The third Super Bowl in a row for the marketing arm of Mexican Hass avocado businesses, after its funny 2015 debut ("First Draft Ever") and droll sequel ("Avocados in Space"), keeps things fresh and light, courtesy of Omnicom's GSD&M, its agency for each outing. The spot sets a scene, lands a few jokes plus a product benefit, and almost has time to develop the characters enough for a sitcom pitch. (Not that that worked for ABC's Geico-inspired "Cavemen.") The spot also slips in a celebrity cameo: Jon Lovitz, earlier seen in the very first winner of USA Today's Super Bowl Ad Meter, 1989's "Jon and Dana Do Miami" for American Express.)

This spot ran early in the first quarter, as it did in 2016. Its Super Bowl debut ran closer to the end of the first quarter, but the brand decided it liked having the bulk of the game to try to amplify its message in social media, Kevin Hamilton, director of marketing at Avocados From Mexico, told Ad Age.

Of course, because very few marketers by 2017 opted to surprise viewers with their Super Bowl ads, the brand released a 30-second hypnotic teaser featuring Lovitz on Jan. 23 and an extended cut of the game-day ad on Feb. 1, four days before the game. (Revelations abound in that longer version: There are only 49 shades of grey, Big Foot is not real and Avocados From Mexico have good fat.) 

"Our approach is again one that is more campaign-based than ad-based. We recognize that in today's world your approach has to be one that is all encompassing," Hamilton said. "It needs to have a complete 360 approach."

Director: David Shane. Production company: O Positive.

BRAND: Avocados From Mexico

YEAR: 2017

AGENCY: GSD&M

SUPERBOWL: LI

QUARTER AIRED: Q1