Celebrities rule 2018 Super Bowl commercials
(FOX 13) - If you’re one of those asking why there’s a football game on during the Justin Timberlake concert, you might also enjoy the tradition of Super Bowl commercials being an event all their own.
For several years, however, brand marketers have decided to spoil the night-of suspense by releasing their commercials online days ahead of the game.
Since we couldn’t resist seeing what’s in store for Sunday night, we’ve put together a list of the best early releases, which has nearly doubled since 2017. So far, the comedy, the celebrity, and the just plain weird have been top-notch.
"Touchdown celebrations to come" - One of our favorite commercials came from the National Football League. It stars Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. recreating a scene from the classic movie “Dirty Dancing.”
We’re calling it “The Lift” but its official title is “Touchdown Celebrations to Come.”
Watch “Touchdown celebrations to come” on Youtube
FOCUSED ON FEELINGS – Some brands need no celebrity endorsement, funny hook, or catchy music. A few of this year’s early commercials hit us right in the feels.
“Coca-Cola | The wonder of us” – Beauty in diversity is the theme in Coke’s commercial, featuring people and places that represent the entire world. But, as the commercial reminds us, there’s a Coke for everyone.
Watch “Coca-Cola | The wonder of us” on Youtube
“Budweiser | Stand by you” – The beer brand that makes us cry just before halftime every year has done it again, this time with a recap of the good work its breweries did during natural disasters, canning drinking water instead of beer to send to hurricane-ravaged areas of the U.S. The commercial features real Anheuser-Busch employees, at work and at home, making this commercial relatable across the heartland.
Watch “Budweiser | Stand by you” on Youtube
CELEBRITY CAMEOS - Celebrity endorsements are nothing new, however, some new faces are making their commercial debuts this year.
"Jeep Jurassic" - Jeep made the most of yet another movie in the “Jurassic Park” franchise with an add paying perfect tribute to the original. Jeff Goldblum imagines himself driving ahead of – and then behind – that enormous T-Rex, complete with the ripples in the water and the view in the rearview mirror.
Watch “Jeep Jurassic” on Youtube
"Tourism Australia Dundee" - You may have seen what looked like movie trailers for some sort of "Crocodile Dundee" resurrection, but as many predicted, it was all hype for the tourism board of Australia's commercial during the game. Comedian Danny McBride and actor Chris Hemsworth sure do a great job of making the country look like a place we'd all like to visit.
Watch "Tourism Australia Dundee" on Youtube
"It's a Tide Ad" - David Harbour, (the sheriff from "Stranger Things") makes his commercial debut in an ad for Tide laundry detergent. The ad pokes fun at ads in general, pointing out all of the kinds of commercials it could be, but isn't.
Watch "It's a Tide ad" on Youtube
“Alexa loses her voice” - In one of the most-viewed commercials, the voice of Amazon’s Echo device, Alexa, has lost her voice and celebrities, including Jeff Bezos, Gordon Ramsay, Rebel Wilson, Anthony Hopkins, and Cardi B step in to become hilarious and confusing personal assistants. The commercial was posted on Youtube on January 31 and has been viewed almost 20 million times.
Watch “Alexa loses her voice” on YouTube
“Make it with Keanu Reeves” – Do-it-yourself website and hosting company Squarespace – which is owned by Amazon – released a strange and striking commercial focused solely on Keanu Reeves standing atop a motorcycle speeding through the desert. The music, “Adventures in Success” by Will Powers, is being lip-synced/spoken by Reeves as he focuses on staying balanced. “Make it happen” seems to be the message.
See “Make it with Keanu Reeves” on Youtube
“Wow” – Funnyman Bill Hader marvels at the idea of stacking different flavors of Pringles chips to create new flavor combinations. It’s possibly a take on another brand’s call for new flavor combinations but requires a lot less effort on their part.
“Peyton Manning – Vacation Quarterback” – Recently retired Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning has a history of starring in clever, sometimes self-deprecating, and always downright funny commercials. In a commercial that hits all three, Peyton is cast as Universal Orlando Resort’s star player. But the kids in this commercial bring out the real fun of a family vacation.
See “Peyton Manning – Vacation Quarterback” on Youtube
“DORITOS BLAZE vs. MTN DEW ICE” – With levels of pop culture and celebrity rivaling Amazon “Alexa lost her voice,” Mountain Dew brings to the table a fire and ice battle for the ages. Peter Dinklage rapping Busta Rhymes with a shout-out from Tracy Morgan heat things up. But Morgan Freeman and Missy Elliot are cold as ice to close out the minute-long dual product spot.
Watch “DORITOS BLAZE vs. MTN DEW ICE” on Youtube
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“Taps | Water.org & Stella Atrois” – One of the only public service announcements in commercial form we’ve seen so far stars Matt Damon and brings attention to worldwide shortages of clean, drinkable water. Damon says if one-percent of viewers buy a Stella Atrois chalice, one million people will be provided with drinkable water for five years.
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“The perfect fit ft. Chris Pratt” - A funnyman famous for his transformation from the chubby, lovable Andy Dwyer on “Parks and Recreation” to the toned and athletic Peter Quill in “Guardians of the Galaxy” is the perfect fit for a brand that touts itself as the low calorie beer. But Pratt doesn’t stray from his quirky ways while working out, having dinner, and living the life of a beer-drinking, fun-loving, not-too-serious celebrity.
Watch “The perfect fit” on Youtube
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“Avocados from Mexico – Bubble dome riot” – The avocado industry in Mexico does not run television advertisements on a year-round basis, but it has made has made a habit of making itself known during the Super Bowl. This year’s commercial features a short cameo from Chris Elliott, but largely focuses on a sealed dome community where avocados are the man food source, but someone left the chips outside. Things don’t go well.
Watch “Avocados from Mexico – Bubble dome riot” on Youtube
“Who Wouldn’t” – Tiffany Haddish has had a breakout year for more than her role in “Girls Trip.” The actress went from a self-proclaimed penny-pincher to taking selfies with Beyonce and appearing on shows like “Ellen” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!.” That’s where she revealed she was among the top one-percent of Groupon’s customers. The company took notice and made Haddish its spokeswoman.
Watch “Who Wouldn’t” on Youtube
Pepsi Generations “This is the Pepsi” – There are technically celebrities in the commercial for the sponsor of this year’s halftime show, but the brand is really reminding everyone of its biggest celebrity cameos over the last couple of decades. Brittney Spears, Cindy Crawford, Kyrie Irving as Uncle Drew, Jeff Gordon, the DeLorean from “Back to the Future,” and Michael Jackson. Pepsi did use some new music for its commercial – “Boogie Feet” by Kesha featuring Eagles of Death Metal.
Watch Pepsi Generations “This is Pepsi” on Youtube
“M&M’s Super Bowl Teaser 2018” – This is one we’ll have to wait for the big game to see in its entirety, but if the teaser is any indication, it won’t disappoint. It’s Danny Devito wearing a red M&M’s costume, floating on his back in a tub of melted chocolate. That’s all we get until February 4, as we’re reminded at the end of the 15-second clip.
See “M&M’s Super Bowl Teaser” 2018 on Youtube
JUST FUNNY – If all else fails, advertisers know weird and funny can make for a big win among game day commercials.
"Diet Coke | Groove" - Many companies use the Super Bowl as an opportunity to debut new products. For Diet Coke, it was new flavors: including Twisted Mango, Blood Orange, Feisty Cherry, Ginger Lime. The intro was made by a quirky, maybe nerdy, but definitely fun young woman who claimed the drink made dancing inevitable.
“Febreeze | The only man whose bleep don’t stink” – If you’re hosting this year’s party, it’s doubtful you’ll have any guests whose bleep don’t stink. That is, unless you invited the star of this Febreeze commercial. For everyone else, this brand hopes you’ll place a bottle in the bathroom or any other potentially-smelly areas. You get the idea…
Watch “The only man whose bleep don’t stink” on Youtube
“Evelyn” - Wireless company Sprint hoes that, even if you haven’t watched HBO’s “Westworld,” you’ll find robots mocking their creator – and competitor Verizon – funny. The small robot at the end really drove this one home for us.
Watch Sprint’s “Evelyn” on Youtube
As the game begins, there are sure to be commercials that top the early releases in their celebrity, funny, and weird factors. We’ll add the new ones on this page as the night moves along.