Super Bowl advertisers are expected to push entertainment and inspiration on Sunday night, reflecting marketers’ calculation that the game’s viewers mostly just want to feel good or do good.
Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google, meanwhile, aim to polish their images amid scrutiny of big technology companies.
This year’s ads feature country rapper Lil Nas X and actor Sam Elliott waging an Old West dance-off for PepsiCo Inc.’s Cool Ranch Doritos; Buzz Lightyear, Flash Gordon and other favorite sci-fi characters collecting curbside pickup orders from Walmart Inc.; and Boston-affiliated celebrities Rachel Dratch, Chris Evans, John Krasinski and David Ortiz marveling at the “smaht pahk” automatic-parking feature on the new Sonata from Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd.
“We just want to entertain and if someone got a takeaway about one of our vehicles, we’ll be happy,” said Angela Zepeda, chief marketing officer at Hyundai Motor America.
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Advertisers have a lot on the line. The Super Bowl still regularly draws an audience surpassing 100 million people at a time when traditional ad-supported TV is suffering a steady erosion in ratings as alternatives, including ad-free streaming services, proliferate.
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Fox Corp. charged as much as $5.6 million for 30 seconds in this year’s game pitting the San Francisco 49ers against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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