A 30-second spot during Sunday’s game is costing companies about $1.9 million, down from about $2 million last year. And while most of the commercials during the highest-rated TV event of the year will feature the usual humor and high jinx, viewers will also detect a slight difference in tone from years past.
The fun fare will come from the usual sources. A Dockers ad will feature big guys in little black dresses. A Charles Schwab spot has baseball legend Hank Aaron trying to get hitter Barry Bonds to retire before breaking his record. AT&T Wireless-which purchased five spots-has an commercial made up entirely of belly buttons (an attempt to get people to cut the cords with land lines and go mobile).
But several ads will strike more somber notes. Anheuser-Busch, which bought the most commercials by far (nine), has a spot that salutes the victims of the September 11 attacks. The 60-second commercial shows the Budweiser Clydesdales walking from the snow-covered Midwest all the way to New York City, where they bow their heads under the Statue of Liberty. Rudy Giuliani will appear in a black-and-white ad, which is sponsored by Monster.com, to thank Americans for supporting New York after the attacks. Perhaps the most serious commercial of all: the Office of National Drug Control Policy will run a spot that equates illegal drug use with supporting terrorists.
At least a couple commercials offer nostalgic glimpses at the country’s past, touching on a renewed sense of patriotism many Americans have experienced. One example: A GM commercial that pits a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado against a new Cadillac CTS-all to the sounds of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.” And then there’s the 90-second Pepsi spot, destined to be one of the most-talked-about moments of the broadcast. The ad features Britney Spears recast in soda commercials from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s-complete with hair, makeup and music from those eras.
And if you find yourself thinking these ads are a bit wistful, just wait until you watch the Olympics.
