Why Super Bowl 50 Is Poised to Be 'Celeb Bowl'

At Least 33 Stars Will Appear in Commercials Versus 28 Last Year

By Jeanine Poggi. Published on February 01, 2016. There won't be dead children, cyber bullying or domestic Peele, of Comedy Central's sketch comedy show "Key abuse in Super Bowl 50, at least that we know of so far. and Peele," will appear in Squarespace's spot; Amazon After the 2015 big game was tapped Alec Baldwin for its first dubbed the "somber bowl" by spot in the big game; and Scott some, it left the ad industry According to E-Poll Market Baio of "Happy Days" fame will asking, is the Super Bowl a place Research, there are make a cameo in Avocado's From for such serious ads? currently at least 33 Mexico's commercial. The answer for many marketers celebrities being tapped for Steven Tyler is set to star in seems to be no, with the tone of Skittles' Super Bowl spot. This Super Bowl 50 commercials Super Bowl campaigns will be the first time a celebrity much more comedic and upbeat. will be featured in a "Taste the And advertisers are replacing Rainbow" commercial. Using the social themes with some serious star power. Aerosmith front man is a departure for the brand, which While celebrities have always been an integral part of opted not to use celebrities in last year's Super Bowl Super Bowl campaigns, Super Bowl 50 promises to be spot. the most star-studded in some time. And Hyundai will include Ryan Reynolds in one of its According to E-Poll Market Research, there are spots, as well as Kevin Hart in a commercial slated to air currently at least 33 celebrities being tapped for Super before kickoff. Bowl campaigns, and that number is only expected to "Celebrities bring a lot of brand love to the game and rise as the creative for commercials are revealed this they also bring a social following," Hyundai week. These totals do not include halftime performers or MotorAmerica Chief Marketing Officer Dean Evans stars that appear in movie trailers. In comparison, there previously said. were 28 celebrities in total in the 2015 game, 26 in 2014 Hyundai chose these celebrities because of the attention and 19 in 2013. they are getting for their own work. Mr. Reynolds stars Comedians Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen will star in a in the upcoming Marvel superhero movie "Deadpool," Bud Light ad that spoofs the presidential election, while while Mr. Hart is in the just-released flick "Ride Along another Anheuser-Busch label, Shock Top, will feature 2." The two stars also have huge Twitter followings, with comedian T.J. Miller. Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Mr. Hart at 25.2 million followers and Mr. Reynolds at nearly 1 million followers. Both men are expected to "This is not to say that an individual ad with a celebrity tweet about their Super Bowl ads as part of their deal can't be successful, but it may be a challenge…" with Hyundai. And serious ads have also been found to outperform commercials using humor, Professor Taylor added, Lil' Wayne, Missy Elliott, Christopher Walken and Liam pointing to the emotional appeals of Budweiser's "Lost Neeson are among the other celebrities that will be Dog" or "Brotherhood" ads and Chrysler's "Halftime in featured during Super Bowl 50. This may be a welcome reprieve for viewers who last year were inundated with thought-provoking, teary While celebrities have commercials. always been an integral Nissan, Dove Men + Care and Toyota celebrated dads with heartfelt messaging in Super Bowl XLIX; Coca-Cola part of Super Bowl looked to put an end to hate-filled internet comments by campaigns, Super Bowl 50 turning them into positive messages; and Microsoft promises to be the most featured a little boy with prosthetic legs to show how its technology is bettering lives. And of course there was star-studded in some time. Nationwide's "Boy" commercial, which received plenty of backlash for telling a story about a boy who dies because America" and "Imported from Detroit." of a plethora of preventable accidents. Still, many marketers want to leave viewers with a more There are the obvious benefits of leaning on celebrities upbeat takeaway this time around. for Super Bowl campaigns, including their social media Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele will star in prowess. Rapper Lil' Wayne has been posting teasers for Squarespace's spot as Lee and Morris, aspiring Apartments.com's Super Bowl spot, for which he is sportscasters from Atlanta who want to comment on the starring, to his more than 25 million followers. And big game. They've pooled their resources together and Missy Elliott announced she will appear in Amazon's set up a website on Squarespace for the live broadcast, first Super Bowl spot to her nearly 3 million followers. In with one massive oversight -- they don't have the rights most cases, the celebrities have more social followers to talk about the actual game. than the brands they are representing -- Not only will the comedians star in the ad, but they will Apartments.com has about 20,000 Twitter followers, also provide live commentary throughout the game on while Amazon has just over 2 million. Squarespace. While great creative coupled with the right star can make "For most Americans, the Super Bowl is an occasion to a Super Bowl ad stand out -- think Betty White in come together and celebrate with friends and family," Snicker's original "You're Not You When You're said Chris Paul, VP-media and acquisition, Squarespace. Hungry," or Mean Joe Green for Coca-Cola -- typically "Bringing humor is the best way to add something to celebrity-driven Super Bowl ads perform slightly below that occasion, and the challenge for advertisers is to be average, according to Charles R. Taylor, professor of funny while being aligned with your brand values." marketing, Villanova School of Business. And for some brands the decision to take a more "While ads with celebrities can work, academic studies of lighthearted approach simply fits with the brand's Super Bowl advertising suggest that they perform message. slightly below the average of all Super Bowl ads, both in "Our personality as a brand is being part of meaningful, terms of likeability and brand-building ability," he said. good times," said Kevin Hamilton, director-brand marketing, Avocados From Mexico. "We are part of the are different ways to cut through to the Super Bowl origination of a good time." audience," Mr. Noble said. In the producer's spot, an alien leads a tour in an interplanetary museum through an exhibit of Earth. The tour highlights what the aliens have determined are the most unique Earthly possessions, which include pop- culture items like a Rubik's cube, a mannequin wearing the infamous blue or gold dress that drove the internet crazy and Scott Baio, along with Avocados From Mexico. But an influx of humorous ads may make it difficult to distinguish one from the other. "This year, some of the lighter, humorous appeals will, no doubt, get lost in the crowd," Professor Taylor said. "It will take outstanding creative and a strong link back to the product to stand out." It could also present an opportunity for those advertisers that are appealing to a social cause or social responsibility to stand out. Colgate, which is making its Super Bowl debut, won't be looking to sell toothpaste, but instead is focusing on water conservation. And Suntrust will emphasize financial confidence in the face of an environment where 70% of Americans feel like they struggle financially. BMW's Mini will also look to inspire people to defeat labels with a roster of six celebrities that include tennis star Serena Williams, actor-producer Harvey Keitel, rapper T-Pain, skateboarder Tony Hawk and former baseball star Randy Johnson. The commercial is intended to move the car brand beyond the labels it has often been associated with, like small, cute and not powerful, said Tom Noble, department lead-marketing, Mini USA. To drive home this message, the company sought out celebrities who have struggled to defeat the labels they have been given. In choosing celebrities to represent Mini, Mr. Noble said, they were looking for those "who were able to talk about labels authentically and also have a natural relationship with Mini." "Humor is not the only thing that works in the Super Bowl. It does and it is certainly a party atmosphere. But you can entertain in more ways than just humor. There