The Drum’s Super Bowl LVI ad scoreboard: Lindsay Lohan headlines Planet Fitness effort

Suiting up:

Amazon Prime Video

Prime Video has announced it will air a Super Bowl ad this year to promote Thursday Night Football, which is slated to move from Fox to Prime Video beginning in September. The move represents the NFL’s first exclusive national broadcast contract with a streaming provider. As part of Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football programming, Prime Video has announced that it also plans to host pregame, halftime and post-game shows. It will also offer new interactive viewing features yet to be disclosed. The Super Bowl LVI spot was created in tandem with Wieden+Kennedy and features real fans. It follows up the brand’s 2021 stunt, a promo for “Coming 2 America” starring Eddie Murphy.

Anheuser-Busch

Beer behemoth Anheuser-Busch, which owns Budweiser, Michelob, Busch, Shock Top and other top beer brands, returns to Super Bowl LVI this year after renewing its contract with the NFL in a multi-year extension signed in December. In a statement, both the NFL and Anheuser-Busch indicated that the new contract “will include many new opportunities for the Anheuser-Busch brands, led by Bud Light, that will continue growing excitement among NFL fans.”

Avocados from Mexico

After a hiatus last year following a six-year participation streak, Avocados from Mexico is back to the big game. It has released a teaser for its spot, which sees comedy icon Andy Richter preparing to play Caesar. In full garb, Richter looks into his dressing room mirror and tries to hype himself up for the part. The spot also debuts the brand’s new messaging platform “Addvocados,” which endorses the idea that the smooth green fruit (yes, avocados are a fruit) enhances any dish. Amidst all the action, the brand has also launched ‘House of Goodness,’ an immersive digital experience hosted by ex-NFLer Drew Brees. Avocados from Mexico has also rolled out in-store QR codes that direct shoppers to the brand’s website and also announced a new partnership with MikMak, a firm that helps brands accelerate their e-commerce capabilities. The brand, which according to data from Hass Avocado Board is responsible for 95% of avocado sales in the US, has for many years hinged its growth on Super Bowl retail surges.

BIC

BIC lighters is advertising at this year's big game with the dynamic duo that is Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart. In the spot, the rapper makes his way through a cloud of smoke. "Yo Martha, I didn’t know you was into this!” Stewart lifts the lid of her grill, replying, "You mean smoking a turkey?" She then offers a glowing endorsement of using a BIC EZ Reach lighter. The spot ends with Snoop suggesting that they both use the lighter for partaking in their favorite activities. The pair have appeared in BIC ads together in the past, the most recently being a May 2021 spot in which they shared a 'bowl' of strawberries and fondue together. The two will also team up to host Animal Planet's annual Puppy Bowl for the second year in a row. The 80 year-old and 50 year-old will also reportedly 'coach' some of the pups partaking in the match.

BMW

BMW is back this year with a campaign headlined by A-listers Arnold Schwarzenegger and Salma Hayek Pinault, who respectively star as the Greek god and goddess Zeus and Hera. The brand on February 2 released a 30-second teaser for the ad, which promotes a new fully-electric model yet to be revealed. The teaser follows a January 27 Instagram post by Schwarzenegger that left fans wondering if they could expect a new Zeus-focused blockbuster in February. The ad campaign was developed with the help of creatives at AOR Goodby Silverstein & Partners.

Booking.com

As part of its larger strategy to entice traveling following pandemic blues, Booking.com has purchased a 30-second spot in this year’s game. The brand is likely feeling the pressure as the category grows increasingly cutthroat; competitor Expedia will also have a Super Bowl presence.

Bud Light Seltzer

Bud Light on February 1 unveiled its Super Bowl LVI spot, starring none other than celebrity chef and meme inspiration Guy Fieri. The minute-long spot sees party-goers transported to a magical place dubbed the Land of Loud Flavors, which is naturally teeming with diners, drive-ins and dives. And according to the beer brand, it’s the obvious home for the boldly flavored Bud Light Seltzer Hard Soda. As part of the campaign, Bud Light Seltzer and Guy Fieri are giving fans a chance to see their name in lights at Super Bowl LVI. Through February 8, fans are invited to enter the ‘Get Your Name in the Big Game’ sweepstakes by posting on social media and using the hashtags #LandofLoudFlavors and #Sweepstakes.

Budweiser

Budweiser has unveiled its full-length Super Bowl spot, after dropping two separate teasers within the last two weeks. Titled ‘A Clydesdale’s Journey’, the ad follows the story of the brand’s iconic mascot recovering after a devastating injury. The brand said in a statement that the ad, directed by Academy Award-winner and Nomadland director Chloé Zhao, is meant to embody “the continued resilience of the people of America.” The implications of the country’s ongoing recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic are apparent. The brand also said Zhao’s signature gritty style sets a new visual tone for the brand that will feature “a more bold and raw aesthetic.” The brewer, a longtime staple at the big game, returns after it sat out last year — choosing to spend its ad dollars on Covid vaccine awareness and access instead — after an unbroken 37-year run.

Busch Light

AB InBev-owned Busch Light will make a Super Bowl appearance with Grammy-winning saxophone musician Kenny G. The spot, unveiled January 31, serves as a nod to Busch’s marketing origins by recycling “Head for the Mountains," a number that originally accompanied a Busch ad from over 40 years ago. The Super Bowl spot tops of a historic year of sales for the beer brand. David Steinman, vice president and executive director at Beer Marketer’s Insights, told The Drum: “Busch Light is outperforming every single low-end brand. AB is keeping Busch Light high on its priority list.”

Caesars

Sports betting brand Caesars Sportsbook, part of Caesars Entertainment — which includes a network of hotels and casinos — plans to run a 30-second spot in the first half of Super Bowl LVI. It will star Halle Berry, JB Smoove and Peyton, Eli, Archie and Cooper Manning. Caesars is the NFL's exclusive casino sponsor.

Expedia

Expedia Group – which owns Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotels.com, Hotwire and other travel brands – is also going all-in on the February 13 event. It not only secured a mid-game spot to promote its booking site Expedia, but also plans to advertise its Airbnb challenger Vrbo in a pre-game spot. Expedia on February 2 debuted a behind-the-scenes teaser starring Ewan McGregor, who endorses the magic of travel in recounting his memories of traveling from Scotland to France with his parents. “This is really just a vote of confidence in the travel category coming back,” Jon Gieselman, Expedia Brands president, told The Wall Street Journal earlier this month. Alongside the ad, the travel brand will incentivize new sign-ups by offering exclusive mid-game giveaways of travel points for Expedia members. The campaign was developed with help from Anomaly.

DraftKings

2022 marks the second consecutive year that sports betting and fantasy sports platform DraftKings will partake in the Super Bowl. The spot will air mere weeks after New York became the 18th state to legalize online sports betting.

Frito-Lay

Snack giant Frito-Lay is going big on this year’s big game. To kick things off, Frito-Lay partnered up with its parent company PepsiCo to launch a cheeky spot titled ‘Road to Super Bowl LVI’ starring Peyton and Eli Manning, Terry Bradshaw, Jerome ‘The Bus’ Bettis and Victor Cruz. The spot, which aims to position a smattering of popular PepsiCo and Frito-Lay products as Super Bowl party necessities, will run from mid-January through Super Bowl Sunday. A handful of Frito-Lay brands, including Doritos and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, will have their own mid-game ads.

Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Doritos

Frito-Lay has tapped rapper and internet queen Megan Thee Stallion to serve as the face of its Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Doritos Super Bowl spot. On January 19 the brand dropped one of three teasers for the ad; in it, Megan arrives at her Super Bowl photo shoot munching on a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. To prepare her, a handler checks to make sure she has no allergies to sloths or water buffaloes, and that she’s comfortable working with crocodiles. “A croc-a-what?” exclaims the rapper. The spot closes with the tagline: ‘Unleash your Flamin’ Hot.’ The spot comes on the tails of a recent portfolio expansion; Frito-Lay debuted its new Doritos Flamin’ Hot Cool Ranch last month.

After releasing three separate teasers for its campaign, Frito-Lay’s Flamin’ Hot label on February 1 dropped its full-length 60-second Super Bowl spot that features the vocal stylings of Megan Thee Stallion and beatboxing by Charlie Puth. Created in tandem with Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and directed by Tom Kuntz, the spot sees a cast of curious animals — from sloths and deer to water buffaloes and bears get their paws (and hooves and feet) on Flamin’ Hot Doritos and Cheetos. Their surprise and delight is magnified by Megan The Stallion’s and Charlie Puth’s rendition of Salt-N-Pepa’s 80s hit ‘Push It.’ 2022 will be the first year that Flamin’ Hot will have its own in-game spot featuring both its Cheetos and Doritos products. The spot is meant to create hype around the recently released Doritos Flamin’ Hot Cool Ranch flavor.

Lay’s

Frito-Lay mainstay Lay’s is making its grand return to gameday screens after 17 years. To usher in its big return, the brand has tapped Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd. Following the release of two seperate teasers, Lay's unveiled the full-length spot on February 2. Made in partnership with creatives at Highdive, the ad sees the two stars munching on Lay's and reminiscing on their favorite memories together — which include everything from a road trip to a kidnapping — as Rogen prepares to tie the knot. Rogen developed the script alongside his creative partner Evan Goldberg. The snack aisle staple brand also recently debuted its limited-edition potato chip made with potatoes grown in soil extracted from NFL stadiums for super fans and the superstitious alike.

Kia

Kia America has secured a 60-second spot in this year’s big game to promote its all-electric Kia EV6. The ad, released February 4 following a teaser, features an adorable robotic puppy who, upon seeing a man charge his EV6, feels he’s found his ideal human buddy and follows him relentlessly until he makes it into the man’s life — and car. Super Bowl LVI will mark the brand’s 13th big game appearance, a number of which have focused on the company’s various ‘Accelerate the Good’ philanthropic ventures, including the ‘Great Unknowns Scholarship’ program, which funded educational assistance for students in need, and the ‘Yards for Homelessness’ project that offers resources for US youth experiencing homelessness. This year’s ad was created in partnership with El Segundo, California-based branding agency David&Goliath.

General Motors

American automaker GM is returning for its third consecutive Super Bowl, following a third quarter that saw the company’s revenues top analysts’ projections. GM could be in an especially favorable position at February’s event considering that competitors Audi and Hyundai – both of which have been regular Super Bowl advertisers – have opted to sit on the sidelines this year. Nissan and Toyota, however, will make appearances.

Gillette

Procter & Gamble razor brand Gillette is returning to the big game after a 16 year dry spell. The brand is making a comeback to promote its new GilletteLabs with Exfoliating Bar. The brand will air a 30-second spot that aims to stress the simplicity and speed of using the razor. Featuring the tagline ’A quick and easy shave,’ the spot was created in partnership with creatives at Grey Advertising. The campaign will be augmented with various activations in Los Angeles throughout Super Bowl weekend, including a branded roller skating event that suggests shaving with the GilletteLabs with Exfoliating Bar is as smooth as gliding across the roller disco floor.

Google

Google is returning to the Super Bowl after sitting out last year’s event, per reports from Ad Age. The tech titan has yet to share details of its plans. In 2020, the company ran a tearjerker that promoted the company’s digital search and Google Assistant capabilities through the story of an elderly man trying to ensure he doesn’t forget his long-time partner.

Hellmann's

Unilever's condiment brand Hellman's is back for its second consecutive year with a spot created by WPP-owned Wunderman Thompson. The ad stars New England Patriots linebacker coach and former NFL star Jerod Mayo, who is tapped by the fictional Terry Tate — the iconic 'Office Linebacker' character from early-2000s Reebok ads, played by former NFLer Lester Speight — to tackle the challenge of combatting food waste. Unilever suggests that 40% of all food waste occurs within households and that major food events like the Super Bowl exacerbate the problem. At the same time, Hellmann's is likely to continue to see sales surge, thanks to pandemic-related upticks in condiment consumption.

Meta

Following its major rebrand that has come with not only a new name but a new vision for the future of the company, Meta (formerly Facebook) has announced it will return to the big game after a hiatus last year. The tech giant on February 2 debuted a teaser for its ad, which spotlights the Meta Quest 2 virtual reality headset. It will not only air an ad during the first quarter of the big game, but also plans to run a full version of the teaser, “Old Friends, New Fun” on ABC’s Good Morning America ahead of the event on February 10. The brand worked with Anomaly to bring the spot to life. Increasing ad spend may help improve brand image on the tails of a post-rebrand stock spike that has since fizzled.

Monday.com

Cloud work management software company monday.com on January 25 announced it would be participating in Super Bowl LVI. monday.com teamed up with content agency Mustache to develop the spot. It released a behind-the-scenes teaser for the ad across its social platforms, explaining that it took two directors, five scripts and 95 crew members, 10 stunt performers and much more to bring the concept to life. The whole project was of course created and managed through monday.com. It’s a step up from the brand’s first ad, which, run in 2018, had about a $50 budget. NFL The NFL will advertise during its own event this year. Though it’s unclear what the spot will look like, the brand has in recent years focused on boosting fan engagement and improving its brand image through tactics focused on connecting real players with consumers in fun, accessible ways through various media and fashion activations. Nissan

Japanese automaker Nissan returns to this year’s game for the first time since 2015. The brand has released its 60-second spot entitled ‘Thrill Driver’, an action flick-inspired film featuring A-listers Eugene Levy, Brie Larson, Danai Gurira and Dave Bautista. The ad, developed in partnership with TBWA/Chiat/Day, promotes both the new Ariya, an electric crossover, and the 2023 Nissan Z. The brand’s US chief marketer Allyson Witherspoon told Ad Age in December, “Super Bowl isn’t something that we always do… but it is something we felt was important for this year. We have one of the freshest lineups in the industry and so we want… an opportunity on a platform such as Super Bowl to show what we have been up to as a brand.” Oikos

Greek yogurt brand Oikos is back for its third consecutive big game. The ad, released February 2, stars father-and-son duo Deion ‘Prime Time’ Sanders and Shedeur Sanders. The two go head-to-head in a domestic chore competition, taking on raking, wood-chopping and car maintenance while trying to out-manpower one another. The brand positions its sugar- and fat-free Oikos Triple Zero and Oikos Pro as healthy snacks that go well with high-intensity labor and exercise — even if they can’t promise Herculean strength. The yogurt brand is also launching a sweepstakes in which consumers can win a limited-edition Strong Bowl, billed as a “​first-of-its-kind super heavy bowl that holds your Oikos product and doubles as a 15lb weight — so you can get some reps in before the coin toss and chip dip.” Pepsi

Pepsi is the Super Bowl LVI halftime show sponsor. The brand is promoting the show, starring Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, through its new Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show mobile app, which includes sweepstakes opportunities, behind-the-scenes content, creative drops, augmented reality (AR) features and unique digital experiences leading up to the show. Pepsi has yet to reveal which of its brands will appear in TV spots during the telecast. In a statement shared with The Drum, however, the company asserted that 90% of households “will be enjoying snacks and beverages together on Super Bowl Sunday,” indicating that it understands the valuable opportunities presented for its brands. Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness’ Super Bowl LVI spot pokes fun at Lindsay Lohan’s spotted past, daring to ask, “What’s gotten into Lindsay Lohan?” The ad, created in partnership with Le Truc and AOR Publicis New York, features the star herself. It depicts the actress feeling the positive effects of a newly active lifestyle: she’s trading nightclubs for good sleep and DUIs for DIY projects. Planet Fitness is this year celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Pringles

Kellogg’s Pringles will make a Super Bowl appearance for its fifth straight year with a 30-second spot developed in conjunction with creatives at WPP’s New York-based Grey Group. The brand’s 2021 spot tapped into hype around aliens, SpaceX, Blue Origin and a renewed cultural interest in space – mere months before the US government revealed it has long-standing evidence of UFOs – with a lighthearted tale of aerospace engineers getting distracted from important missions by the joy of stacking different flavors of Pringles to create new combos.

Salesforce

Web software company Salesforce has a new brand partner and advisor: actor Matthew McConaughey. On February 4 the brand launched its new global ad campaign ‘#TeamEarth’. In a statement, the brand said the campaign “aims to inspire businesses and individuals to help build a more fair, equal, and sustainable future.” It kicked off the campaign with a TV spot starring McConaughey that will air during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. The ad will also appear during Super Bowl LVI.

Squarespace

Squarespace in 2022 will continue its tradition of advertising at the big game— it has made an appearance each year since 2014, with the exception of 2019. On February 3, the brand unveiled a 10-second teaser for the spot, headlined by Euphoria star Zendaya, cast in a mermaid-like look. The teaser features the tagline: “Everything to sell anything,” which then transforms to read: “Everything to shell anything.” This year’s spot is the brand’s first creative to come out of its new Los Angeles office.

Taco Bell

Fast food chain Taco Bell will make an appearance at Super Bowl LVI; it will be the brand’s first such effort in five years. Created in conjunction with Deutsch LA, the spot aims to put a fresh spin on the brand’s Live Más slogan, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary. It will star rapper and pop artist Doja Cat. The announcement comes on the heels of a couple of major developments for the brand – the December appointment of ex-Nike exec Sean Tresvant as chief brand officer and the more recent rollout of the Taco Lover’s Pass, a $10-per-month taco subscription service. The brand’s Super Bowl spot could further fan the flames of brand love.

Toyota

Toyota has said it will return to the big game this year, though it has shared few details. The brand has in past years had a major presence at the event, airing two ads in 2015 and three ads in 2018. The brand last year ran a touching spot celebrating the story of Team Toyota athlete Jessica Long, a paralympic swimmer. Toyota, like other carmakers, has fared much better than Wall Street predicted in the last year or so (Q3 earnings indicate that topline revenue jumped over 7% year-on-year). Super Bowl exposure certainly won’t hamper this growth.

Telemundo

Telemundo has unveiled its Super Bowl LVI spot, a high-energy ad promoting the 2022 World Cup featuring iconic sports announcer Andres Cantor. In the spot, Cantor ignites a global wave of his signature “Goooooooooool” cry, with clips of everyone from soccer stars, yogis and choir singers to Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and the Despicable Me minions chiming in. The spot builds on the network’s 2018 Super Bowl ad featuring the same refrain. At this year’s big game, Telemundo and Universo will offer exclusive Spanish-language coverage ahead of the game, led by Emmy-winning sports anchor Miguel Gurwitz. The new ad was created by Telemundo’s in-house team.

TurboTax

Intuit-owned TurboTax returns in 2022 for its ninth Super Bowl in a row. In partnership with creatives at Wieden+Kennedy Portland, the brand will promote its tax-filing services ahead of Tax Day in April. But the spot won’t be the brand’s only presence during NFL playoffs this year; TurboTax Live is the lead sponsor of the playoff and postseason title games for both the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference.

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines will join a handful of other travel brands at Super Bowl LVI. The brand makes its appearance after two years off. Travel is set to make a major comeback in 2022 — recent Tripadvisor research indicates that this year’s travel numbers are likely to surpass those of pre-pandemic 2019. In anticipation of the boom, travel brands like Turkish Airlines are sure to be competing harder than ever for consumer dollars.

Uber Eats

Uber Eats has released a handful of rollicking teasers for its Super Bowl spot that sees stars including Gwyneth Paltrow, Trevor Noah and Jennifer Coolidge sampling inedible goods that were delivered alongside their foodstuffs. In one clip, Paltrow takes a bite out of a candle, declaring that it tastes “funny — not bad, but funny.” The campaign highlights Uber Eats’ transformation to food delivery service to, well, anything-you-might-need delivery service. The full spot was concepted in partnership with Special Group and was directed by Jake Szymanski, known for his work for SNL Digital Shorts and Funny or Die. The campaign will also encompass out-of-home elements including creative featuring the same A-listers as well as shopping bags emblazoned with the tagline “Uber Don’t Eats”.

Vrbo

Expedia Group-owned vacation rental platform Vrbo has unleased its 60-second Super Bowl LVI pregame spot, created in partnership with Wieden+Kennedy. Titled 'A Place For Together', the ad is a heartwarming display of the joys of gathering with loved ones and friends — set against Kermit the Frog's "Right Where I Belong" from The Muppets Take Manhattan. "When traveling with Vrbo, who you're with matters just as much as where you go," Hector Muelas, Expedia Group's senior vice-president of global creative, said in a statement. "Our definition of family isn't limited to people you're related to; it includes anyone you love spending time with."

Vroom

New York-based used car retailer and e-commerce platform Vroom is suiting up for its second year running. The brand on January 20 unveiled its Broadway-inspired spot, with choreography by La La Land choreographer Mandy Moore. In a statement shared with The Drum, a brand spokesperson said the spot is mean to "illustrate the rollercoaster of emotions that car sellers feel when they find a buyer on a peer-to-peer site who flakes on the transaction." The effort could help Vroom maintain its e-commerce momentum; in the third quarter of 2021, the company reported that e-commerce unit sales were up 123% year-on-year. WeatherTech Automotive equipment and accessories company WeatherTech is making its ninth appearance at the Super Bowl, and is following up its performance last year, when it ran two mid-game ads, with a new spot created in partnership with the full-service agency Pinnacle.

Newcomers to the big game:

Sam's Club

Grocery chain Sam’s Club will make its first foray into Super Bowl advertising this February with a playful spot starring Kevin Hart. Made in conjunction with VMLY&R with help from Hart’s company Laugh Out Loud Network, the ad depicts Hart shopping in Sam’s Club. Hart believes he’s receiving VIP treatment throughout the store — he mistakes an outdoor furniture staging as a VIP lounge and thinks he’s allowed to use the store’s Scan & Go option (rather than wait in the checkout line) because he’s a celebrity. Little does he know that Sam’s Club treats all its members like this. In a statement, the brand said “Kevin’s authenticity and humor made him the perfect fit for the warehouse retailer, who is continuing to experiment with new ways to reach members while highlighting the benefits of being part of the club.” The retailer has hinted at additional gameday VIP offers, but has yet to share details. Carvana

Popular online car marketplace Carvana is making its first foray in Super Bowl advertising this year. The 30-second spot plays on a concept many consumers can relate to: a chatty mom. The ad, called, “Oversharing Mom,” depicts a mother who won’t stop raving about her recent purchase of a Mini Cooper on Carvana. She extolls the customer service and ease of the whole ordeal — selling points that the brand is focused on promoting as competitive differentiators in the used car space. The brand is a direct competitor of another Super Bowl LVI advertiser: Vroom. ClickUp

Project management platform ClickUp has unveiled its first-ever Super Bowl spot, a mere three months after closing its Series C funding round, which raked in $400m. The new ad, created almost entirely by the brand's in-house team, is a rollicking reimagination of the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence. In it, a bumbling John Hancock seems to have misplaced the latest version of the document, to the great distress of all his colleagues. Luckily, "Tommy," a youthful, redheaded rendition of Thomas Jefferson has saved the task on ClickUp. When one of the Founding Fathers goes to sign with a feathered quill, Jefferson butts in: "No, no, no, no — just click!" The document is signed and the group rejoices. Crypto.com The popular cryptocurrency marketplace, which has witnessed incredible growth in the past year-plus, will make its Super Bowl debut this year. The move comes after the company shelled out $700m to rebrand the Staples Center the Crypto.com Arena and announced it will also sponsor the city’s new professional women’s soccer team the Angel City Football Club. FTX Another manifestation of the boom of crypto, Bahamian-based exchange FTX will run an ad at this year’s big game. Chief exec Sam Bankman-Fried said to Bloomberg: “There is no bigger, more mainstream event to share a message like that than the Super Bowl.” Bankman-Fried owns the title of the richest person in crypto today. Intuit QuickBooks Accounting software QuickBooks, which is owned by Intuit, plans to air an ad at Super Bowl LVI as part of its ongoing ‘Early Start’ campaign, which aims to shine a spotlight on the double-edged-sword nature of small business ownership and promote QuickBooks tools for new small businesses. Intuit predicts that this year more than 17m new small businesses will be launched, representing a much higher rate than has been seen in recent years. “Many of these new entrepreneurs will be watching the big game, and as they begin their journeys, we want to make sure we’re supporting them with the confidence to start and grow their business from day one with QuickBooks and [our recent acquisition] MailChimp,” Javier Martin, QuickBooks’ global brand development director, told The Drum. Intuit has previously run Super Bowl ads for its brand, but this will be QuickBooks’s first foray. The company will also put out a Super Bowl spot for another one of its brands, TurboTax. Rakuten

Rakuten Rewards, a US branch of Japanese e-commerce titan Rakuten, plans to join in on the fun with an ad that builds on Rakuten’s recent rebrand, including its new creative platform and slogan ‘We bring the Cha-ching.’ The brand’s vice-president of brand and creative Victoria McRae told The Drum that this concept offered the perfect foundation on which to build the campaign because it ties the feeling of getting cash back to winning or scoring a good deal. “What better place to share that emotion than at the Super Bowl?” A team of in-house creatives developed the spot, for which Rakuten Rewards unveiled a teaser, featuring Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham. In it, Waddingham is seen practicing her deliciously evil laugh in a dressing room mirror before experiencing a minor hiccup. Hologic In its first-ever consumer advertising effort, Hologic, a medical tech company focused primarily on improving women’s health, will run a 30-second spot during the first half of Super Bowl LVI. The spot, which was brought to life by CHÉ Creative and directed by popular commercial and music video director child., is meant to express that if the always-booked-and-busy Mary J. Blige can make time to get her annual women’s health screenings, then regular patients can, too. The brand told The Drum that Blige was the right spokesperson for the campaign because she has a track record of advocating for women’s health issues among Black women through the Black Women’s Health Imperative and with Hologic’s Project Health Equality program. The effort is part of Hologic’s broader Well-Woman campaign, which includes resources to help people learn about different types of diagnostic screenings for women. The initiative was developed after Hologic found in its proprietary research that nearly 50% of American women it surveyed did not get their annual health screenings in the last year. In addition to airing nationally during the game, the ad will run from February 13-20 in select local markets. Hologic also plans to advertise during the Winter Olympics in an effort to reach as wide a market as possible. Wallbox Barcelona-based electric vehicle (EV) charging brand Wallbox will this year make its Super Bowl debut, with the brand’s chief marketer Barbara Calixto telling Ad Age: “The US is going to be one of the largest markets for EVs in the coming years. We’re going to the Super Bowl because that’s where our consumers are. Any potential EV car buyer is a potential Wallbox buyer as well.” The company offers charging equipment for various private and public applications.

Sitting on the sidelines:

Chipotle Chipotle, the fast-casual chain that last year jumped on CBS’s reduced price tags on Super Bowl spots, will sit out this year’s big game, despite seeing strong growth during the pandemic (2021 third-quarter earnings indicate that revenue was up almost 22% year-on-year). Coca-Cola Coca-Cola announced that they will be punting on the game. After all, PepsiCo is blistering the airwaves and Interwebs with promos for its Pepsi half-time show. Other PepsiCo brands are likely to bask in the Super Bowl spotlight as well. Fiverr B2B brand Fiverr, which has invested a lot in recent advertising efforts, has decided to surpass opportunities presented by this year’s game. Last year, the company’s chief marketer Gail Arnon struck a different tune, telling The Drum in January: “We obviously want to be, and are aspiring to be, one of the biggest brands out there so the Super Bowl is the stage for us.” Hyundai Carmaker Hyundai will not air an ad during Super Bowl LVI, marking its second year out of the spotlight. Prior to last year, the brand had run ads in 12 of the previous 15 Super Bowls. Kraft Heinz In a similar vein as Hyundai, Kraft Heinz will sit out this year’s game for the second year running. The decision is a far cry from the brand’s previous strategy; in 2020, Heinz went all-in, running four unique spots at the same time in a split-screen mashup, while the company’s popular peanut brand Planters also aired a spot. Lexus Toyota-owned Lexus, which first made its Super Bowl debut 10 years ago, will sit out this year’s event. Mars Wrigley Candy giant Mars Wrigley, which owns brands including M&M’s, Skittles and Snickers, will pass up this year’s event, having previously participated in 12 consecutive Super Bowl games. Tide A surprising development considering the brand has in recent years established a notable presence at the event, Tide plans to sit on the sidelines in 2022. Last year, it garnered laughs with its wacky Jason Alexander hoodie spot.

Other noteworthy activations:

Animal Planet The network plans to offer a series of NFT trading cards to promote its annual Puppy Bowl event. The move adds to a growing wave of branded NFT offerings as crypto markets heat up. Twitter Twitter on January 31 called for fans to tweet their "wildest Super Bowl predictions" in six or fewer words. The social network says it will project select tweets on the roof of SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California during the game. The move adds to a pattern of Super Bowl activations for the brand; in 2020 and 2021, Twitter teamed up with NFL to drop confetti containing fans' tweets after the big game. State Farm

Instead of running a traditional in-game ad (few can forget Super Bowl LV’s ‘Drake From State Farm’ spot featuring the Canadian rapper alongside Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Paul Rudd), the insurance firm is launching a TikTok challenge. The #TeamStateFarm challenge sees the iconic brand voice Jake from State Farm play a talent scout on the lookout for TikTok’s best and brightest — to star in a commercial alongside him. In a campaign video, Jake invites users to use the platform’s ‘Duet’ feature to show him what they’ve got. Winners will have the opportunity to join a special meet and greet with Jake and will have their own role in an upcoming State Farm commercial.

Subway

Popular fast-casual franchise Subway has launched 'The Vault', an exclusive new menu featuring sandwiches created by top US athletes available only online and through the Subway app. Three of the new subs were created by NFLers Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and Trevor Lawrence. To turn up the excitement, Subway is offering fans the chance to enter the 'Subway Vault' at the Super Bowl Experience Presented by Lowe’s in Los Angeles and potentially win a sandwich signed by one of the three football superstars. “Our athlete partners are some of our most passionate Subway fans, so it was a natural fit to create a collection of their favorite sandwiches, and Super Bowl LVI is the ideal location to introduce these sandwiches and The Vault to our fans,” said Carrie Walsh, Subway's global chief marketing officer, in a statement.

Quaker

PepsiCo subsidiary Quaker is launching ‘Pregrain with Quaker Oats,’ a new campaign that puts oats at the heart of gameday celebrations. As part of the initiative, the brand is giving away limited-edition 6-packs of Quaker Oats to get football fans fed and fired up for the main event. Fans can enter to win the special edition oats by commenting on Quaker’s Instagram post, tagging a friend and adding the hashtags #QuakerPregrain and #Sweepstakes. 100 fans will win oats ahead of Super Bowl LVI.

Vita Coco

To help fans recover from their Super Bowl celebrations, Coconut water Vita Coco is launching its Hangover Shop on February 14, the day after the big game. Consumers can pick out hangover helpers and have items like Advil, DiGiorno frozen pizzas and, of course, Vita Coco delivered to their doorsteps in mere minutes. As a pilot program, the shop will be available on major food delivery platforms in New York City, Miami and Los Angeles. The activation is part of Vita Coco’s larger service The Hangover Subscription, which enables consumers to sign up for automatic coconut water deliveries ten days before all major holidays — including the Super Bowl. The brand has also announced a partnership with Lyft to help fans make it home safely after the big game. Riders can enter the discount code COCOMODE for $10 of their ride — and a playful map interface that displays available cars as coconuts — on February 13 and 14.

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