Why Wait for Kickoff? See Some Hot Super Bowl Commercials Here

Lionel Messi in Michelob Ultra Super Bowl spot
Soccer superstar Lionel Messi in a Super Bowl spot for Michelob Ultra. (Image credit: Michelob Ultra)

The Super Bowl on Sunday will draw more than 100 million viewers and many of them will be tuning in to see the commercials.

Advertisers spend about $7 million for 30 seconds during the game and the pour all the star power and creativity they can into the commercials, which turn out to be some of the most memorable of the year.

More and more, companies forking over millions to run Super Bowl ads run campaigns before the game to promote the ads and after, to keep them in consumers mind.

For those of you who can’t wait for kickoff, here is a selection of the ads that will appear during the big game.

BMW

BMW is returning to the Super Bowl with a 60-second commercial for its 5 Seres, including the electric BWMi5. The spot features actor Christopher Walken, who encounters a bunch of people “Talkin’ like Walken,” including Ashley Park and Usher.

Drumstick

Drumstick, the ice-cream treat, is in the Super Bowl for the first time with a 30-second spot featuring comic Eric André and a tiny character named Dr. Umstick, who responds when a flight attendant asks, “Is there a doctor on the plane?”

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

The first Super Bowl commercial for Popeyes features the omnipresent Ken Jeong and the chicken chain’s new wings. In the 60-second spot, Jeong froze himself 52 years ago, waiting for the best wings to be created, and is unfrozen now, to encounter Popeyes wings and other modern miracles.

Michelob Ultra

Lionel Messi stars in a spot for Michelob Ultra. The soccer star dribbles through a crowd of players on a beach while waiting for a beer. Jason Sudeikis and Dan Marino are also on hand as MIchelob Ultra makes its ninth appearance in the big game.

Kawasaki

Kawasaki is coming to the Super Bowl for the first time to promote its new Ridge off-road vehicle in a spot that shows people (and animals) sprouting mullets. The hair style is a metaphor for the Ridge, which is business in the front, party in the back, according to the spot.

Doritos

Doritos is pushing the spicy Doritos Dinamita in a spot featuring Jenna Ortega alongside characters named Dina and Mita. The campaign will continue to air after the game and Dina and Mita will be taking over TikTok, crashing videos from some of the platform's biggest creators.

Paramount Plus

Paramount Plus, the streaming sibling to CBS which is airing the Super Bowl, has a spot in the big game featuring Star Trek star Patrick Stewart. Sir Patrick shares the screen with animated characters who could play a role on the gridiron.

Ally

To help viewers picture what they want to save for, a spot for Ally features a 30-foot bucket, into which major purchases are dropped.

P.S.: You’ll only see this spot if you’re streaming the game on Paramount Plus. Ally says advertising on streaming only during the Super Bowl was a smart way for it to save money.

Bud Light

In this spot a genie emerges from a bottle of Bud Light granting wishes; Those wishes summon NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, UFC head Dana White and singer Post Malone for an easy night out. For Malone, this is an encore after appearing in Bud Light’s Super Bowl spot last year.

M&M’s

M&M’s Super Bowl commercial introduces the Almost Champions Ring of Comfort, which is awarded to people who never won an official championship ring. The spot
shows how the ring is made with diamonds made from compressed M&M’s peanut butter. Featured in the ad are Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, who lost in his one Super Bowl appearance to Joe Montana, and Scarlett Johansson, who almost won an Oscar.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.