The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles aren’t the only ones facing off in Super Bowl 52 on Sunday (Feb. 4). More than 100 million viewers are expected to tune into NBC’s live TV broadcast of the NFL championship game—a colossal audience, especially in the age of cord-cutting—and millions more will stream online. Advertisers, who have paid good money to capture a sliver of your attention, will be jockeying for eyeballs.
This artistic/consumerist showdown is why many tune into the Super Bowl at all. As of publication, roughly 45 advertising spots have been confirmed for the national broadcast of the game, which starts with kickoff at 6:30pm eastern time. Quartz will update this post as details develop, up to and during the game.
This post was last updated at 11pm on Feb. 4.
The early favorites for best Super Bowl commercial in 2018
These five ads, released or teased online ahead of the game, have grabbed the most attention so far on social media, according to iSpot.tv, which tracks shares and mentions of ads on Facebook $META, Twitter $TWTR, and YouTube.
- PepsiCo $PEP brands Doritos and Mountain Dew throw down in a lip-sync battle airing in the first half of the game. Peter Dinklage reps Doritos with Busta Rhymes in his corner, and Morgan Freeman pairs with Missy Elliot on team Mountain Dew.
- NBC will air a new episode of its biggest show, the tearjerker drama This Is Us, after the Super Bowl ends. Fans are already sobbing over the promo for the episode, which promises to answer “all of your questions.” For real, this time. Maybe.
- Musical artist Cardi B, chef Gordon Ramsay, actress Rebel Wilson, and actor Anthony Hopkins try to replace Amazon $AMZN’s Alexa in the commercial for the virtual assistant.
- Super Bowl veteran Budweiser trades clydesdales for water in a moving ad showing the beer company providing clean water to victims of last year’s natural disasters.
- No one has yet claimed responsibility for a star-studded series of teasers promoting a fictional reboot of Crocodile Dundee. The latest is over four minutes long and features Danny McBride, Chris Hemsworth, Margot Robbie, Hugh Jackman, and other Australian stars. The Brisbane Times reports Tourism Australia may be behind these fake trailers, and are using them to tease an ad that will run in the Super Bowl. The national tourism body has not returned Quartz’s request to confirm. (Update: A commercial in the game confirms the phony reboot is an advertisement for Tourism Australia.)
The showdowns
Every year, intense competitive battles unfold between brands in the Super Bowl. 2018 is no different.
- Web comedy stars Rhett and Link show how easy it is to build a website with Wix.
- Turkish Airlines taps TV personality Dr. Oz. (The version published to YouTube is an extended cut of the ad in the game.)
The entertainment sneak-peaks
NBC is broadcasting the Super Bowl this year, so expect a slew of ads for shows on the network. The host network typically takes 15% of the total ad time during a Super Bowl game for itself, according to Kantar Media. But other entertainment companies will also be vying for the attention of Super Bowl viewers.
- There is, of course, the aforementioned teaser for NBC’s blockbuster This Is Us
- HBO premieres the trailer for the second season of Westworld. (Updated with YouTube link, which is an extended cut of the ad that aired during the game.)
- NBC’s sister studio Universal showcases its Dwayne Johnson-starring action flick, Skyscraper. (Updated with YouTube link.)
- Viacom’s Paramount $PARA releases a new trailer for Mission: Impossible—Fallout. (Updated with YouTube link.)
- Disney $DIS is expected to push one or two films during the broadcast. (Update: Disney premieres the first teaser for Solo: A Star Wars Story, and the first trailer for Avengers: Infinity War. Both movies are due out in May.)
The rest of the freshman class
Pringles, Amazon Studios, and Monster Products aren’t the only newcomers this year.