Super Bowl 2022 Ad Preview
'Tis the season for brands to introduce and release their Super Bowl LVI advertisements ahead of the National Football League's Feb. 13 Big Game. Here's a preview of what to expect this year.
Anheuser-Busch's Michelob Ultra released a series of three Super Bowl commercials (view one here) that hark back to the brand's "It's Only Worth It if You Enjoy It" belief and leverage the star power of major athletes including tennis icon Serena Williams, former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and soccer star Alex Morgan, among others. Slated to air during the Super Bowl, the spots take place in a fictitious, vintage bowling alley known as the "Superior Bowl" where the athletes engage in a friendly competition. In addition to the ads, the beer brand will also run a live broadcast integration with Serena Williams who will be wearing a limited-edition Superior Bowl bomber jacket from the brand's Spare Clothes collection launching Feb. 13.
Molson Coors' Miller Lite is tapping into the metaverse for its Super Bowl efforts this year, partnering with metaverse company Decentraland to bring a virtual bar to patrons during the game. The "Meta Lite Bar" will be the only place where people (21+) can view Miller Lite's ad that will run adjacent to the sporting event. The bar "opened" on Feb. 7 ahead of the game, inviting metaverse visitors to use augmented and virtual reality technology to digitally engage with each other and their surroundings, with crossovers into the physical world. There will also be hall of fame rewards for select patrons and a "Virtual Cheers for Real Beers" promotional giveaway. Users who pour a beer from the golden bar tap can follow the prompt to instantly learn if they won. From Feb. 7 to Feb. 13, Miller says an average of 10 virtual patrons daily will win $500 in cash.
Unilever's Hellman's tapped former NFL linebacker turned professional coach Jerod Mayo to drive awareness around food waste at home in its new campaign led by a Super Bowl ad. In an effort to educate and inspire people to take action and "make taste, not waste," Hellmann's and Mayo introduce the "Mayo x Mayo" food waste tackling team in the ad spot, which also pays homage to the office linebacker character known as "Terry Tate," embodied by actor, director and former football pro Lester Speight, as portrayed in a previously released short film and commercial video series titled "Terry Tate: Office Linebacker." Comedian and actor Pete Davidson, along with his mom Amy Davidson, also make an appearance in the ad.
Unilever's Ben & Jerry's is using the hype surrounding this year's Super Bowl to double down on its social justice awareness efforts by again teaming up with former NFL pro and activist Colin Kaepernick and his Know Your Rights camp for a billboard campaign in Los Angeles in the days leading up to the game. The campaign's signs asks state and local governments to invest in programs and services that address the root causes of social harm rather than in policing and prisons.
In addition to its Super Bowl halftime show sponsorship, PepsiCo teamed up Verizon this year to introduce the "Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show Ultra Pass powered by Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband." The collaboration offers an immersive, mobile experience that will run in tandem with the 12-minute halftime show, bringing fans into the SoFi Stadium virtually as the show unfolds in real-time as if they were standing directly on the field or the stage. The experience is exclusively accessible through the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show app.
