Super Bowl Sunday (Feb.7) is almost upon us, but the commercials, which are the main event for 75% of Americans, are already here. Below is every national ad that we know will run between kick-off and the end of the game this weekend. Roughly 45 spots from paid sponsors are confirmed for the broadcast.
The early favorites
These five ads—all released online ahead of time—are the most popular on social media so far, according to iSpot.tv, which tracked shares and mentions of the ads on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
- Pokemon, a first-time Super Bowl advertiser, is celebrating its 20th birthday with a 30-second in-game ad that channels Nike and Adidas training motifs.
- Heinz will run a Super Bowl ad featuring a glorious stampede of wiener dogs—dachschunds dressed in hot-dog costumes—running toward a family of Heinz condiments.
- Unilever’s AXE brand, which bought into the game late, is airing a 30-second cut of a spot that debuted earlier this year, which tosses aside the conventional perception of masculinity.
- Ryan Reynolds is literally everywhere in one of Hyundai‘s two in-game ads.
- And BMW-owned MINI tapped tennis champion Serena Williams and soccer star Abby Wambach for a spot that challenges labels.
Star power
Celebrities will dominate this year’s game, more so than in previous Super Bowls, indicating that advertisers are spending far beyond the estimated $5 million price tag for 30 seconds of air time.
- In the game, Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen get political for Bud Light.
- Helen Mirren tears down irresponsible drinkers in Budweiser’s anti-drunk-driving pubic-service announcement.
- Comedian TJ Miller goes head to head with Shock Top, in the AB InBev brand’s first Super Bowl appearance.
- Carriers rip apart Drake’s “Hotline Bling” video in T-Mobile’s 30-second spot, which might be extended if fans play their cards right.
- Liam Neeson advises his younger self, played by his son, Michael, in a Tron-esque ad for LG TVs.
- Comedian Billy Eichner teases Butterfingers’ “bold” new ad.
- William Dafoe isn’t himself in Snickers‘ new spot.
- Real-estate site Apartments.com tapped Jeff Goldblum and hip-hop artist Lil Wayne.
- Steven Tyler sings for Skittles.
- Key & Peele play a pair of wacky sportscasters in Squarespace‘s spot.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in an ad for Machine Zone‘s Mobile Strike game.
- Alec Baldwin builds a snack bowl with the help of the Amazon Echo, in the e-tailer’s first-ever game-day ad.
- New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and actress Emily Ratajkowski are featured in Buick‘s Super Bowl debut.
- Christopher Walken changes lives one sock, and Kia Optima, at a time.
- And Happy Days star Scott Baio is on display in the new Avocados From Mexico spot.
Tie-ins
Super Bowl advertisers also licensed some major songs and entertainment properties this year, another indicator that they’re spending big on the ads.
- Volkswagen’s Audi pays homage to rock legend David Bowie in an ad featuring the late artist’s “Starman.”
- Honda‘s push for the its 2017 Ridgeline truck features Queen’s “Somebody to Love.”
- Acura tapped Van Halen’s “Runnin’ with the Devil” to promote its NSX supercar.
- And Wix teamed up with DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 3.
The rest of the freshman class
Among this year’s other Super Bowl newcomers are:
- Colgate
- Outdoor brand Marmot
- Henkel’s Persil ProClean detergent
- Quicken Loans’ Rocket Mortgage
- Bai Antioxidant Infusions
- PepsiCo-owned Mountain Dew Kickstart is making its Super Bowl debut with an absurd ad featuring a dancing creature that is part puppy, part monkey, and part baby. It’s a “puppy-monkey-baby,” as the rattle-shaking creature repeats like a mantra.
- Fitbit will run a 30 second spot at the top of the third quarter to promote its new Blaze fitness watch.
- And financial startup SoFi and PayPal are premiering their first Super Bowl commercials on Sunday, as is the Atlanta-based bank SunTrust. (They join Intuit’s returning TurboTax and Quickbooks brands among the financial-services companies running ads. The latter has turned its ad time over to an 11-person coffee company called Death Wish Coffee, which won the small-business software’s Super Bowl contest.)
Odds and ends (and halftimes)
- Speaking of contests: Frito-Lay’s Doritos will run one of three ads from the final round of its decade-old “Crash the Super Bowl” contest on Sunday.
- Pepsi is sponsoring the half-time show again this year, which will star Coldplay, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars. And singer Janelle Monae will show off her dance moves in a Pepsi commercial that pays homage to America’s greatest performers.
- Automaker Toyota is betting on a 90-second Super Bowl spot that endeavors to show the energy-efficient hybrid Prius is badass.
- Hyundai‘s second in-game ad shows off the Elantra’s remote-start feature.
- WeatherTech is returning to the Super Bowl for the third year in a row with an ad that salutes American manufacturing.
- AB InBev’s Michelob Ultra is running an ad in the game as well.
- The NFL and Super Bowl host network also get more than 15% of the ad time during game—airing on Feb. 7 at 6:30 pm. CBS is this year’s broadcaster, so we can expect the network to promote its programming. And, once again, the NFL donated a 30-second slot to the anti-domestic violence group No More.
Sneak peeks
The Super Bowl is also a big stage for movie trailers and we can expect a few to drop during the game.
- Walt Disney Pictures will tease its live-action Alice in Wonderland adaptation, called Through the Looking Glass, with an ad featuring the voice of the late-Alan Rickman, who played the blue caterpillar in the film. Disney is also expected to air a spot for Captain America: Civil War or one of its other upcoming releases like The Jungle Book.
- Meanwhile, Fox has two 30-second ad slots in the game, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which cited unnamed sources. The studio hasn’t revealed what films it will promote, but Deadpool, Eddie the Eagle, Independence Day: Resurgence, and X-Men: Apocalypse are all due out by summer.
- Universal also reportedly bought a 60-second spot for an undisclosed trailer.
- Paramount will air a 30-second commercial for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
What we don’t know
While most of the Super Bowl creative has been released or teased online by this point, there are always a few surprises.
- Coca-Cola, for one, hasn’t said much about the 60-second spot it will run in the game, but hinted it will feature Marvel characters.
- And Budweiser‘s iconic Clydesdales are noticeably absent from the spots and teasers that have been released so far, but are expected to appear in the game.