2009 Commercial Line-Up

ANHEUSER-BUSCH

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 2 60-second spots, 5 30-second spots
DETAILS: Known spots include three using the brand’s iconic Clydesdale horses and one starring NBC’s late night host, Conan O’Brien.

Two of the Clydesdale spots will feature humor. In one, the Budweiser Dalmatian engages in some friendly competition with one of the horses and, in the other, a Clydesdale falls in love with a circus horse. The last Clydesdale spot will be the brand’s annual sentimental favorite, and will show newly-immigrated Clydesdales trying their luck at a variety of jobs before finding their true calling with Anheuser-Busch. All three spots were helmed by the legendary Joe Pytka, who has shot ads for Budweiser since the 1980s.

In the Conan spot, which will air in the first quarter, the comedian agrees to star in a Bud commercial, but laughs ensue when the filming takes him to Sweden. Two other A-B spots will spotlight the company’s Bud Light Lime and Budweiser American Ale beverages. Sources indicated the remaining ads in the Bud line-up will all use humor.

AUDI

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 60-second spot
DETAILS: The automaker will return to the game with a first quarter spot featuring action star, Jason Statham. The spot, entitled “Chase,” will promote the company’s A6 luxury sedan. An Audi press release says the ad is “inspired by iconic Hollywood chase scenes” and follows Statham as he “rushes from decade to decade to avoid capture, trying to find a vehicle to aid his getaway. He finds that several other luxury vehicles fail to get the job done. That is, until he finds the supercharged Audi A6.”

BRIDGESTONE

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 2 30-second spots
DETAILS: While the specific placement of the ads in the game is still unknown, Bridgestone did confirm that the spots will somehow use Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head and a spaceman to showcase the performance of its tires.

CAREERBUILDER.COM

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 2 30-second spots
DETAILS: With one spot in the second quarter and one in the third, the job hunters will return to the game but will not use the chimpanzees that have been featured in past CB.com spots.

One CareerBuilder ad (which can viewed on the SpotBlog) features a screaming co-worker, an insulting boss, riding dolphins, a half-naked pedicurist co-worker and, as if that wasn’t enough, punching a koala bear.

CARS.COM

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 60-second spot
DETAILS: The second quarter spot will feature humor, hopefully on par (or better) than last year’s series of “Plan B” ads.

CASH FOR GOLD

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: The late night 1-800 company has cashed in a lot of gold to buy one of the last Super Bowl spots. Ed McMahon and MC Hammer, both of whom are notorious for their recent financial downfalls, will star in the ad entitled “One Up.” According to USA Today, the spot will feature MC and Ed sending in items “that get more outrageous as the ad goes on.”

CASTROL MOTOR OIL

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: We don’t know much about this one (c’mon Castrol, just give us a hint!), but we do know the company will promote its new advanced synthetic motor oil, Castrol Edge.

CHEETOS (PEPSI CO)

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: The PepsiCo brand will make its Super Bowl debut and feature its animated brand leader, Chester the Cheetah. According to Brandweek, Chester will encourage a woman to get back at a rude cell phone talker by scattering Cheetos on the floor. Then, a “flock of pigeons swoop down, gobbling the crumbs and attacking the rude talker.”

COCA COLA

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 3 Spots
DETAILS: Coke is kicking off a new branding campaign for its cola and will use the Super Bowl as a launching pad for the new image. The campaign includes a new tagline — “Open Happiness” – which replaces the current “The Coke Side of Life.”

The soft drink maker will air two spots for Coke Classic and one for Coke Zero. One of the Classic spots will feature interaction between humans and avatars. In another spot, Coke is remaking (or reimagining) its classic 1980 Mean Joe Green ad, which features the Steelers legend tossing his jersey to a child fan in exchange for a coke.

The new spot will star current Steelers Pro Bowler Troy Polamalu demonstrating his tackling skills. The spot is said to take an unexpected twist than the original heart-warmer. Said Palomalu himself, “I think people will get a kick out of the intensity I display to get my hands on the real Coke taste of Coke Zero.”

DENNY’S

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: The restaurant chain joins Teleflora and Pedigree as this year’s Super Bowl^® advertising rookies. The third-quarter spot under consideration uses cowboys and humor to position Denny’s food as “real breakfast” versus competitor’s “candy breakfasts.”

DORITOS

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: The first time it was revolutionary, the second time it was interesting, now the chipmaker is once again giving the consumers the reigns with a contest that will air the best self-made spot in the big game. This year’s twist: If the user-generated spot grabs the #1 ranking USA Today’s Ad Meter, the armchair director nets a cool $1 million. No word yet on what they receive it they finish first in SpotBowl.

DISNEY PIXAR

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: Disney will promote its latest animated feature, “Up.”

DREAMWORKS STUDIOS/PEPSI SOBE

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 90-second spot
DETAILS: Dreamworks, Pepsi and Intel Corp. and NBC have all teamed up to create the Super Bowl’s first ever 3-D ad. The spot will be a promotion for Dreamwork’s upcoming film, Monsters vs. Aliens, but will also co-promote Pepsi’s SoBe beverage with an appearance by the SoBe lizards of last year’s Super Bowl fame as well as football player Ray Lewis and a few other NFL stars. Intel got involved by creating the technology used to animate the spot and NBC jumped onboard with a cross-promo urging viewers to hang on to their 3-D glasses to watch a 3-D episode of Chuck immediately following the game.

According to a press statement, the ad features a “modern interpretation of the famed ballet Swan Lake, and the rhythmic effects when the players and creatures are infused with the refreshing and reinvigorating impact of SoBe Life Water.”

E-TRADE FINANCIAL

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: E-Trade’s popular talking baby will return to the big game.

GENERAL ELECTRIC

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 spot
DETAILS:The Super Bowl rookie will highlight new developments like its Smart Grid energy technology as “innovation you don’t have to wait for.” The spot will be reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz with a scarecrow-like character.

GODADDY.COM

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: Staying true to their envelope-pushing formula, the web domain name registrars are asking viewers to visit their website before the game to vote on which ad the company will air in the Super Bowl. Both spots star GoDaddy spokesperson/race car driver, Danica Patrick.

In the first ad, titled “Baseball,” Danica and other women testify in front of a Senate panel about “Major League enhancement.” In the other spot (“Shower”), Danica takes a shower while three guys watch on their computer.

H&R BLOCK

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: Back in the game for the first time in five years, H&R Block’s ad will feature the theme “Nothing in life is certain except death and taxes.” The spot will feature 87-year-old actor, Abe Vigoda, who has been mistakenly declared dead by the media several times in the past.

HULU.COM

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: The NBC and FOX owned video sharing website will make an appearance and promises big things, including revealing "the secret behind Hulu."

HYUNDAI

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 2 spots
DETAILS: The automaker shelved plans to air a spot featuring racer Rhys Millen putting the car to the test on an Atlanta racetrack to the sounds of cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Instead, one ad will promote the 2009 Genesis sedan’s “Car of the Year” distinction and the other will highlight the company’s “Hyundai Assurance” program.

KELLOGG

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: Kellogg will join the Super Bowl for the first time ever with a spot featuring its gr-r-r-r-r-reat spokesmammal, Tony the Tiger. The ad will feature a run down playground morphing into a restored playground and will encourage viewers to visit FrostedFlakes.com to nominate a kids playing field to be rebuilt by Kellogg.

MILLER HIGH LIFE

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 1-second spot
DETAILS: Yes, you read that right. The king of “good beer at a good price” will purchase a ONE-second commercial on several local NBC networks during the game, thereby bypassing Budweiser’s long-time exclusive beer sponsorship of the big game. The ads will be seen by an estimated 70 percent of the Super Bowl viewing audience and will feature Miller’s no-nonsense, down-to-earth delivery man.

MONSTER.COM

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: The job search website is tackling the bleak economy and 16-year high unemployment levels with humor. The ad will continue the company’s “Are you in the right job?” campaign which began during the Golden Globes. Previous commercials in the campaign featured underperforming and out-of-their-element employees, including a scared construction worker clinging to life on a steel beam which we later see is only a few feet off the ground.

USA Today reported that the spot will promote Monster.com’s “Director of Fandemonium” contest. The winner will receive a $100,000 “signing bonus” and a trip to next year’s game to be on the field for the game’s opening coin toss.

NFL

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 60-second spot
DETAILS: Like last year, the halftime spot will feature a player telling his personal story. The player to be used will be determined by an online vote at superad.nfl.com.

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 3 30-second spots
DETAILS: The studio will promote a trio of blockbusters, including “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” “Star Trek” and the long-awaited live-action adaptation of the classic 80’s cartoon “G.I. Joe”.

PEDIGREE

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: Pedigree will enter the game for the first time ever, but instead of promoting its dog food, the company will use a cause marketing approach by promoting pet adoption. The spot will feature humor by showing what the world would be like without dogs. Several odd pets will make appearances, including an ostrich harassing a mailman.

PEPSICO’S BEVERAGES

NUMBER OF SPOTS: Five-and-a-half minutes
DETAILS: PepsiCo bought several extra spots just days before the game to pass Anheuser-Busch as this year’s biggest advertiser. The time is equivalent to 11 30-second spots, but it’s likely that at least a few Pepsi ads will be 60 seconds. Pepsi has also reignited the cola wars by nabbing an exclusive contract with the NFL which blocks all other non-alcoholic beverages from advertising during the game’s first half.

Pepsi will use the time to promote its drinks and its snacks, including the first ever Super Bowl commercial for Cheetos. In the spot, Chester the Cheetah will appear and encourage a woman to face off against a rude cell phone talker (see “Cheetos” entry for more information).

We do know that the flagship PepsiCo ad will feature singer Will.i.am and highlight the brand’s new “Refresh Everything” tag line.

SONY PICTURES

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: Sony will air a trailer for “Angels & Demons” starring Tom Hanks. The drama/thriller is a sequel to The Da Vinci Code and based on a book by Dan Brown.

TELEFLORA

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: The flower delivery service will remind male viewers that Valentines Day is right around the corner. The humorous spot warns against sending boxed flowers, saying “Don’t send flowers in a box. You don’t know what they’ll say.” In the spot, which takes place in an office setting, a box of flowers asks a woman if she’s ever considered rhinoplasty.

TOYOTA

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: The first quarter spot will feature Toyota’s new 2009 Venza SUV. The spot, entitled “Faces,” shows a man admiring his home and art collection while they begin morphing into parts of the Venza.

UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT

NUMBER OF SPOTS: 1 30-second spot
DETAILS: Not much is known about this spot, but the park claims it “will make theme park history with an inspiring commercial and an unprecedented offer.”

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

NUMBER OF SPOTS: multiple spots
DETAILS: Universal will use the big game to showcase at least two of it biggest upcoming films. Although Universal hasn’t announced which movies will appear, “Land of the Lost” (starring Will Ferrell) is rumored to be among the likely contenders.