All The Top Ad Reveals Including Marvel Ant-Man And Jack Harlow Love Triangle

Super Bowl LVII is right around the corner, and with more than 100 million people expected to watch, brands are getting ready to launch their biggest ad campaigns of the year.

With economic uncertainty looming, advertisers are doubling down on alcohol and betting apps, while ditching big ticket items like cars. After creating some of the best ads of 2022, BMW, CarMax, Carvana, Nissan, Toyota and Vroom are sitting this one out, according to Ad Age. The good news is that Kia is returning, hopefully with its heroic robot dog.

Fox will be broadcasting the game from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on February 12, 3:30pm PT and I’ll be reporting on any heartwarming, hilarious and diabolical AI that surprises and delights.

Here’s what’s been announced so far.

Halftime Show: Rihanna

Headlining the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show is nine-time Grammy winner Rihanna. Her hotly-awaited performance follows a six year hiatus from the music industry while she built her Fenty fashion and beauty empire. The billionaire’s last televised performance was in 2018 at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.

Apple signed on to sponsor the halftime show in a multiyear deal after Pepsi dropped its decade-long sponsorship last May. The show is being produced by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation which has been its producer since 2019. Roc Nation also manages Rihanna.

In an NFL statement, Jay-Z praised the pop star as a “generational talent” who from “humble beginnings” has gone on to become “one of the most prominent artists ever” – “self-made in business and entertainment.”

Drinks For All

With Anheuser-Busch InBev ending its 33-year+ alcohol exclusive, the floodgates have opened for a new generation of advertisers to enter the game and legacy ones to pave fresh paths.

• Rémy Cointreau has bought its first national ad, a 60-second spot in the first quarter for its 300-year old cognac brand from the House of Rémy Martin.
• Diageo has bought its first national ad, a 30-second spot in the third quarter for its Crown Royal whiskey, according to AdAge. Fun fact: the ad is directed by Jake Scott whose father Ridley Scott directed Apple’s 1984 Macintosh commercial, one of the most famous Super Bowl ads of all time.
• Molson Coors is having Miller Lite and Coors Light duke it out in billboards and print ads to see which brand gets the 30-second spot. The last time it had a national in-game ad was in the 1980s.
• Sam Adams is sticking with its regional ad strategy. Last year, its commercial “your cousin from Boston” starred Boston Dynamics’ robot dog Spot.
• Anheuser-Busch is expected to have national in-game ads for its iconic brands, although none have been announced yet. Last year, Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao (Nomadland) directed a breathtaking Budweiser commercial featuring its Clydesdale horses and Michelob Ultra won a Clio for its bowling cinematic starring Serena Williams, Steve Buscemi, Peyton Manning and Jimmy Butler. A Bud Light music festival is also being held Super Bowl weekend headlined by Paramore, Dave Matthews Band and Imagine Dragons.
• Heineken is touting sobriety in its 30-second spot in the first half of the game to promote Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantomania. In it, Paul Rudd reaches for a non-alcoholic Heineken 0.0 to ensure he has a clear head before setting out to save the world.

Here is the 15-second teaser trailer of the Heineken x Marvel Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantomania Super Bowl 2023 ad:

Other Movie Tie-Ins

Warner Bros. Discovery is coming back to the Super Bowl after a 17 year absence to give a sneak peek of The Flash starring Ezra Miller, Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton, according to The Wrap. The full trailer is expected to run as a preview before Ant-Man and the Wasp which opens in theaters on Feb. 17. The Flash opens in theaters on June 16.

Got The Munchies?

Beverage giant PepsiCo has a number of national in-game ads, in addition to its spot for Pepsi Zero Sugar, it also has a number of fun commercials for its Frito-Lay’s snack brands. PopCorners is resurrecting Breaking Bad’s Walter White character in an ad starring Bryan Cranston. And Doritos is returning for its 23rd year with Grammy-nominated rapper Jack Harlow who’s caught in a “Love Triangle” with the winner of a TikTok dance challenge and his Doritos Sweet & Tangy BBQ chips.

Kellogg’s is bringing Pringles back for a 30-second sequel to last year’s ad where a hand gets stuck in a can reaching for a crisp and must live out life’s most endearing moments with it. This year, that hand belongs to a mystery celebrity reaching into a “bedazzled” can but will it be worth it, the campaign asks. This is Pringles 6th consecutive year in the game.

Of course, chips need guacamole, so Avocados From Mexico is returning for an eighth time in a decade with a 30-second spot tied to an in-store promotion with NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and showrunner Tracey Edmonds. A quarter-billion pounds of avocados ship from Mexico to the US each year in the four weeks leading up to game day, according to AFM President and CEO Alvaro Luque who said in a statement that the brand is responsible for 95% of avocado sales during Super Bowl weekend.

Mars-Wrigley is bringing M&M’s back in a 30-second spot during the first quarter’s first commercial break. This will be its sixth national in-game ad in the past decade, after skipping last year. Planters, which did a regional ad last year featuring a reunion of sitcom Community stars Ken Jeong and Joel McHale, is returning with an ad and hosting a Super Bowl party with NFL greats Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski and Vernon Davis.

For sandwiches, Hellmann’s Mayonnaise is coming back with a 30-second spot in the third quarter to continue its ‘Make Taste, Not Waste’ campaign which Pete Davidson starred in last year.

Place Your Bets

What would the Super Bowl be without betting apps trying to out do each other? DraftKings will have a 30-second spot with Kevin Hart while FanDuel hosts a live kickoff with Gronk trying to make a field goal during the game.

“Our first-ever Super Bowl commercial will be more than just a television spot – it will create a moment that will bring fans together, and give them something to collectively cheer for,” said FanDuel Executive Vice President of Marketing, Andrew Sneyd in a company statement. “It’s an unprecedented field goal attempt on live TV…so anything can happen.”

Dealing With Life

Retailer Rakuten is returning with an ad that says people still need to buy things even during periods of high inflation, and when they do, they should be able to save. The company saw a 10% spike in buyers following its debut ad last year, Rakuten Americas Chief Marketing Officer Dana Marineau told the Wall Street Journal.

Procter & Gamble fabric softener Downy Unstoppables is making its Super Bowl debut with a mystery celebrity who’s wrapped his face in washed hoodie to see if it smells as fresh on game day when he reveals his identity.

Intuit returns to the Super Bowl for a tenth time with a campaign that says “Come to TurboTax” to enjoy the things you’re best at: Not Taxes.

Not in the Super Bowl again this year is BIC EZ Reach’s cheeky weed-referenced ad. This time Willie Nelson joins Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart in their dance around NFL’s cannabis ad ban.