GLENDALE, Arizona — Snickers generated laughs with a nostalgic nod to “The Brady Bunch” and Budweiser capitalized on cuteness with the return of a puppy as advertisers risked big bucks to stand out in the hard-fought battle to win buzz for their Super Bowl commercials.
Brands paid up to a record $4.5 million for 30 seconds during the championship game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks on Comcast Corp’s NBC network.
Companies employed uplifting themes — including the celebration of dads — safe humor, and stories that tugged at emotions in their bids to grab attention among more than 70 commercials.
Mars Chocolate Snickers scored with its spot featuring Marcia Brady transformed into angry action movie star Danny Trejo, part of the company’s “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign.
“I think Snickers is a home run,” said Jay Russell, chief creative officer at advertising agency GSD&M. “It stood out. It’s simple and quick.”
Many brands posted their commercials or shorter teasers on the Internet ahead of the game to stoke interest. The ads were viewed more than 170 million times before kickoff, according to iSpot, which tracks video views and social media comments.
Budweiser ranked far ahead in the pre-game contest for buzz, iSpot rankings showed.
The beer maker owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev reprised last year’s winning formula with another appearance by a puppy and his Clydesdale friends. This time, the horses help a lost puppy fend off wolves and find his way home. That ad was watched nearly 42 million times ahead of the game, iSpot said.
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian won notice in a T-Mobile spot for mocking her own celebrity, deadpanning about the “tragic” practice by some wireless carriers that take back unused data that could have been used to view more photos of her.
Unilever’s Dove Men Care was one of at least three companies to celebrate fatherhood, showing doting dads rushing to help an upset child or dancing at a daughter’s wedding.
General Motors’ Chevy brand grabbed attention with an ad that made it look like the TV flickered off, fooling some viewers who reacted on social media, and promoting wi-fi access in its Colorado truck as a backup plan for watching the game.
Web services company GoDaddy’s commercial focused on a guy who was missing the game because he was working, the type of business owner GoDaddy serves. The company scrapped an earlier spot following an outcry from animal lovers who said it seemed to advocate puppy mills.
A separate ad battle raged on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
McDonalds told people to follow their Twitter feed during each commercial break. The fast food restaurant chain commented on every commercial, encouraging people to re-tweet to win a promotion around the commercial.
“Lovin’ Clydesdales & puppies & wolves, oh my, @Budweiser. RT to try & win a trip with your best bud, up to 500 miles,” McDonald’s wrote.
Tight security greets fans
Clear blue skies, a party atmosphere and tight security greeted fans of the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks arriving at University of Phoenix Stadium hours before the game.
A sea of navy, green and grey Seahawks jerseys mixed with the blue, white and red Patriots colors outside the gleaming silver shell and space-age-looking stadium.
Massive stages dotted the area outside the stadium, where those in attendance were able to soak up a pre-game atmosphere that included free concerts and cold drinks after navigating the traffic-lined streets around the venue.
Fans also lined up to take advantage of an opportunity to have photos taken with the NFL’s championship Vince Lombardi Trophy and get free tattoos as temperatures remained steady around 57 degrees.
Before entering the 72,000-seat stadium, where an open roof was allowing sunshine to pour onto the field, people were being put through metal detectors, a pat down and getting bags X-rayed. Photos of the security process, which included bomb-sniffing dogs, were forbidden.
Perry brings spectacle to halftime
Katy Perry delivered a spectacular halftime show at the Super Bowl, assisted by special guests Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz.
Perry entered the field astride a giant, golden, robotic lion as she sang her hit “Roar” before Kravitz brought some rock guitar to a version of “I Kissed a Girl”.
After Missy Elliott provided the crowd of over 70,000 with her own distinctive brand of hip-hop, including “Get Ur Freak On”, Perry performed on a desert island, singing her hit “Teenage Dream” and “California Gurls”.
The halftime show ended with another surprise as Perry was lifted 50 feet off the ground by a mechanical contraption and as she floated above the field singing “Firework”, sparkling flames emerged from the construction.