2014 Super Bowl ads

Even as several automakers have opted out of the Super Bowl, Nissan is opting in. More incredibly, it is the first time that automaker has been in the big game since 1997. The automaker says details around its Super Bowl spot and integrated social media elements will come later.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — An Arizona wedding photographer has won a $1 million prize for a fan-favorite Doritos ad shown during the Super Bowl.Ryan Andersen’s “Time Machine” spot received the most votes cast on doritos.com. The 30-second spot shows a boy luring a man to get into a box that supposedly is a homemade time […]

Many advertisers went for a more serious, toned-down feel than in previous years. Budweiser, Coca-Cola and Chrysler all hit patriotic notes. RadioShack got praise for its surprisingly frank acknowledgement of its dated image — and its use of 1980s pop culture figures including Alf. And “Seinfeld” characters Jerry, George and Newman got together for a mini reunion for Jerry Seinfeld’s show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Still, the ads seemed to be upstaged by Joe Namath, at least on social media. When the football hero appeared on the field for the coin toss wearing a massive fur coat, Twitter and other sites buzzed with jokes.

Advertisers are planning to pull out the tools in their arsenal during Super Bowl time this Sunday, including celebrities, A-list rock bands and cinematic story lines. Of course, there will still be ad surprises on Sunday with major brands like Chrysler and Coca-Cola staying mum on at least one of their ads. But the ones that are already out use a variety of tactics to draw viewers’ attention.

Sponsors hope to win attention and praise for their expensive ads, but the commercials also have to sell something.

Super Bowl ads released on YouTube prior to the 2013 game drove 3.4 times more views on average than commercials released on TV the day of the game. Google is expecting better results this year. There are more than 55 Super Bowl spots currently posted to YouTube.

“We’re seeing sophistication come to the Super Bowl,” says Kelly O’Keefe, a professor of brand strategy at Virginia Commonwealth University. “Not long ago, almost everything seemed to be about beer or bros or boobs.”

More automakers than ever will advertise in the Super Bowl this year. At least nine plan to air spots in the big game on Fox Sunday, including first-time Super Bowl advertiser Jaguar. It will mark the fourth straight year that auto has been the game’s biggest ad category

During last year’s Super Bowl, Twitter users sent a record 24.1 million tweets, up from 13.7 million the previous year. The game was the most-talked-about subject on Facebook in 2013. And overall social media activity during the Super Bowl grew threefold over 2012. This year social media is expected to play an even bigger role in the game. Ryan Wofford, director of digital strategy at BFG Communications, talks about how advertisers are using social media this year, what digital innovations to expect in the game, and what commercials are driving the most pregame buzz.

The General Mills brand today unveiled its 2014 Super Bowl spot from Saatchi & Saatchi. And yes, that’s the family from “Just Checking,” the ad from last May that made headlines when General Mills shut down the comments section on the YouTube version because of racist vitriol. That earlier ad turned out to be a major win for the brand, however, as people everywhere jumped to its defense—and the view count on YouTube jumped to nearly 5 million.

All the numbers you need to know, including last year’s viewership, demographics and median age, plus some trivia. Shocker, people eat healthy stuff during the game.

Television advertisers are getting much less for their money than they used to when it comes to the Super Bowl — at least when looked at through the lens of how many people watch the National Football League’s championship game.

Twenty First Century Fox, whose Fox broadcast network is getting an average of $4 million for a 30-second spot on its sold-out Super Bowl telecast, has almost reached that mark on its Spanish-language channel and online video stream.

In a world where television viewers routinely zip through or zap commercials, advertisers crave big-event television — live events that viewers watch in real time. And the power of those big events is now on display as perhaps never before. In a 50-day period, from Jan. 12 through March 2, there is a veritable orgy of advertising. Marketers are in the middle of spending $1.5 billion, by some estimates, to buy commercial time during seven major TV shows.

The Denver Broncos’ first trip to the Super Bowl in 15 years has sparked big interest among advertisers in the Feb. 2 game, giving a lift to an already-healthy market where TV spending in 2014 is up slightly over last year. Local 30-second spots in the game are sold out, buyers say. The final spot sold earlier this week for $200,000.

The big one: Nostalgia, in the form of TV show reunions. Also watch for greater social media engagement, ads for the ads, A-listers and more commercials online.

Two brands of Greek-style yogurt, Chobani and Dannon Oikos, have bought commercial time during the big game.

The Super Bowl as a TV advertising vehicle remains strong — in terms of revenue, commercial time, and more importantly, commercial tune-in. Last year’s event on CBS pulled in 11% more revenue to $292 million over 2012’s game, and was 14% higher to $4 million for the average 30-second commercial, according to Kantar Media.

Three new Bud Light ads will air during the Super Bowl on Feb. 2 and introduce the tagline, “The perfect beer for whatever happens,” according to A-B. The commercials are among five that the brewer will unveil during the big game; the other two are for Budweiser. All told, A-B purchased three-and-a-half minutes of time in the game.

America’s favorite sporting event is about to get reacquainted with America’s Favorite Ketchup. Heinz Ketchup will return to the Super Bowl on Feb. 2 with a 30-second commercial from Cramer-Krasselt in Chicago — its second time in the big game and its first since 1997.

Audi, Axe and Coca-Cola are back, E-Trade is out and Chobani is entering the Super Bowl for the first time. See the latest updates.

Retailer H&M will run an ad during Fox’s telecast of the Super Bowl XLVIII next month that will mark a technology first on TV advertising’s biggest stage — some viewers will be able to buy featured merch directly from their TV remotes, if they have 2012 and 2013 Samsung Smart TVs connected to the Internet.

The automaker will return to the big game, but consultants speculate the brand needs to move its advertising in a new direction.

Add automotive giant Toyota to the growing list of marketers prepping for Super Bowl XLVIII. The Toyota division is “definitely” buying commercial time during Fox’s telecast of the first outdoor, cold weather Super Bowl on Feb. 2, said Jack Hollis, VP-marketing for Toyota Motor Sales USA. Toyota will highlight the all-new Toyota Highlander with a 60-second spot.

According to one media buyer with more than 30 years of experience, the Fox O&O in New York is asking $1 million per 30-second spot, while in Los Angeles, the asking price is $550,000 per :30. As for other top TV markets, the Chicago O&O is asking for $400,000 per, and Dallas wants $215,000.

Chobani says it will air its first Super Bowl ad this February, a move intended to make the Greek yogurt company more of a household name. The debut on advertising’s biggest stage comes as Greek yogurt continues to surge in popularity.

General Mills will appear in the Super Bowl for the first time since 1996, this time with an ad for Cheerios, the company announced Wednesday. The ad for regular Cheerios represents the first time the brand has advertised in the Big Game.

Kia Motors plans to return to the Super Bowl next year with new advertising to help launch its new K900 rear-wheel drive flagship sedan in the United States. The car was introduced Wednesday at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

CMO Tony Pace talks about how the sandwich chain weighs whether it’s game for the big game.

The auto listings site plans to spend more on media — just not in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Hyundai Motor America returns to the big game for the seventh year in a row. The automaker has purchased two in-game spots.

After a one-year absence to evaluate the brand and the Greek market, Dannon is returning to the Super Bowl to promote its Oikos brand.

Five months before the big game, 85% of the spots are gone. Auto is buying heavily, and a few new advertisers are in the mix. Asking price? $4 million. The network said Friday that 90% of inventory will likely be gone by the time the NFL season begins on Sept. 5.

General Motors, the nation’s third-largest advertiser, is set to rejoin the ranks of Super Bowl advertisers after making a colorful exit from the big event in 2013. GM’s Chevrolet, typically the brand in the auto company’s portfolio that gets the lion’s share of the Super Bowl spotlight, will launch 12 new cars and trucks in the U.S. between mid-2013 and the end of 2014, offering a good reason for an appearance in the gridiron classic.

Fox is seeking around $4 million for the privilege of running a 30-second spot in Super Bowl XLVIII, according to buyers and other executives familiar with the situation, a slight tick up from the average price secured by CBS — between $3.7 million and $3.8 million — in 2013.