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Associated Press
10-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Novartis Wins at the 2025 Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review
Tubi and Squarespace Fumble during the Big Game EVANSTON, Ill., Feb. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Novartis took home the top spot in the 21st Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review with its 'Your Attention, Please' ad putting a spotlight on breast health and encouraging cancer screening – the first time a pharmaceutical company has come in first in the two decades of the strategic advertising review. Other brands that earned top marks included Michelob Ultra's 'The ULTRA Hustle' and Google Pixel's 'Dream Job.' Not every advertiser hit the mark this year, including Tubi and Coffee-Mate, which received low grades during this year's Ad Review. 'Novartis took a risk to really break through the clutter with its unexpected focus on breast cancer screening,' said Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing and co-lead of the school's Ad Review. 'The ad started out with a playful tone to then deliver a serious message,' added Derek Rucker, the Sandy & Morton Goldman professor of entrepreneurial studies in marketing and co-lead of the school's Ad Review. Nike made a triumphant return to the Super Bowl after nearly 30 years with a 90-second spot entitled 'So Win' and featuring WNBA stars Caitlin Clark, A'ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu and Olympic gold medalists Jordan Chiles and Sha'Carri Richardson. Nike was one of several ads targeted towards women and girls, capitalizing on the recent increased popularity of women's sports. Dove, which earned top marks last year with its spot on body confidence, ran an ad focused on keeping girls in sports, while the NFL ran its own spot advocating for girl's flag football to be made a varsity sport in all 50 states. 'Nike and Dove both championed women's sports and female empowerment, consistent with the equality-focused messaging these brands have had in the past,' said Calkins. While brands like Michelob Ultra and Google Pixel had strong showings with their ads, others fumbled a huge opportunity and a multi-million-dollar investment, like Tubi, which aired three spots over the game and failed to deliver a compelling benefit resulting in a low rating from the Kellogg panel. Coffee Mate's ad for cold foam, which featured a dancing tongue voiced by Shania Twain, also received a low grade. 'Coffee Mate broke one of the often-golden rules of advertising – don't be off-putting when people are trying to enjoy an event,' said Rucker. 'You can see the creative pitch behind it – but the moving tongue provoked a visceral and negative reaction from our panel.' Following the trend of recent years, many ads featured celebrity spokespeople, with likes of Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck and Jeremy Strong (Dunkin'), Orlando Bloom and Drew Barrymore (MSC Cruises), Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt (Meta/Ray-Ban), and Matthew McConaughey pulling double duty and appearing in ads for both Salesforce and Uber Eats. Michelob Ultra, which saw a top ranking from the panel, featured Willem Dafoe and Catherine O'Hara. 'Michelob Ultra saw a strong use of celebrity in what was a classic Super Bowl beer ad,' noted Rucker. Several candy and snack brands made appearances tonight, including Reese's, Pringle's, Doritos and Ferrara's Nerds, the latter of which made its second consecutive Super Bowl appearance spotlighting the Nerds Gummy Cluster. Lay's also aired a heartwarming ad featuring a little girl nurturing a potato plant. After Coca-Cola's AI-generated holiday ad sparked discussion in December, there was speculation among viewers and the panel that advertisers might rely on artificial intelligence for their Super Bowl spots. While AI-generated art wasn't overtly apparent this year, there was a noticeable increase in ads that promoted AI tools. Salesforce promoted their Agentforce AI platform while made its Super Bowl debut with a 60-second spot promoting ChatGPT. Meta also ran two commercials demonstrating usage of its AI glasses, a collaboration with Ray-Ban, while GoDaddy returned to the Super Bowl after eight years to debut GoDaddy Airo, its AI-powered platform for entrepreneurs. 'There was a lot of excitement for to run its first Super Bowl ad, but our panel was left wondering what the goal was, and it came across as lackluster,' said Rucker. The Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review uses an academic framework known as ADPLAN to evaluate the strategic effectiveness of Super Bowl spots. The acronym helps viewers grade ads based on Attention, Distinction, Positioning, Linkage, Amplification and Net Equity. This year marks the 21st anniversary of the experiential event which has become a longstanding and cherished tradition in the Kellogg marketing community. A full list of the rankings is available here.
The Hill
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
The 2025 Super Bowl commercials already catching attention
(NEXSTAR) — We're still a few hours out from Super Bowl LIX, but the commercials set to air between the action are already catching attention. More than 120 million viewers are expected to tune in to the game Sunday and companies are paying top-dollar to make sure their brand is seen by the millions of watching eyes. Demand for ad space was robust this year, said Mark Evans, executive vice president of ad sales for Fox Sports, with ad space selling out in November and a waitlist for marketers ready to take the space of anyone who pulled out. Who is singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl? The high demand seems to have pushed prices to a record, with a few ad spots reportedly selling for a record $8 million and even $8 million-plus for 30 seconds. Fox declined to comment on the specific price tag for 30 seconds, which can vary depending on placement and other factors. But in an earnings call in November, CEO Lachlan Murdoch said ad space had sold out at 'record pricing.' Last year, a 30-second spot went for around a reported $7 million. Even the Secret Service is reportedly getting in on the advertising action. CNN reported the agency will be airing a recruitment ad during the Super Bowl. Despite those hefty price tags, some companies released their ads well before the game kicked off. Here are some of the most talked about commercials from this year's Super Bowl. Vehicles Ram While automakers are mainly sitting out of the Super Bowl commercial game this year, Ram turned to actor Glenn Powell for a Goldilocks — sorry, 'rugged, woodsy dude' take on its trucks. You can watch the fairytale-ish commercial here. Entertainment Disney Unlike Ram's fairytale-like ad, Disney is inviting viewers to imagine a world without its magical stories and characters in its Super Bowl LIX commercial, seen here. Featuring beloved animated features, storied franchises, award-winning shows, and its live sports offering via Disney family member ESPN, the commercial first questions you about the 'what ifs' before reminding you these shows, films, and sports can be viewed on Disney's streaming services. Beer Budweiser The beer brand is once again relying on its beloved Clydesdales for its Big Game ad spot. This year, an ambitious foal makes its 'first delivery.' You can see the ad before the Super Bowl by clicking here. Michelob Ultra Another brand under the Anheuser-Busch umbrella tapped Willem Dafoe and Catherine O'Hara for its commercial. The beloved actors play pickleball hustlers in this spot. While you may be familiar with the sport that has been sweeping the nation, Dafoe told the Associated Press that he was unfamiliar with 'this phenomenon of pickleball' until this job. You can see 'The ULTRA Hustle' here. Stella Artois David Beckham has long been the face of Stella Artois, but it turns out someone else may have his face — at least according to the ad. The teaser features Beckham learning from his parents (not his actual parents) that he has a twin, named Other David, that he never knew about. You'll have to wait until Super Bowl Sunday to meet Other David, but you can watch the teaser now by clicking here. Bud Light Sticking with the beer commercials for a moment, you can catch comedian Shane Gillis, singer Post Malone, and hall of fame quarterback Peyton Manning serving as the 'Big Men on Cul-de-Sac.' We can't launch a Bud Light into your kitchen (spoiler alert), but we can direct you to the ad, seen here. Coors Light OK, one more beer commercial won't hurt, right? Playing into its promotional gaffe and temporary name change, Coors Light is using its Super Bowl ad spot to highlight how viewers will likely feel on the Monday after the big game. See it here. Food Hellmann's When Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal starred in 'When Harry Met Sally' in 1989, they likely didn't think it would be Hellmann's mayonnaise that would reunite them in 2025. They may, however, have been able to guess a certain scene in a deli would come back to haunt (or maybe highlight?) them again. You can see that commercial here — but maybe make sure you're wearing headphones first, if you're in public. Häagen-Dazs 'Fast and Furious' fans may enjoy Häagen-Dazs' Super Bowl commercial, featuring Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and Ludacris. You can see the 'not so fast' ad here. Nerds The small, rainbow-colored candies are taking on the Big Game with a New Orleans-inspired ad featuring singer Shaboozey, well-known for his chart-topping song 'A Bar Song (Tipsy).' It's not that song that Shaboozey performs during the commercial — instead, he sings a bit of 'What a Wonderful World' by New Orleans native Louis Armstrong. You can see the ad here. Ritz Two of the saltiest actors you may know, Aubrey Plaza and Michael Shannon, seem to break the salty mold after enjoying some buttery, salty Ritz crackers at the Salty Club, located on the Salt Flats of Utah. They're joined by the seemingly unsalty music artist Bad Bunny for the Ritz Super Bowl commercial, seen here. Oikos Yogurt Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns (the team he has since requested a trade from) may have missed out on the Big Game this year, but he didn't miss his chance to star in a commercial. He was joined by actor Juno Temple, well-known for her role in 'Ted Lasso,' in an Oikos Yogurt ad that you can watch here. Taco Bell In another apparent teaser, rapper Doja Cat photobombs a drive-thru camera at a Taco Bell, only to be immediately scolded for it. According to the ad, the full Super Bowl commercial will feature actual photos from actual Taco Bell drive-thru cameras — so if you've been through one recently, you may want to tune in to the game on Sunday. Until then, you can catch the teaser released by Taco Bell in the video player below. Little Caesars The 'pizza pizza' chain tapped actor Eugene Levy — or maybe more appropriately, his eyebrows — for a spot teasing their Crazy Puffs. You'll even catch a cameo by his daughter, Sarah Levy, when you watch the ad, seen here. Pringles They're not Eugene Levy's eyebrows, but there is some facial hair featured in this commercial from Pringles. In it, actor Adam Brody blows into an empty can of Pringles, calling some famous mustaches — those belonging to actor Nick Offerman, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, L.A. Clippers' James Harden, and Mr. Potato Head — to a Pringles-less party. Totinos Pizza Rolls You know them from 'Detroiters' and 'I Think You Should Leave,' but now you'll recognize Sam Richardson and Tim Robinson from the Super Bowl commercial in which a pizza rolls-holding alien dies. You can see that strange moment here. Tech Uber Eats While it doesn't appear that we have the full commercial yet, Uber Eats has dropped a worthwhile 30-second clip of what is sure to be a talked-about ad. In it, Martha Stewart and Charli XCX take on a new social media trend in which 'we listen and we don't judge' — you can watch the ad here and then be the judge of its viral-ness. Meta A trio of Chrises — Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth, and Kris Jenner — have teamed up for a Ray-Ban Meta AI-powered glasses ad in which they're all wearing said glasses. Pratt observes the now-iconic duct tape banana, which Hemsworth then eats, ultimately prompting a scolding from Jenner. You can see the ad, regardless of whether you're wearing Ray-Ban Meta AI-powered glasses, here. Serious messages Dove The spot, highlights the problem of low body confidence in young girls, depicts a young girl running down the sidewalk to H.E.R.'s version of 'Born to Run.' You can see it here. Foundation to Combat Antisemitism Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady appear in the ad, trading reasons why people hate each other in an effort to combat hate speech. This is the second year the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, founded by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, has run a Super Bowl ad, which you can watch here. Hims & Hers The Hims & Hers company, Telehealth, is debuting its first Super Bowl ad, which highlights the obesity epidemic and says weight loss drugs should be more affordable. You can see it here. Novartis Also running its first Big Game ad is Novartis, tapping actors Wanda Sykes and Hailee Steinfeld (who is engaged to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen) for a commercial focusing on breast cancer awareness. You can watch a teaser here. Pfizer Featuring a young boy apparently geared up to knock out cancer, Pfizer will air a commercial highlighting its efforts to fight for eight cancer breakthroughs by 2030. You can see the full ad here. How much is the Super Bowl bonus pay? Here's what winning (and losing) players make There are also some nonexistent ads that have caught attention. State Farm pulled out of its planned advertising to focus on the devastating California wildfires. Another traditionally big category for the Super Bowl, automakers, are mainly sitting it out after a tough year in the sector, with only Stellantis' Jeep and Ram brands having announced an appearance. Dunkin' has secured the first ad spot after kickoff but is staying mum on details other than teasing that it will star Ben and Casey Affleck and Jeremy Strong. Canned water company Liquid Death will advertise for the first time with an ad created in-house. Duracell has teased that its ad will feature a 'Duracell Scientist' but hasn't given any other details.
Washington Post
08-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Michelob ULTRA: ‘The ULTRA Hustle'
Arts & Entertainments Michelob ULTRA: 'The ULTRA Hustle' | Super Bowl 2025 February 8, 2025 | 3:36 AM GMT Catherine O'Hara and Willem Dafoe are surprisingly good at pickleball in this 2025 Super Bowl ad.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Willem Dafoe, Catherine O'Hara are pickleball hustlers in Michelob Ultra Super Bowl commercial
LOS ANGELES — Excuse Willem Dafoe, the Academy Award-nominated actor, if he hadn't heard of pickleball prior to his latest project. "I guess I live under a rock," the actor, 69, deadpanned to USA TODAY on the set of a new Super Bowl commercial for Michelob ULTRA that he and his "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice" castmate Catherine O'Hara star in. "When this was proposed to me I said, 'What the hell's pickleball? Really?' I didn't know. And it's fabulous." O'Hara, an Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress, came on to the set with a little more experience. She played once. "I just found it really difficult," the actress, 70, said after joking that her husband Bo Welch wouldn't let her get to a ball because of how competitive he is. "But (filming this commercial) is making it somehow seem easier." Competition, with the prize of an ULTRA, is the name of the Anheuser-Busch brand's latest game. In "The ULTRA Hustle," Dafoe and O'Hara hustle unsuspecting pickleball players for the low-calorie beer. Principal photography with the actors took place over two days in Southern California last November. The "hustlers" rack up accolades and beverages as they lob and drive past the likes of Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss, WNBA champion Sabrina Ionescu and Olympic shot put gold medalist Ryan Crouser. The commercial's "Play for an ULTRA" theme is a platform-setter for the brand's future campaigns. "'Play for an ULTRA' is incredibly consistent with the DNA of the brand," explained Ricardo Marques, senior vice president of marketing. "It goes back to this idea of championing a social and active lifestyle. This is not only a Super Bowl campaign, this is a brand platform that will set the stage for us for the next few months and maybe the next couple of years." Michelob ULTRA Zero, a non-alcoholic beer, also makes a cameo in the ad and will be featured during Fox's broadcast of Super Bowl 59. "The Super Bowl is a more than a sports moment, it's a cultural moment," Marques said. "When you create a spot, when you take the Super Bowl stage, you need to think about this opportunity to really engage with everybody from all walks of life across different age groups, different parts of the country. "I think this spot will do incredibly well, because there's something for everybody. If you're not a pickleball fan, I'm sure you'll be engaged with the story. And Willem and Catherine are just incredible pros and they did a fantastic job on set as well." In 2024, USA Pickleball, the sport's governing body in the U.S., heralded the game as America's fastest growing sport for the fourth consecutive year. Marques called it a "cultural phenomenon" that spanned different demographics, which made it appealing to be featured in the Super Bowl campaign. The brand's last three Big Game spots have used bowling, golf and beach soccer respectively for the storylines. Like "The ULTRA Hustle," the commercials also featured friendly competition and an ensemble cast. "It helps us with creative voltage," Marques said of the casting, which he believes goes hand-in-hand with the commercial's storyline. "All of that put together gives us the playbook to engage with this amazing audience." O'Hara and Dafoe are no strangers to the Super Bowl playbook of brands. The "Schitt's Creek" star appeared alongside her castmate from the TV show, Eugene Levy, in a 2022 Nissan commercial that ranked in USA TODAY Ad Meter's top 15 that year. As for Dafoe, he's been in commercials for Mercedes-Benz (2013) and Snickers (2016), both which landed on Ad Meter's top 20 in their respective years. "I brag to people that I'm doing a Super Bowl commercial," O'Hara said. "It's like, 'Oh, I've made it.'" "The concept made me laugh when it was pitched me, so I thought, 'I'd love to do this,' Dafoe recalled. "That's even before I knew what pickleball was. Then I fell in love with pickleball and we're off the races." Both actors love that they're a part of something that aims to, if nothing else, make people laugh. "Anytime you laugh at something, you loosen up and you're not protecting so much your position and you're considering the other person's position," Dafoe remarked. "So anytime that happens, that's good." "It's a beautiful gift to be able to laugh, and especially to laugh at yourself, which is hard," O'Hara added. "And this ad is funny." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Super Bowl commercials 2025: Willem Defoe, Catherine O'Hara for Michelob
CNN
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Catherine O'Hara on pickleball, Super Bowl commercials and colorful fan encounters
Yes, Catherine O'Hara can play pickleball and she does enjoy an occasional beer. That helps to explain why she looks so natural in a new Super Bowl commercial for Michelob Ultra. In it, the Emmy winner costars with Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe. Titled 'The ULTRA Hustle,' the pair take on comers - professional and otherwise - on the pickleball court in a quest for Michelobs. And while O'Hara has been in a Super Bowl commercial before, it was a brief appearance in a Nissan ad in 2022. The new commercial called for a bit more work. It also unlocked a talent for pickleball, she said. 'Everyone was so kind, and the director was so encouraging and great,' O'Hara said. 'So you immediately think, 'Yeah, wait a minute, I'm good. I know what I'm doing.'' She also enjoyed working with Dafoe. 'It was really fun to play this with Willem,' the 'Schitt's Creek' star said. 'He was very collaborative. Willem is loose and funny. He's played so many amazing serious roles, but doesn't take himself seriously.' Nor does O'Hara. Her comedy chops are legendary with roles from 'Beetlejuice' to 'Home Alone' and so much more. The 1990 'Home Alone' film, in which she plays the mother of a little boy (played by then-child star Macaulay Culkin) is especially beloved. O'Hara has a theory as to why. 'It's just an everlastingly great story,' she said. 'And so beautifully executed.' The movie, she said, continues to resonate with audiences of all ages. 'So many times, children come up to me and say 'Why would you do that to your child?,'' she said. ''Why would you lose your child?'' Not all of her fan encounters are quite as G-rated, however. She recalled one memorable conversation with a couple in a Trader Joe's grocery store in Los Angles. 'They kept saying 'You don't remember us, do you? I go, 'I'm sorry. No. Did I work with you?' It went on and on and they they had this look in their eyes like, come on, you remember,'' O'Hara said, trying not to laugh. 'And finally they told me it was from Sex Positive, an LA sex club! I know I haven't been there, I'm not a member, but whoever is my doppelganger obviously knows what they're doing. This couple had some fond memories, but it wasn't me.' As for the Super Bowl, her husband is a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan so she's rolling with them in solidarity though O'Hara admits that she's not as much of a diehard fan. So what is she looking forward to seeing on the big day? The same as many other viewers. 'I think half the people that watch it are watching for the commercials,' O'Hara said. 'I'm honored to be in one.'
