More star power in Super Bowl LII ads

Does $5 million for 30 seconds of your time seem reasonable? Well, that is apparently what the price has now reached for 30 seconds of airtime during Super Bowl. However, it is the only sports or entertainment event that has more people talking about the ads than the game. Perhaps that's simply a fact that the Patriots continue to be the odds on favourite to collect their 6th Lombardi. 

Once upon a time, you would only find movie star celebrities appearing in ads for the closed off Japanese market. The thinking was that it wouldn't denigrate their brand and star power. Oh, how times have changed. Now that a star wants the world wide exposure, appearing in advertising especially on the level of SuperBowl status can boost said star power.

Here are the ones from this year’s crop of big budget commercials that will appear today, on Canadian accessible American channels. If you prefer, you can check them out ahead on the world’s biggest TV station, YouTube. With lots of long form edits with some running close to 2 minutes, my attention span was taxed. I’m better suited for the regular broadcast world. This year’s review will highlight the ones with the celebrity quotient. After all, if you going to drop millions, why not shore up some interest with some Hollywood talent in it. Or even bring Justin Timberlake back.

I believe this is Chris Pratt’s Superbowl debut with Michelob Ultra as the advertiser brings the shirtless wonder to the big and bigger screen. Who else can make better fun of his gym regiment than Pratt himself. You wonder how much of his Hollywood gigs now require him to show his abs. Is there not one role that he doesn’t strip down? But he is the perfect specimen for a slightly premium beer for the everyman with his everyman approachability. The star of sequels also had a follow up ad appearing but like his movies, the first is always better. 

Amazon Alexa’s voice goes down, and founder Jeff Bezos makes his Superbowl debut. It has the likes of Cardi B, Rebel Wilson and Anthony Hopkins playing to type and personality in a bid to replace the internet device’s voice. It’s a fun see-it-once commercial that probably doesn’t need Superbowl to showcase its sell. 

If you were to personify an M&M, in other words, make an M&M come to life, who would that be? George Clooney? Brad Pitt? Maybe. But if you’re an M&M tired of being eaten, you debut as Danny Devito. As a cartoon character, he’s ideal. As a cultural reference for this generation, maybe less so. 

Keanu Reeves. He’s ridden motorcycles. He’s surfed. Now you can see him do not only both as he stunts for himself and surfs a motorcycle for SquareSpace, he lip-syncs to Will Powers. Whoa! There is a Buddha like quality that makes him highly watchable. 

When you’re rocker, Steven Tyler, you have your own Aerosmith soundtrack. And he makes use of it in this Kia-fuelled spot that takes him back in space and time. Get it? Recapture your youth when you drive the car.

 The long and short of this spot is Morgan Freeman going head to head with Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage in an all-out lip-sync rap out for both Mountain Dew and Dorritos. In a new world of co-branding partnerships, why not?

And with Chadwich Boseman in the Black Panther movie coming out next week, you get a part preview and part Lexus commercial. 

If Peyton Manning walked into a sports bar, the former quarterback would get a round of recognition that would rival Norm walking into Cheers. When Manning walks into a commercial for Universal Park, he has a large title telling us who is. One could almost hear the board room debate around how recognizable he is. But what’s more interesting is how there used to be a time when the white middle-aged male was the last sacred cow you could make fun of. Now it’s the white middle-aged former football player. 

At least Girl’s Night star Tiffany Haddish doesn't have to be identified as an actress for Groupon. It’s far less controversial that a previous effort. With short memories, do people really care or remember? Or does anyone even use a Groupon anymore?

Former SNLer Bill Hader for Pringles has all the potential to be funny. But it’s not. 

When you see Matt Damon, you come to expect either comedic smirking or Jason Bourne intensity. But when you’re a spokesperson for water.org and Stella Artois for clean water, you’re neither. It is a good cause. But not quite interesting enough to sell you on the message. 

He will be forever introduced as former Friends, David Schwimmer. Here he finds his way into a series of Skittles commercials that might or might not be a Superbowl ad. And where only one person will see the ad. Sounds artful but it’s actually just weird. 

In other news, Martha Stewart takes on Jack in The Box. There’s a kitchen set. There’s a food challenge. There’s even a hashtag. Now matter how it’s served up, it’s still Martha Stewart shilling for Jack In The Box. 

Anything collectively outstanding? No, not overly. Though you can see Cindy Crawford return for an anthemic Pepsi commercial.