CBS News are owned by Paramount Global.) Here’s how to watch the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl commercials 2024: Playing it safe
Based on what is seen in the commercials released ahead of the game, this year’s crop is avoiding controversy, perhaps due to last year’s backlash against Bud Light over its marketing deal with transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney and the politics of a presidential election year.
“The first Super Bowl spots to be released embrace light humor,” said Northwestern University marketing professor Tim Calkins. “This isn’t a surprise; safety is key when advertising on the Super Bowl so most advertisers will stay far away from controversial topics.”
Here are some of the Super Bowl commercials and teasers already released ahead of the game.
Anheuser-Busch
The beer maker is going for nostalgia with its one-minute long commercial featuring its famous Clydesdale horses. In the spot, a blizzard threatens to stop a delivery of Budweiser, until a team of Clydesdales are hitched to an old-fashioned wagon loaded with kegs. They travel over a snowy road and into a town where a bar is running low on Budweiser, saving the day.
The horses are greeted in town by a Labrador retriever, another nostalgic callback to previous Super Bowl ads that feature both the iconic Clydesdales and a lab.
BIC lighter
This humorous ad for what BIC calls “the most borrowed lighter” features Snoop Dogg, Martha Stewart and Willie Nelson as they banter about the advantages of using the EZ Reach lighter to light, well, all kinds of things.
Booking.com
The travel booking site features Tina Fey as she uses body doubles to try out a variety of travel experiences — with the doubles including her former “30 Rock” co-star Jane Krakowski as well as actor Glenn Close.
BMW
BMW’s 60-second ad for its electric BMW i5 car features actor Christopher Walken going through his as everyone he encounters — from actress Ashley Park of “Emily in Paris” to this year’s half-time performer, Usher — imitates the legendary actor’s unique speaking voice and dance moves.
The tagline? “There’s only one Christopher Walken. And only one ultimate driving machine.”
“The reality is everyone has a Walken impression. But there’s only one original,” Rich Silverstein, co-chairman of Goodby Silverstein & Partners, which created the ad for BMW, noted in a statement.
Coors Light
The beer returns to the the Super Bowl with the Coors Light Chill Train, which delivers cold Coors Lights to people around the globe — including at a very awkward football watch party. LL Cool J makes a cameo as the train’s conductor.
DoorDash
DoorDash is making an unusual play this year in the Super Bowl, with its ad dangling a sweepstakes offering one viewer the chance to win everything that is advertised during the championship game. Yes, that includes every car, like the BMW mentioned above, and every non-alcoholic food item, including mayonnaise and Reese’s peanut butter cups.
Doritos
This spot features actor Jenny Ortega at a grocery store with two older ladies, Dina and Mita, who kick into action when actor Danny Ramirez grabs the last bag of Doritos Dinamita from the shelf. The older women jump into action-hero mode to retrieve the snack from Ramirez.
Drumstick
The classic ice cream brand is marking its Super Bowl debut with a humorous spot about an airline passenger in pain asking if there’s a doctor on the plane. “Dr. Umstick” replies that he’s a doctor, but rather than providing medical help, he comforts the other passengers and flight crew with Drumstick ice cream cones.
The spot features comedian and actor Eric André.
E*Trade
The E*Trade baby, who made his Super Bowl debut in 2008, is back once again for yet another spot in the big game. This time, the talking baby has a diminutive friend, with the tiny pair taking on adult competitors in a game of pickleball while talking financial planning instead of smack.
Etsy
The craft marketplace is advertising its new “gift mode,” a service that helps shoppers find gifts for others. The ad features Americans trying to figure out what to give France as a thank you present in exchange for the Statue of Liberty.
Lindt chocolate
Lindt chocolate brand is airing its first Super Bowl ad on Sunday with a spot called “Life Is a Ball.” The 30-second spot features a red-foil wrapped Lindt chocolate ball as it bops around people enjoying the chocolate to the peppy tune of Perry Como’s 1957 song “Round and Round.”
Microsoft
The software giant is returning to the Super Bowl for the first time in four years to promote its push into AI. The ad features its Copilot app, which shows ordinary people using AI to accomplish creative tasks, such as designing a new logo or film.
Mountain Dew
The soda puts the tagline “having a blast” to the test with actor Aubrey Plaza, who uses her trademark deadpan delivery to underscore how drinking a Mountain Dew, or MTN DEW as owner PepsiCo now styles it, can enliven any situation. The ending also has a cameo by one of her “Parks and Recreation” co-stars.
NERDS
The candy brand, making its Super Bowl, debut teased actor Addison Rae teaching a mystery student some dance moves for their big commercial debut, with her noting, “That was cute!” in a slightly dubious tone. The student, revealed in the full-length spot, is a giant NERD gummy candy, who shimmies to “Flashdance … What a Feeling.”
This ad also marks NERDS’ manufacturer Ferrara’s first Super Bowl ad.
Oikos yogurt
The yogurt brand’s ad features comedian Martin Lawrence and NFL Hall-of-Famer Shannon Sharpe as they contemplate what to do about their golf cart, which they have driven into a water hazard. Sharpe suggests a tow truck, which Lawrence — who is eating an Oikos yogurt — scoffs at, showing off his yogurt-fueled super strength as he deals with the situation on his own.
Opendoor
The real estate company will run a spot featuring a real homeowner in Atlanta showing their home via Opendoor’s Virtual Assessment, which is a virtual showing of a home that stands in for an in-person tour. The ad will be live, so the company right now is previewing the spot with two teasers. Here’s one of them.
Oreo
The Oreo spot imagines people throughout history twisting an Oreo to make big decisions — if the frosting is on the right side of the cookie, they’ll make one choice, but if it’s on the left side, they’ll make another. The spot features a cameo by reality TV star Kris Jenner, who is depicted in the mid-2000s twisting an Oreo to decide whether she and her family will star in a new reality show.
Paramount+
CBS News parent Paramount+ will have a humorous spot featuring “Star Trek” actor Patrick Stewart and other characters from Paramount shows as they scale “a mountain of entertainment.” Look for stars including Drew Barrymore and “Survivor” host Jeff Probst, as well as animated characters such as Peppa Pig.
Popeyes
The fast-food chain has a 60-second spot featuring actor and comedian Ken Jeong, who is awoken after spending 52 years frozen in a cryogenic tank because he was awaiting the invention of the best chicken wing. Along with discovering Popeyes’ new wings, he encounters other new inventions, including driverless cars, drones and massage chairs.
Pluto TV
The commercial from ad-supported streaming service Pluto TV, which is also owned by Paramount, imagines farmers growing crops of “couch potatoes” — fields of people in potato costumes who, yes, sit on couches and watch streaming shows.
Pringles
The potato chip company’s ad features actor Chris Pratt, who is told by a store clerk that he resembles the character on the can of Pringles he’s buying. Pratt, who is wearing a large moustache, is eventually typecast in a historical drama about “Mr. P,” presumably the Pringles icon.
Reese’s
Reese’s peanut butter cups have a humorous spot announcing a new change to their candies, with actor Will Arnett providing the voice over. A room of fans who hear the news are at first dismayed, and then overjoyed, when they hear about the change (hint: it involves caramel).
Snapchat
Snapchat is running its first-ever Super Bowl ad with a message called “Less Social Media. More Snapchat.” The idea is that the service isn’t a popularity contest like other social media services, with a spokesperson for the company noting, “Our latest campaign shows how Snapchat is different: a place where people can talk to their real friends with more compassion, more authenticity and more love.”
Starry
PepsiCo’s lemon-lime drink Starry features singer Ice Spice and two animated mascots in a humorous ad about wanting to try other types of drinks.
Toyota
The carmaker has a Super Bowl spot for its 2024 Tacoma, emphasizing the truck’s ruggedness. Passengers grasp the side handle as their friends or partners drive the Tacoma in challenging situations.
T-Mobile
Actor Jason Momoa tells actors Zach Braff and Donald Faison from the aughts TV comedy “Scrubs” that his Super Bowl watch party is canceled because his cable is out. Cue a “Flashdance”-inspired song-and-dance routine with Braff and Faison praising the advantages of T-Mobile’s home internet. Momoa busts some moves and shows off his pipes.
TurboTax
Intuit TurboTax will have a spot featuring “Abbott Elementary” creator and co-star Quinta Brunson and directed by Taika Waititi. The 45-second ad will air in the second quarter of the Super Bowl; for now TurboTax is airing a teaser with Brunson.
Uber Eats
Uber’s food delivery service Uber Eats will have a star-studded ad featuring Victoria and David Beckham. In a comical teaser for the spot, the power couple poke fun at a viral scene from their Netflix documentary “Beckham” in which the soccer legend calls out his wife as she attempts to describe her privileged life growing up as working class. In the Uber teaser, Victoria describes the upcoming ad as occurring “during the big baseball game,” as her husband chimes in to “correct” her. The tagline: “No matter what you forget, just remember Uber Eats on Super Bowl Sunday.”
A second teaser for Uber Eats features Grammy-nominated musician Jason “Jelly Roll” DeFord, who looks at himself in the mirror, having forgotten his face is covered in tattoos. “They’re everywhere and they’re horrible!” the Nashville singer exclaims.
—With reporting by the Associated Press.