Super Bowl Ads: Seinfeld Reunion... Sort Of, Tebow Mocks Himself And More
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Super Bowl advertisers are finally seeing their efforts play out on the industry's biggest stage.
Here's a look at some highlights of tonight's Super Bowl ad action. Check back for updates throughout the night.
A SEINFELD REUNION...SORT OF
Sightings of "Seinfeld" actors filming in New York City this week sparked rumors of a reunion.
Now we know what it was all about: an ad for Jerry Seinfeld's show "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" on Crackle.
In the ad, George gripes that he wasn't invited to a Super Bowl party. After some prodding, Jerry tells him it's because he "over-cheered." After some more prodding, Jerry admits the real reason: it seems George "availed himself" in the bathroom of the host's master bedroom.
ABOUT THOSE HEINZ BOTTLES
If you're happy and you know it, slap that the back of that ketchup bottle.
A catchy ad by Heinz, but it's worth noting that the majority of Heinz ketchup bottles sold in the U.S. now come in plastic bottles, which were introduced in 1983.
The Pittsburgh-based company is still the country's No. 1 ketchup maker, with 60 percent of the market in North America, according to Euromonitor. Hunt's, made by ConAgra, is second.
NEW YORK CITY GETS A TUNE-UP
Halftime sponsor Pepsi got one of the sweetest ad spots of the night, with a 30-second lead-in to the show starring Bruno Mars.
PHOTOS: MARS AND RHCP ELECTRIFY METLIFE CROWD
The spot showed various New York City monuments at night being lit up and played like instruments — the Manhattan bridge is strummed like a guitar, Columbus Circle is spun like a record and the Guggenheim and famous Pepsi-Cola sign in Long Island City get played like drums.
MetLife stadium, where the game is being played, is turned like a dial, making the lights climb across the city's skyscrapers.
TIM TEBOW MAKES IT TO THE SUPER BOWL AFTER ALL
Tim Tebow may not be on the field, but he's still in the NFL spotlight.
T-Mobile wants to win over customers and who better than the former Broncos quarterback to show how great life can be without a contract?
The Broncos may have gone with Peyton Manning for its quarterback, but expect to see more Tebow tonight too; T-Mobile has more ads on the way.
RADIO SHACK HAS FUN WITH ITS '80s IMAGE
At least Radio Shack understands its problem — and can laugh about it.
The company poked fun at its outdated image by having pop culture characters from the past ransacking its store for its "'80s Giveaway."
Among those spotted: Hulk Hogan, Teen Wolf, that evil Chucky Doll, the California Raisins and Alf, who wasn't eating a cat.
SLOW CLAP FOR...STEPHEN COLBERT'S EAGLE
The best part of the Wonderful Pistachios ads starring Stephen Colbert? The eagle perched on his desk wearing a little matching suit.
The spots launch a yearlong sponsorship for between Colbert and parent company Roll Global. Mainly, we're looking forward to seeing what other outfits the eagle will sport.
Wonderful Pistachios says the eagle — played by a puppet — is female.
"Colbert calls her a girl in the teaser," notes Rob Six, a Roll Global spokesman.
CAR AD OR MOVIE TRAILER?
Chrysler's first ad of the night ran 90 seconds long and looked more like a movie trailer. The spot for the Ghibli Maserati featured shadowy imagery and a dramatic voiceover by Quvenzhane Wallis, the young actress who starred in "Beasts of the Southern Wild."
"We knew that being clever was more important than being the biggest kid in the neighborhood," the voiceover notes.
It was directed by David Gordon Green, who directed "Pineapple Express."
DREAMING OF A PEPSICO-CATERED SUPER BOWL PARTY?
Pass the Doritos-crusted fried cheese, please.
PepsiCo just aired its first Doritos ad, which has us thinking of the free food served at a music fest in New York City sponsored by the company this week.
Here's a sampling of what was on the menu, which incorporated PepsiCo products:
—Cool Ranch Doritos-Cured Gravlax with Everything Gougers
—Pepsi-braised Brisket
—Doritos-Crusted Deep-Fried Cheese
—Mountain Dew Bacon tacos with Sabra guacamole and pico de gallo
SUBWAY MAKES IT TO THE DANCE
A new Frito-filled sandwich will be the star of Subway's ad, which the company says was secured in the 11th hour.
Chief marketing officer Tony Pace says Fox approached the company on Friday about a spot that opened up. Pace says Subway will be the only fast-food chain airing an ad during the game.
It's not the first time Subway is benefiting from a last-minute change. Last year, the company had two ads set to run. But because of the blackout, Pace says one of the spots was aired a second time at no extra cost.
So is Pace rooting for another blackout?
"Absolutely not," he said.
BY THE NUMBERS: PRE-GAME ADS
The game hasn't started yet, but the Super Bowl ad contest is already underway.
Ads and teasers released in the days leading up to the big game generated more than 130 million views online, according to iSpot.TV, which tracks digital metrics around TV ads, such as Facebook "likes" or Twitter retweets.
Budweiser emerged as the clear winner so far, with its "Puppy Love" ad featuring a Clydesdale and a Labrador capturing 33 million views on YouTube before the game even began. And that figure will likely climb after it airs in the fourth quarter.
CHEERIOS FAMILY ADDS A NEW MEMBER
If the faces in the Cheerios ad look familiar, there's a reason.
The biracial family was also featured in an ad that made headlines last year after it sparked ugly comments online. The remarks were subsequently eclipsed by an outpouring of support.
General Mills, which owns Cheerios, says it was looking to reflect the changing U.S. population when it cast the roles for the fictional family, made up of a black dad, a white mom and their daughter. In the new spot, the dad tells the little girl that she has baby brother on the way.
If the ad is popular enough, perhaps General Mills will keep following the family's story line for years to come. Just picture it: the little girl as a sullen teenager sitting at the breakfast table, refusing to talk to her exasperated parents. Fade to black as they eat their Cheerios in silence.
BUD LIGHT'S FEAR OF MISSING OUT
How important is the Super Bowl to Bud Light? The beer has three ads airing during the game.
In case that wasn't enough, it also has a massive party ship docked at a New York pier with the words "THE BUD LIGHT HOTEL" emblazoned on the side. The ship is on loan from Norwegian Cruise Lines and is serving as a base for more than 3,000 guests. After taking control of it earlier this week, Anheuser Busch slapped its Bud Light logo on just about everything in less than 24 hours, down to the tiny shampoo bottles in the cabins.
Even crew members' uniforms have Bud Light stitched onto the sleeves.
Tucked away in a room aboard the ship on Sunday will be Bud Light's "social command center," complete with giant flat screen TVs and computers to monitor whatever may be happening.
In case the 18-member team is second-guessing a tweet it dreams up, Anheuser Busch says its legal team will be on call for consultation.
STEPHEN COLBERT GETS CRACKIN'
Goodbye Psy, hello "freeberty."
Wonderful Pistachios is back for its second straight Super Bowl ad. This time, the 15-second spots will star funnyman Stephen Colbert, who's known for making up words such as "truthiness" and "freeberty" (presumably a mash-up of freedom and liberty, two of his favorite things). The ads launch a yearlong sponsorship deal featuring the tagline "Get Crackin', America."
Roll Global, which also owns Fiji Water and POM Wonderful juice, says its Super Bowl ad last year starring Korean pop singer Psy was a huge hit, with sales up 18 percent year over year.
Good for them, but some viewers are getting a little tired of that horsey dance.
New York City dwellers may have already noticed teasers for the ads starring Colbert playing on TV screens in the back of taxis over the past week.
SECOND HALF: BOB DYLAN VERSUS JOHN STAMOS
Chobani may feature a Bob Dylan song in its ad, but rival Oikos has Full House star John Stamos — better known as Uncle Jesse to fans of the sitcom.
In Chobani's big game debut, the tune of "I Want You" plays as an angry bear ransacks a country store for something good to eat.
Meanwhile, Dannon's Oikos ad shows Stamos sitting with a woman who seductively licks some stray yogurt from his finger, then his upper lip. The scene heats up when some yogurt falls on his lap — but the moment is ruined when fellow Full House stars Bob Saget and Dave Coulier interrupt with offer to clean it up.
For those who didn't watch Full House: the joke is that Saget's character was a clean freak. As daughter Michelle would say...How rude.
FOURTH QUARTER: SCARLETT JOHANSSON'S POLITCALLY CHARGED FIZZY WATER
Who knew seltzer could be so controversial?
SodaStream's ad starring the actress Scarlett Johansson has already gotten plenty of attention for the soda machine maker. The ad prompted the "Her" star cut ties with Oxfam International, which took issue with SodaStream's large factory in an Israeli West Bank settlement.
Meanwhile, Oxfam is planning to bring attention to another issue during the game: Pepsi's "land grabs" in countries such as Brazil and Cambodia, where it says the company's sugar suppliers have robbed farmers of their rights and kicked them off their land.
Oxfam says it has about 1,000 people signed up to tweet and post on Facebook during the game.
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