Super Bowl Alert: Liquor is missing, McKinnon shows up—plus, will Detroit autos miss a Lions opportunity?

Ad Age is counting down to Super Bowl LVIII. In the weeks leading up to the game, which will air on CBS on Feb. 11, Ad Age will bring you breaking news, analysis and first looks at the high-stakes, Big Game commercials—all in our Super Bowl newsletter. Sign up right here to get them via email. Where’s the booze? When Anheuser-Busch InBev relinquished its longheld exclusive Super Bowl alcohol advertising rights starting with last year’s game, it seemingly opened the door for years of Big Game beer battles. But so far that has not materialized. AB InBev is expected to be back, although it has not publicized plans, and Molson Coors is once again in—today it foreshadowed a Coors Light spot that will give people a chance to virtually ride on the Silver Bullet train, which is being rebranded to the Chill Train. But Heineken, which plugged its non-alcoholic 0.0 variety last year, is not coming back and Constellation Brands, which owns hot-selling Modelo Especial, has no Super Bowl ad plans, it has confirmed to Ad Age. Even Boston Beer, which has run regional ads in the past, will not repeat that tactic this year. Plus, no liquor brands have confirmed ads. Remy Martin, which advertised last year, has confirmed it won’t be back. NFL sponsor Diageo, whose Crown Royal debuted in the 2023 game, has not yet tipped its hand. Of course, there’s still plenty of time: 28 brands have so far confirmed buys, about half of the expected ad inventory. To keep track of all the advertisers running national spots in the game, bookmark Ad Age’s regularly updated Super Bowl ad chart. The celeb parade continues The only thing more predictable than the Buffalo Bills missing post-season field goals is that brands will fill up Super Bowl ads with celebrities. And this year is no different. Of the 10 brands that have released teasers so far, eight include celebs and/or ex-athletes, including Kate McKinnon for Hellmann’s, Addison Rae for Nerds and Ken Jeong for Popeyes. And that does not include Coors Light, which has suggested its Chill Train will have some celebrity riders. But brands take note: Only 41% of respondents to an Ad Age-Harris Poll released this week said they want to see celebs in Super Bowl ads. Animals are the top choice (47%), so Hellman’s, which teased “Mayo Cat,” an 8-month-old “cat actor” known as Chipmunk, as starring with McKinnon in its ad, might have the purr-fect pairing. For more on teasers and other pigskin marketing news, check out our continuously updated football marketing blog. Reaching Hispanics Some celebs might only be making an appearance on TelevisaUnivision’s Spanish-language Super Bowl broadcast. As reported by Ad Age this week, Nissan, Audi and Metro by T-Mobile are among the brands running Univision-only ads, and Nissan suggested its ad will feature “top-level talent.” Brands looking to connect with Hispanic audiences, while paying a lot less, are driving demand. Univision ads are running in the low- to mid-$200,000 range per 30 seconds, compared with roughly $7 million for a CBS ad. Hear from brands advertising in the game at Ad Age’s virtual Super Bowl event on Feb. 6. Register and learn more at AdAge.com/SuperBowlPlaybook. Motor City MIA? The Detroit Lions are one win away from making the Super Bowl for the first time. But if Motor City’s team makes it, the game broadcast will likely be devoid of any of Detroit’s hometown automakers. Barring any last-minute surprises, General Motors, Ford and Stellantis will be sitting out the game, which marks a rarity in recent years, with both GM and Stellantis making regular in-game appearances of late. One person who will likely be at the game, should it happen with the Lions, is Detroit native Eminem. The rapper starred in what is considered one of the best Super Bowl ads of all time—Chrysler’s 2011 “Born of Fire,” which used Eminem’s song “Lose Yourself” while introducing the iconic tagline “Imported from Detroit.” We can’t help but wonder if the wheels might be turning at Chrysler-owner Stellantis to somehow revive the ad, should the Lions make it, even though the automaker has confirmed it won’t be in the game. While the Lions play in Ford Field, it was GM that outmaneuvered its in-city rival to capture some of the Lions buzz—this past weekend it featured a special version of GM’s logo atop its Renaissance Center building, showing the lion’s tail as part of the design. This week in Super Bowl history While the Lions haven’t played in any Super Bowls, the Detroit area has hosted them, including Super Bowl XVI, which was played 42 years ago tomorrow at the Pontiac Silverdome, where the 49ers beat the Bengals. The game on CBS marked John Madden’s first Super Bowl behind the microphone. But Madden appeared in the game a year earlier—as the star of a Miller Lite commercial. For a complete look at Big Game commercial history, check out Ad Age’s Super Bowl ad archive.

Super Bowl Alert: Liquor is missing, McKinnon shows up—plus, will Detroit autos miss a Lions opportunity?

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