Share

5 entertaining Super Bowl ads that poke fun at our favourite celebrities


New York — Along with puppies and babies, celebrities are the Super Bowl advertising staple. And this year is no exception.

Using stars is a surefire way to grab attention during advertising's most competitive night, when a crowded field of 40-plus marketers vie for the attention of the more than 110 million viewers expected to tune in to the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Advertisers use celebrities to "help insure the success of their creative investment", said Devra Prywes, vice president of marketing for the research firm Unruly.

But it doesn't always work. In order for an ad to go viral, it needs to connect emotionally or give the audience multiple reasons to share, Prywes said.

"A celebrity can't save an ad that doesn't do those things, but the right celebrity can help amplify it," he said.

This year, advertisers are choosing quirkier celebrities and poking fun at bigger names.

Here's a look at how 5 brands used celebrities in this year's Super Bowl ads...

Snickers "The Brady Bunch"

In keeping with its 5-year-old "You're Not You When You're Hungry," campaign, Snickers' 30-second ad recreates a famous Brady Bunch episode in which the oldest daughter, Marcia, gets hit in the nose with a football.

Florence Henderson and action movie Machete star Danny Trejo also make appearances.



BMW "Newfangled Idea"

In order to promote its new all-electric BMW i3 in a 60-second spot, BMW enlisted former Today show hosts Couric and Gumbel to recreate a 1994 on-air conversation when they tried to figure out what the @ symbol in an email address meant.

"Alison" Couric says to an off camera producer in the 1994 clip, "can you explain what Internet is?" The ad flashes forward to today, when the duo are in a BMW's i3 similarly confused about how the car works.

"Big ideas take a little getting used to".



Squarespace "Dreaming With Jeff"

The website publisher isn't releasing its full 30-second spot until game time but a teaser ad shows a bearded The Big Lebowski actor Jeff Bridges recording relaxing sounds for an album called Jeff Bridges Sleeping Tapes.

The company plans to sell the resulting tapes in cassette-tape and vinyl form and the tracks are free to stream online. Squarespace CEO Anthony Casalena said the idea is that any idea can be presented via a Squarespace platform.



T-Mobile "#KimsDataStash"

T-Mobile hired Kim Kardashian for a 30-second spoof on public service announcements which pokes fun at Kardashian's constant online presence.

In the ad she makes a plea to save people's unused data taken back by wireless carriers. She laments that the data could have been used to see her makeup, vacations and outfits.

The ad promotes T-Mobile's service that lets users keep their unused data for a year.



Kia "The Perfect Getaway"

Kia's ad spoofs Pierce Brosnan's action-movie persona in which an agent pitches a perfect part for Brosnan, who once played James Bond.

Brosnan keeps expecting evil villains or explosions, but instead the agent describes a Kia ad in which Brosnan drives to a snowy cabin in a 2016 Sorento. The tagline is "The perfect getaway vehicle."



We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE