Despite the drama surrounding the Academy Awards—including a host-less telecast and failed attempts at trying to shorten the show—advertising still remains robust.
Earlier this week Disney-ABC TV Group confirmed it sold out of commercial inventory in the Oscars. Although ABC announced the sell-out just four days before Sunday night's broadcast, insiders say the network closed out its last bit of Oscars business two weeks ago. This is in keeping with the pace of recent years.
A 30-second spot in this year's broadcast is in-line with last year, costing advertisers around $2.2 million.
The Oscars' live, relatively large audience remains attractive to advertisers, even as ratings erode. Last year's show averaged a record low 26.5 million viewers and a 14.9 household rating, a 19 percent decline compared to the 2017 ceremony.
Among the advertisers who have committed to the show are Anheuser-Busch InBev (Budweiser), Cadillac, Google, Hennessy, IBM, Marriott, McDonald's, Microsoft, Rolex, Samsung, Verizon and Walmart.
Here's a look at some of the commercials that will run in Sunday night's broadcast.
Kinder Joy
Ferrero's Kinder Joy returns to the Oscars after making its Academy Awards debut in 2018 with a spot introducing the cocoa, cream and wafer bites, which comes with a small toy, to the U.S. This year's 30-second spot, "Why You Do It," shows the joyful faces of kids spending quality time with their parents and enjoying Kinder Joy. The spot comes from Publicis New York.
Cadillac
The General Motors luxury brand will air four minutes of ad time during Sunday's broadcast as it launches a new campaign called "Rise" that features its SUV portfolio. The buy includes four new ads set to Childish Gambino's "Me and Your Mama." This is Cadillac's sixth consecutive year as a sponsor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Verizon
Verizon will air six commercials during the Academy Awards on Sunday, including two spots in Spanish. Instead of utilizing traditional celebrity spokespeople, Verizon will be featuring the real stories of its customers in its spots. This is the first time a brand will air commercials in Spanish during the Oscars that don't include subtitles.
Marriott
Marriott will use the Oscars to further introduce Bonvoy, its new streamlined rewards program. Marriott's commercial will air in an isolated spot; there will be a 30-second promo for the hotel chain and then a 60-second ad for Bonvoy, before returning to the Oscars telecast. Marriott worked with Observatory Marketing on the spot, while Publicis Groupe's Marriott One Media handled media duties.
Budweiser
Budweiser originally intended to air this spot starring Charlize Theron in Super Bowl LIII, but opted at the last minute to hold it for the Oscars and run it as a 60-second ad. Ricardo Marques, VP of marketing for core and value brands at AB InBev, says the Oscars telecast was a better fit because the audience "is more likely to be looking for premium brands." The commercial, by VaynerMedia, promotes Budweiser Reserve Copper Lager, its limited-edition beer.
Hennessy
This is the first Oscar ad from Hennessy. The spot, dubbed "7 Worlds," is directed by Sir Ridley Scott and promotes Hennessy X.O cognac. The video highlights the seven notes of X.O and pays homage to the Oscars with a scene that includes colossal golden figures similar to the Oscars award statue.