TAMPA (AP): The latest in Super Bowl announcements. (EST every hour.)
___
20:00
Most brands that have money to spend on Super Bowl ads are already well-known names, but the big game is also an opportunity for novices to make a big hit.
This is what the CEO of Swedish oat milk manufacturer Oatly tried in an ad starring himself. “Wow, wow, there’s no cow,” sang CEO Toni Petersson as he played a keyboard in a cereal field.
The weird song and unprofessional singing got a mix of praise and beats on social media, which seemed to be the point. Moments after it aired, the company began promoting a t-shirt with the words, “I totally hated this Oatly commercial.”
“If you just saw our CEO sing in an oat field during the big game, we can’t give you back those 30 seconds, but we can give you a free t-shirt that lets you know the world where you’re in our promotion attempt Toni’s singing skills to a wider audience, ”the company said in a tweet.
Another lesser known brand, Dr. Squatch, was also promoted with a strange ad, but hired comedian James Schrader to launch the California soap maker focused on men’s hygiene and natural ingredients. ___
19:15 h
General Motors used humor in a Super Bowl ad to promote its ambitious drive to get more Americans to buy electric vehicles.
GM has set itself the goal of converting the vast majority of electric-producing vehicles by 2035 and making the entire company carbon-neutral five years later.
When actor Will Ferrell discovers that Norway has more electric vehicles per capita than the United States, he takes a crazy trip around the country with singer and actress Awkwafina and comedian Kenan Thompson to prove that GM’s new car battery electric will soon be available to everyone.
GM’s Cadillac brand also has an ad that will air later in the game, inspired by the classic 1990s movie “Edward Scissorhands” featuring a hands-free feature for its electric SUV, the Lyriq.
___
19:00
The Super Bowl announcement, DoorDash, brought nostalgia and asked the Sesame Street Muppets to convey the message that DoorDash can deliver goods to local stores, not just restaurants. “Hamilton” actor Daveed Diggs offers some flavor to the ad, with a hilarious version of the children’s song “People in Your Neighborhood,” which turns into a rap.
DoorDash is one of more than 20 Super Bowl advertisers for the first time this year and is making the move after benefiting from a shift toward home delivery while people hid at home during the pandemic. The DoorDash first-quarter announcement enlisted the help of characters such as Cookie Monster, Big Bird, and Grover to try to convey the message that DoorDash can be used to pick up items from the local store, such as paper towels.
The announcement is directed by the director of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, Michel Gondry.
“Over the past year, we have expanded our business into new categories,” said DoorDash Vice President of Marketing Kofi Amoo-Gottfried. “It made sense to use the Super Bowl as a time to start communicating this message given the scale of audience we have the ability to talk to.”
It’s not the first time Diggs has worked with Muppets: he appeared in the Sesame Street sketches in 2017.