Avocados From Mexico teases Anna Faris as Eve ahead of Super Bowl 57 ad (plus behind-the-scenes photos)

Adding to Faris’ comedic timing, the commercial production also features a star behind the lens in director Bryan Buckley.

Avocados From Mexico returns to the Super Bowl commercial lineup in 2023, revealing in the brand’s first teaser that actress Anna Faris will be part of the national spotlight on February 12.

The brand has become a familiar face on Super Bowl Sunday, coming off a creative spot with Andy Richter last year that helped them finish in the USA TODAY Ad Meter top 20.

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This time around, they have shed the Caesar Era and head way back in time, an origin story with a magical twist that highlights a “new 360 marketing campaign designed to celebrate how Avocados From Mexico make everything better.”

Check out Anna as Eve in the remained Garden of Eden…

Adding to Faris’ comedic timing, the commercial production also features a star behind the lens in director Bryan Buckley—the two-time Oscar-nominated talent who first stepped onto the Super Bowl ad scene back in 1999.

Beyond that, the creative efforts also explore a growing shift in the marketing world, where interactive tech plays a role in the overall storyline— you can see AFM’s interactive digital activations here—which should be an exciting part of the full campaign.

As Ivonne Kinser, Vice President of Marketing and Innovation for AFM, explained to Ad Meter via email, all of it is part of the monumental effort by the brand and agency ahead of Super Bowl Sunday.

“I’m extremely proud of the work that we put out there this year in partnership with our agency Lerma to communicate in an epic way that Avocados From Mexico makes everything better. The daring creativity of this spot helped us to engage, arguably, the best Big Game director of all time, Bryan Buckley, and an iconic celebrity like Anna Faris. Add that to the heightened cinematic reality that we have this year, and we have a breakthrough spot that is here to be remembered.”

Get a look at the Behind the Scenes photos courtesy of Avocados From Mexico:

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Ozzy Osbourne is a ‘rock star’ for Workday in Super Bowl 57 teaser

Uber looks to Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs for a hit—not a jingle—in funny Super Bowl 57 teaser

Diddy stars in this funny Super Bowl commercial teaser for Uber One.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs steps into the spotlight for Uber’s first teaser ahead of the Super Bowl commercial rush, with the multitalented music and entertainment mogul teaming up with the brand for its third consecutive year airing in the national lineup.

This year’s creative focuses on Uber One, a membership that offers perks and savings on rides, delivery, groceries, and more, and the mission behind the campaign is a classic advertising phenomenon.

“As the only global company that helps you go anywhere and get anything, our membership program is the best way to save,” Danielle Hawley, Global Executive Creative Director, explained to USA TODAY via email. “We want people to remember that, so for this year’s Super Bowl ad, we set out to help everyone get Uber One stuck in their heads — and what better way to do that than with a hit song?”

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For Diddy’s part, Uber has one straightforward request: Dream up that hit song (not a jingle).

His spokesperson takes it from there …

It’s a headlining appearance on advertising’s biggest stage for Diddy, one that he’s been part of in one way or another since the infamous 2004 halftime show with Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson.

As for the other musically inclined stars joining him in the ad?

Hawley continued that Uber “paired some of the biggest hitmakers of all time with one of the most esteemed producers in the game to help Uber One catch on,” so fans will have to keep an eye out for how this musical journey plays out.

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Ozzy Osbourne is a ‘rock star’ for Workday in Super Bowl 57 teaser

Workday lands a ‘rock star’ for Super Bowl 57:

Heavy metal icon Ozzy Osborne is set to make his second Super Bowl ad appearance during USA TODAY Ad Meter’s 35th year in 2023.

The finance/HR software company Workday tabbed Osbourne to appear on football’s biggest stage for the first time since 2011. It’s going to be the company’s first time on the Super Bowl stage.

In their ad preview, a simple yet perfect pun is used.

The 15-second preview features two office workers talking about the new hire. How was the newbie described?

They were called a… rock star…

A clever idea:

Naturally Osbourne doesn’t go long without giving the commercial an Ozzy feel with his question, even in his new-found look featuring a button up and tie at his desk.

That appears to be the concept Workday was going for. A common workforce office vibe but taking the “rock star” idea to a literal level.

Osbourne is also just a tease of more musical guests to come. The Workday ad will also feature Joan Jett and Gary Clark Jr., to name a few.

The full-length advert is going to be a one-minute spot. It’s set to air in the third quarter of Super Bowl 57.

Hopefully fans are still in a music mindset following halftime.

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Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl is Crown Royal’s Super Bowl 57 frontman in teasers

Super Bowl Commercial Tracker: Eligible brands confirmed for Ad Meter 2023

An updated look at the brands with national commercials airing during Super Bowl 57.

The Super Bowl 57 teams are set, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs heading to Arizona as the headliners of the NFL’s biggest act on February 12.

Regarding the breaks in the action that night—arguably the real stars of the show—much of the big game commercial lineup is shaping up, too, as nearly 30 brands have gone public with plans to unveil a Super Bowl spot that night.

Some have already created a buzz with teasers that have landed in social-media discussions and general searches over the past few weeks.

And within that consumer vortex of info also lies the brands that will air national spots between the coin toss and two-minute warning in the 4th quarter. This timeframe makes a Super Bowl commercial eligible for the USA TODAY Ad Meter ratings, which celebrates 35 years in 2023.

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Ahead of the ratings opening on Feb. 8 at noon ET, we’re keeping track of the confirmed brands in the national block during Super Bowl Sunday.

Here’s the current list of advertisers as of 1/29:

Pringles

Rakuten

Avocados from Mexico

Hellmann’s Mayonnaise

M&Ms

PopCorners

Downy

He Gets Us

DraftKings

KIA

Turbo Tax

Doritos

Crown Royal

Molson Coors

Rémy Cointreau

Booking.com

Pepsi Zero Sugar

Squarespace

Molson Coors

E-Trade

Michelob Ultra

Busch Light

Bud Light

Planters

GM

Workday

Notable brands not advertising during Super Bowl 57:

BMW

Meta

Taco Bell

Coca-Cola

Toyota

CarMax

Carvana

Vroom

Nissan

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5 highest-rated car commercials in USA TODAY Ad Meter history

A look under the hood of Super Bowl commercial history

Car brands have always been near the top—if not the top—of the advertising world, a storyboard dotted with creative progressions from Ford’s Model-T to the Age of Electric.

And like many brands, the evolving ingenuity behind auto ads is never on better display than during the NFL’s biggest game, where the latest and greatest in the industry is introduced to the masses with spots that play out like a short film on Super Bowl Sunday.

The best of the best?

That’s a difficult question to answer, and one that creates an interesting trivia tidbit as USA TODAY Ad Meter—which has quite a proverbial garage of great car spots since 1989—celebrates its 35th Anniversary:

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Over the three and half decades of the ratings, there have been three car commercials that have won Ad Meter, but none of those crack the five highest-rated car ads of all time.

That honor belongs to these commercials, all of which just happened to advertise during a remarkably top-tier level of competition. (For example, these would have finished at the No. 1 spot in each year from 2022 to 2016.)

5. Isuzu: “Guy loses playoff tickets” (1994)

Ad Meter Rating: 8.00

1994 Winner: Pepsi’s “A Chimp Experiment Goes Awry”: 9.34

4. Nissan: “Pigeons fly over Nissan” (1997)

Ad Meter Rating: 8.07

1997 Winner: Pepsi’s “Bears Dance to Village People Tune”: 8.22

3. Honda: “Matthew’s day off” (2012)

Ad Meter Rating: 8.11

2012 Winner: Doritos “Dog bribes cat owner”: 8.82

2. Hyundai: “Cheetah” (2012)

Ad Meter Rating: 8.16

2012 Winner: Doritos “Dog bribes cat owner”: 8.82

1. Volkswagen: “The dog strikes back” (2012)

Ad Meter Rating: 8.73

2012 Winner: Doritos “Dog bribes cat owner”: 8.82

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Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl is Crown Royal’s Super Bowl 57 frontman in teasers

Downy continues tease of masked star ahead of Super Bowl commercial in funny string of spots

Who’s the face behind the fabric?

Downy is making an appearance in the Super Bowl commercial lineup for the first time in 11 years, joining the list of brands that will make an entrance onto advertising’s biggest stage in 2023. And the Proctor & Gamble Co. staple will be doing so with a “famous skeptic” in the ad.

Well, maybe, pending if his hoodie stays fresh or not.

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The creative push behind the campaign has been one of the longer-running builds this season—the first teaser dropping in December 2022—but it’s also been one of the more notable.

And the rollout behind such a lengthy concept wasn’t a misfire, either, but instead the exact logline the brand was looking to highlight.

“The product benefit of Downy Unstopables is unbelievable,” Ciro Sarmiento, Chief Creative Officer of Woven Collaborative explained to USA TODAY Ad Meter via email. “And that’s exactly the trial barrier for consumers: They don’t believe it keeps clothes smelling fresh for weeks.”

Freshness for 12 weeks? Don’t believe it?

Neither does this … guy.

It’s new territory for Super Bowl ads, matching the overall messaging (in this case, the length of time Product X works) with a teaser campaign, and so far, the pioneering effort hasn’t stunk—literally and creatively.

Each spot (now five total) has featured the masked individual expressing his doubts about Downy Unstopables living up to the test of keeping this hoodie smelling fresh. And at the same time, he’s delivered plenty of comedic zest, a rare achievement with just a voiceover.

Here’s the latest:

Of course, to turn that 12-week test into a viable campaign is one thing. Turning 12 weeks of guessing into 30 seconds of Super Bowl commercial success is another. But the brand is confident in its “Trojan horse for comedy.”

Sarmiento continued: “We talked about the brand’s personality from the start, the fact that Downy Unstopables is feisty and packs a punch to it. So it was important for us to make an ad in a way only Downy Unstopables could and still entertain the audience with a memorable story.”

And who might that personality be, you ask? (We did.)

It’s a familiar voice, without question — one that we’ve taken a guess or two about—but if there’s one thing we’ve learned in the Super Bowl ad space, it’s this: the sleight-of-hand gusto associated with Super Bowl spots can leave even seasoned commercial fans in wide-eyed disbelief.

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Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl is Crown Royal’s Super Bowl 57 frontman in teasers

A lot to come from Dave Grohl & Crown Royal at #SuperBowl 57 as he appears in their ad teasers:

Dave Grohl is known a few different ways.

Most notably, he’s the frontman of the band Foo Fighters.

Somewhere else on the list: Grohl is a Crown Royal kind of guy. It doesn’t take too much searching around to find Grohl signing the Canadian Whisky’s praises and he’s going to do exactly that during Super Bowl 57.

Crown Royal released teasers of its commercial that’s going to run during 2023’s Big Game. It’s the first time the brand will be in the national lineup and in contention for the top ranking on Ad Meter.

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In a pair of teasers, Crown Royal uniquely caught attention too.

The first, Grohl is in his natural habitat, a recording studio… and he reads off a list of seemingly random words.

Anything from peanut butter to trash bags are mentioned in the 30-second spot:

Adding to the confusion: “Thank you.” Crown Royal’s second teaser with Grohl involves only those two words:

But there is a method behind the question marks.

The Diageo brand liquor has expanded its advert spot during Super Bowl Sunday from 30 to 60 seconds.

When that debuts, Crown Royal made a promise: We’re going to find out that there is a “whole lot of meaning” to these words, and it’s said these objects have something in common.

Hmmm…

A teaser if there ever was one ahead of Ad Meter’s 35th year.

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Ad Meter Rewind: The 2012 Super Bowl commercial lineup was the Year of the Dog

Over a decade ago, dogs ruled the Super Bowl commercial lineup.

The 2012 Super Bowl continues to be part of NFL conversations over a decade later, holding rank as an often-used reminder in the context of quarterback discussions — specifically, Eli Manning vs. Tom Brady. Or: Manning 2, Brady, 0.

Beyond the Giants’ victory over the Patriots, however, was another incredible footnote (check that: paw note) to Super Bowl XLVI.

That year’s commercial lineup was dominated by dogs, with four of the top 10 national commercials in the USA TODAY Ad Meter ratings starring man’s best friend.

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And because there’s never a bad time to look back on Super Bowl commercials or videos of dogs, we’re taking the combo and heading to the Ad Meter vault.

Bud Light – “Here We Go”

The great Bud Light spot featuring rescue dog WeeGo landed at No. 6 in the Ad Meter rating in 2012. And it still makes for a classic line — “Here We Go!”

Skechers: “Mr. Quiggly”

Who could ever forget Mr. Quiggly?! The Skechers-clad French bulldog took on the Greyhounds in a race for the ages back in 2012, winning the hearts of commercial fans and the sprint. Even Mavericks/Mr. Quiggly owner Mark Cuban was impressed, and for a good reason: The ad placed third in the Ad Meter ratings that year.

Volkswagen: “The Dog Strikes Back”

Volkswagen hit it big in 2011 with a “Star Wars” nod that starred a little Darth Vader, who finally experienced the power of the force (albeit with the help of his father). And the car brand kept the momentum going in 2012 thanks to a four-legged pooch and his fitness goals. Stair climbs, swimming, and a little sled (or rug) work allowed the doggo to finally fit through the dog door, so he could chase the Volkswagen Beetle.

Of course, the commercial wasn’t complete without a bit of galactic nostalgia from the previous year’s success, which crated the perfect formula—dogs and “Star Wars”, who knew?—as the spot landed at No. 2 in the Ad Meter ratings.

Doritos: “Man’s Best Friend”

Man’s best friend can sometimes mean “partner in crime,” as evident in this legendary ad from Doritos. The snack brand took the top spot in 2012, capping off a Super Bowl commercial lineup that genuinely was the Year of the Dog.

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Gang officially back together in PopCorners’ second ‘Breaking Bad’ teaser

Walter White and Jesse Pinkman are back!

PopCorners caught our attention and now have delivered us the goods.

Along with the snack, “Walter White” is back in the frame with “Jesse Pinkman” in the Frito-Lay brand’s latest Super Bowl 57 ad teaser.

The first featured a couple of the “Breaking Bad” classics: lawn chairs, the desert landscape of Southwest America, a recognizable RV, and Aaron Paul as Jesse:

A teaser within the teaser: Paul answers a phone call? Who could it be?

Well, Bryan Cranston, a.k.a. Walter, already made it known he was set to appear in an upcoming Super Bowl 57 ad with PopCorners via his social media account on Instagram.

That has officially come to fruition in PopCorners‘ second advert preview. Many of the show’s recognizable features are back, as are Walt and Jesse, who are inside the RV in a scene fresh out of season two of the show.

A little back and forth between the two, this time featuring PopCorners, brings back the memories:

Further setting the anticipation high, PopCorners revealed things to come regarding the finished product of this commercial.

Raymond Cruz, another staple from the show who starred as “Tuco Salamanca,” will feature in the final ad.

As if this all isn’t enough to get one excited and make you think PopCorners could really do damage in Ad Meter’s 35th annual ratings this year, there’s more.

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The show’s creator, Vince Gilligan, has his fingers all over it: He has been revealed as the commercial’s director.

Frito-Lay and PopCorners might have the Super Bowl advertising competition shaking already.

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Michelob ULTRA heads to Bushwood Country Club

Pringles teases award-winning talent Meghan Trainor in Super Bowl commercial teaser

Pringles is back in the Super 57 commercial lineup with its first celeb star since 2018.

Celebrities—they’re just like us.

And Pringles is back in the Super Bowl commercial lineup to show one common similarity that all fans of the snack brand can relate to, doing so with the help of Meghan Trainor.

It’s the brand’s first celebrity star since 2018, when Bill Hader appeared in the “Wow” spot that finished 38th in the USA TODAY Ad Meter ratings.

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But a lot has changed since 2018, partly due to the speed-of-a-swipe shift that has erupted in the digital world.

In the teaser, Trainor, who has been part of the growing TikTok surge, lends her take on the viral dance that was created by @brookieandjessie and soundtracked by her song “Made You Look”— that original video has since picked up over 55.3 million views (as of 1/26).

The punchline, however, is still classic Pringles: even a talented, award-winning singer-songwriter struggles with getting her hand stuck in the can.

How that commonality plays out in the ratings is as intriguing as what’s in store when the full spot airs.

On the latter part of the equation, Mauricio Jenkins, Pringles U.S. Marketing Lead, says it’ll be a celebratory snafu.

“Without spilling all the crisps just yet, snacking fans across the country will continue to see how getting “stuck in” with Pringles is truly something to celebrate – this year with Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, television personality and TikTok sensation, Meghan Trainor.”

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Michelob ULTRA heads to Bushwood Country Club