Super Bowl Ads: Anything Could Happen

photo In this image released by GoDaddy.com on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014, NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, center, wearing a muscle suit, appears with bodybuilders in an upcoming Super Bowl commercial shot on location in Long Beach, Calif.

NEW YORK - 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.


NEW YORK CITY GETS A MUSICAL TUNE-UP

Halftime sponsor Pepsi gets one of the sweetest ad spots of the night, with a 30-second lead-in to the show starring Bruno Mars.

The spot shows 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.


SLOW CLAP FOR...STEPHEN COLBERT'S EAGLE

Best part of the Wonderful Pistachios ads starring Stephen Colbert? The eagle perched on his desk wearing a little matching suit.

The 15-second spots launch a yearlong sponsorship for between Colbert and 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.


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RADIO SHACK ACKNOWLEDGES IT'S OUTDATED

At least Radio Shack understands its image problem.

The company poked fun at its outdated image by having pop culture characters from the past ransacking its store for its "'80s Giveaway."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.


CAR AD OR MOVIE TRAILER?

Chrysler's first ad of the night ran 90 seconds long and could've been mistaken for a movie trailer. The spot for the Ghibli Maserati featured shadowy imagery and a dramatic voiceover by Quvenzhane Wallis, the young actress who was nominated for an Academy Award for her role 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 AFTER ALL

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. The sandwich chain will air a 30-second ad that began airing a few days ago for its "Fritos Chicken Enchilada."

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.


FIRST UNSCHEDULED TIME-OUT: 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.


FIRST QUARTER: 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.


SECOND QUARTER: 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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