Super Bowl LV: The Best Ads from the Biggest Football Game of the Season
Another Super Bowl, another year of companies spending millions of dollars to advertise their products to consumers during the most-watched television event of the year.
A handful of companies have started to unveil their commercials that will air during the upcoming Super Bowl LV, which will air on February 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The 2021 game will feature advertisements from a diverse array of businesses, including Chipotle, Bud Light, Mercari, and Pringles. Though high-profile commercials have long been a Super Bowl mainstay, the 2021 edition of the sporting event will mark the notable absence of several longtime advertisers: The companies behind Coke, Pepsi, and Budweiser ads, which were collectively responsible for some of the most famous Super Bowl moments in the game’s history, recently announced they will not be airing commercials during Super Bowl LV. PepsiCo. is still attached to the event as sponsor of the halftime show and will still advertise products such as Mountain Dew and Frito-Lay chips.
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Though those several iconic brands will not be advertised during Super Bowl LV, CBS didn’t struggle to sell out ad space for the event. A CBS spokesperson recently told Variety that the company had “virtually sold out” all of its commercial inventory for the event, including ad slots for a video stream that will accompany CBS’ broadcasting of the game. A handful of companies bought Super Bowl LV ad space for the first time, including Mercari, Fiverr, and Vroom.
Purchasing Super Bowl ad space is a significant investment for companies; Variety reported that CBS sought around $5.5 million for 30-second advertisements that will air during the game. Some companies decided to hold off on advertising during the event due to financial strains caused by the coronavirus pandemic, while others stated an intent to invest their resources elsewhere; CBS News reported that Anheuser-Busch, which owns Budweiser and Bud Light, intended to donate funds it would have used on the game to coronavirus vaccination awareness efforts. (The company is still expected to run an ad for Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade, which can be viewed below.) The Coca-Cola Company sent a statement to CBS News that noted the company chose to not advertise during the Super Bowl to ensure that it was “investing in the right resources during these unprecedented times.”
Super Bowl LV will air on CBS. Cord cutters have a variety of options to watch the game for free from the comfort of their home, including via CBSSports.com and the CBS All Access streaming service. Three-time Grammy-winning Canadian musician The Weeknd is set to perform during the Super Bowl LV halftime show.
Check out some of the advertisements that will air during Super Bowl LV below. This post will be updated as more advertisements are announced:
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