- An ad slot during the Super Bowl doesn’t come cheap. CBS charged north of $5 million for a 30 second-spot in the game this year.
- Several newbies made their Super Bowl debut, including Procter & Gamble’s beauty brand Olay, the dating app Bumble, and Kraft’s frozen-food brand Devour.
- Regulars like Anheuser-Busch InBev, Avocados From Mexico, and Kia also returned.
- Here’s everything we know about the commercials airing during the Super Bowl 2019.
What’s Super Bowl Sunday without the commercials?
While the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots duked it out over the Lombardi Trophy this year, there was another battle of the brands raging off the field, on your TV screens.
A premium ad slot during the game doesn’t come cheap. CBS charged north of $5 million for a 30-second spot in the game this year, in line with how NBC priced it last year.
Several newbies made their Super Bowl debut, with Procter & Gamble’s beauty brand Olay, the dating app Bumble, and Kraft’s frozen-food brand Devour joining regulars like Anheuser-Busch InBev, Avocados From Mexico, and Kia.
Others, like Airbnb, Jaguar, and Land Rover, sat this year out. As did Skittles - which tried to steal attention from the main stage by putting together a one-night-only play called "Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical" in lieu of a traditional Super Bowl ad.
Here's a look at all the ads that ran in the big game. Note that this list includes national advertisers only.
ADT
ADT ran its first Super Bowl spot, "Real Protection," featuring Drew and Jonathan Scott of "Property Brothers" immediately after the halftime show.
See the ad below:
Amazon
Amazon has become a Super Bowl staple in recent years with its celebrity-loaded commercials.
This year was no exception, and Amazon used a 90-second ad starring Harrison Ford, Abbi Jacobson, Ilana Glazer, and Forest Whitaker to promote its voice assistant, Alexa.
The spot poked fun at how Amazon is increasingly equipping everything from doorbells, mirrors, and cars with its voice-activated technology - except for a few devices that aren't better with technology like toothbrushes, a hot tub, and dog collars.
The spot was created by Amazon's internal agency.
Amazon Prime also ran a 60-second spot for its new series "Hanna."
Here's the full Alexa spot:
Audi
Audi used its 60-second spot during the second quarter of the big game to showcase its electronic car range E-Tron.
The spot, produced by the agency Venables Bell & Partners, marked the automaker's 10th Super Bowl appearance.
Here's the full ad:
Avocados from Mexico
The brand came back to the Super Bowl for the fifth consecutive year with its signature humor in a 30-second ad that ran in the second quarter.
The spot, by the agency EnergyBBDO, showcased its tagline "Always Worth It" and brought together avocados and dogs along with the actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth.
Here's the full ad:
Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer
The Anheuser-Busch InBev brand's ad was a mashup of mermaids and ABC's hit show "Shark Tank."
Watch it below:
Bubly (PepsiCo)
Pepsi introduced its newly launched sparkling water brand Bubly to a mass audience, enlisting the Canadian singer Michael Bublé for its third-quarter spot helmed by the San Francisco-based agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
Here's the full ad:
Bud Light
Bud Light brought back both the "Bud Knight" and "Dilly Dilly" themes in the four spots it ran during the game. In three of them, it touted its ingredients.
But the one that prompted the most chatter, however, was the fourth one, which involved a takeover by "Game of Thrones."
Check it out below:
Budweiser
The brewer Anheuser-Busch left no stone unturned to make its presence known at the Super Bowl this year, with eight ads featuring five brands and seven products.
The beverage giant made an environmental play with its Budweiser ad, set to the tune of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind." It touted Anheuser-Busch InBev's use of wind power in its brewing operations and was produced by David.
Here's the ad:
Bumble
The woman-focused dating app's first Super Spot made waves, thanks to the subject of the spot: the life and career of the tennis star Serena Williams off the court.
The ad was created by a predominantly female team of creatives at Bumble's lead agency, FlyteVu, as well as WPP's VMLY&R.
Here's the ad:
Burger King
Burger King came back to the big game after 12 years with a new commercial for its signature Whopper burger, featuring none other than Andy Warhol.
The spot, in collaboration the delivery startup DoorDash, was produced by David Miami and aired in the fourth quarter.
Here's the ad:
Colgate
After making its Super Bowl debut in 2016, Colgate took a bit of a breather but returned this year with its second spot starring the actor Luke Wilson.
The 30-second spot touted the company's flagship product Colgate Total as the product that can do it all when it come to people's mouths: from reducing sensitivity to strengthening tooth enamel and fighting bacteria.
It aired in the third quarter and was produced by the agency Red Fuse.
Check it out below:
Devour (Kraft-Heinz)
David Miami, the agency behind many of Burger King's wackiest ads in recent years, was in charge of this spot for Kraft-Heinz's frozen-foods brand Devour.
The 30-second ad aired during the third quarter.
Here's the full ad:
Dorito's
Dorito's went celebrity-heavy once again after its star-studded collaboration with Mountain Dew last year featuring Morgan Freeman and Peter Dinklage as well as Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott.
This year, Chance the Rapper appeared in the Super Bowl spot for the brand's newest flavor, Flamin' Hot Nacho, by the agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
Here's the full spot:
Expensify
The expense-management platform premiered its first television ad during the Super Bowl this year.
The ad was developed by JohnXHannes New York and aired during the second quarter. It featured 2 Chainz and Adam Scott.
Catch the full ad below:
Alphabet ran two spots promoting Google during this year's Super Bowl.
YouTube, another Alphabet brand, also sponsored CBS' pregame show and ran two ads during the program.
Here's the ad Google ran for Google Translate:
HBO
HBO hijacked Bud Light's Bud Knight ad to do a weird crossover spot promoting the final season of "Game of Thrones."
Here it is:
Hulu
Hulu returned to the Super Bowl for the third consecutive year featuring a 30-second spot that served as a teaser for season three of the dystopian series "The Handmaid's Tale."
The ad aired during the first quarter of the game.
Watch it below:
Hyundai
Hyundai aired a 60-second spot produced by its agency of record, Innocean, during the first quarter.
The ad starred actor Jason Bateman and feature the model 2020 Palisade SUV.
Here's the full ad:
Kia
The automaker made its 11th appearance at the big game this year, in a spot developed by its agency David&Goliath.
At 90 seconds, the spot "Give It Everything" was its longest ever. It aired during the third quarter.
Here's the full ad:
M&M's (Mars)
BBDO New York created the 30-second commercial for M&M's, which aired during the first commercial break following the kick-off.
Christina Applegate starred in M&M's Super Bowl ad, which was 30 seconds long and touted its new chocolate bar.
Here's the ad:
Mercedes-Benz
After sitting out last year, the luxury-car maker returned to the Super Bowl this year.
The brand showcased its brand-new A-Class vehicle with a guest appearance by the Atlanta-based musician Ludacris, who is now an ambassador for the brand.
It is fitting, as the game was played at the home of its US headquarters.
Here's the ad:
Michelob Ultra
The Anheuser Busch-owned brand ran a 45-second spot taking advantage of a trend called autonomous sensory meridian response to tout its Pure Gold beer.
It also ran another spot for Michelob Ultra called "Robots."
It may or may not have worked, but here's the ad:
Microsoft
Microsoft returned to the Super Bowl with an ad featuring children with disabilities.
The ad by McCann showed how the children play video games with the Xbox Adaptive Controller.
Here's an extended version of the spot:
Mint Mobile
The low-cost telecom company Mint Mobile ran its first Super Bowl ad with a 30-second spot dubbed "Chunky Style Milk."
The ad focused on showing off the company's $20-a-month subscriber plans. When someone questions whether the low cost is right, Mint Mobile's fox character says "It's right all right. Now chunky style milk, that's not right" before the camera pans to a family drinking chunky milk.
Creative was done in-house.
Watch it below:
NFL
The NFL ran a 90-second Super Bowl ad produced by 72andSunny, which kicked off the celebration of the NFL's 100th season.
The ad featured dozens of current and former football players.
Here's the ad:
Norwegian Cruise Line
The cruise line ran an ad to supplement a sweepstakes it was running on Twitter and Facebook in which it planned to give away eight seven-day cruises during the game.
Here's the spot:
Olay (P&G)
Procter & Gamble's beauty brand Olay made its Super Bowl debut with a horror-movie-inspired 30-second spot by Saatchi & Saatchi that aired in the first quarter.
The skincare brand's ad featured Sarah Michelle Gellar, and it was hoping to make a statement by appealing to female fans, who it says have largely been neglected by Super Bowl advertisers.
Here's the full ad:
Pepsi
Apart from sponsoring the halftime show, Pepsi also ran an ad during the commercial breaks, produced by Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
The ad for its flagship product featured Lil Jon, Steve Carell, and Cardi B. The company also trolled Coke with billboards around Atlanta, its headquarters, that said "Pepsi in Atlanta. How refreshing."
Here's the spot:
Persil ProClean (Henkel)
DDB New York produced the 2019 Super Bowl spot for the detergent brand Persil, which saw the "Younger" star Peter Hermann reprise his role of the character "The Professional."
Similar to the company's previous ads, the 15-second ad focused on the technology behind Persil's stain-removing products. The ad was directed by Erich Joiner.
Here's the full ad:
Planters (Kraft-Heinz)
VaynerMedia produced the 30-second Super Bowl spot for Planters' big comeback after more than a decade, which aired during the second quarter of the game.
The ad featured the Mr. Peanut character and the baseball star Alex Rodriguez as well as Charlie Sheen.
Here's the full spot:
Pringles
This was Pringles' second Super Bowl outing, following its flavor-stacking spot from last year.
The ad, called "Sad Smart Device," was produced by Grey. It aired during the second quarter and was supported by a broader integrated marketing campaign.
Here's the full ad:
SimpliSafe
This was the first Super Bowl spot not only for the Boston-based home-security company but also for the home-security industry.
The 30-second spot aired at the end of the first quarter and was produced by the Austin, Texas-based creative agency Preacher.
Here's the ad:
Sketchers
The shoe brand ran a 30-second spot during the game with its spokesman Tony Romo. Sketchers ran a 15-second ad last year with Howie Long.
Here's the ad:
Sprint
The telecom provider ran a spot featuring its regular spokesman Paul Marcarelli during the second quarter of the Super Bowl.
Here's the full spot:
The Washington Post
The Washington Post premiered a 60-second ad highlighting the critical work of reporters and the role that work plays in Americans' everyday lives.
A first for The Post, the spot was voiced by actor and director Tom Hanks:
T-Mobile
The carrier returned to the Super Bowl for the sixth consecutive time in 2019 with an ad in each quarter.
The company is best-known for its 2016 "Hotline Bling" Super Bowl commercial featuring Drake.
Here's one of the ads:
Toyota
Toyota made its seventh appearance in eight years at the Super Bowl this year, with two spots. The first 60-second ad focused on the RAV4 and featured female athlete Antoinette "Toni" Harris and was directed by Joe Pytka, who is behind more than 80 Super Bowl commercials for brands like Budweiser, Pepsi and Nike. The creative was led by Burrell, while media was led by Saatchi & Saatchi.
The second 60-second ad featured its Supra car. The spot,"Wizard" displayed the car "as it conquers the obstacles of a life-sized pinball machine," according to the brand. Creative was led by Saatchi & Saatchi and media was handled by Saatchi & Saatchi and Zenith Media.
Watch it here:
TurboTax (Intuit)
Intuit's TurboTax returned to the Super Bowl for the sixth year in a row, with a spot developed by Wieden + Kennedy.
The spot was a continuation of the Live campaign that debuted in December, and featured "Robo Child," a bot who dreams of being more than a robot.
Alongside the ads, Intuit TurboTax Live also became the first presenting sponsor for the AFC and NFC Championship games.
Here's the ad:
Turkish Airlines
This is the fourth consecutive year the airline took the Super Bowl stage.
Its 30-second spot aired in the first quarter.
Here it is:
Verizon
Following a tearjerker, Verizon was back to tug at your heartstrings for the second year in a row this year.
The company also launched an associated campaign that highlights the real stories of 12 NFL stars that experienced a life-changing situation and the first responders who saved them leading up to it.
Here's the ad that aired, called "The Coach That Wouldn't Be Here":
WeatherTech
This was the car mat-maker's sixth Super Bowl appearance, with a 45 second-long buy that ran during the first half of the game.
Pinnacle Advertising, the brand's agency of record, handled the creative, which focused on its new line of pet feeding bowls.
Here's the full commercial:
Wix
Wix announced last-minute that it was returning to the Super Bowl for the fifth consecutive year with a 30-second ad starring supermodel Karlie Kloss.
Check out the ad below:
