Super Bowl Ad Tracker: Everything You Need to Know About 2015's Big Game

Welcome to Adweek's 2015 Super Bowl Ad Tracker, a frequently updated roster of the brands and agencies taking part in the year's biggest advertising event. Leading up to the Big Game on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz., we'll update this post with everything we know about this year's advertisers. Since a 30-second spot will reportedly cost $4.5 million during the game, we'll also look at how brands are making the most of their spots with digital and social campaigns. Read below or click the following categories to find out the confirmed (or confidently speculated) spenders for the game. As the event gets closer, we'll update this post with information about creative content and when the spots will debut, so be sure to check back often. Recent updates: • Game of War: Fire Age will recruit Kate Upton again for in-game ad. • Microsoft's ad is live. • Discover will return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1986. • Northrop Grumman will show off its upcoming bomber in its first 30-second ad. • Nationwide plans to run two different ads • Avocados From Mexico's final ad is online. • McDonald's full 60-second spot is live. • Pete Rose stars in Skechers' 15-second Super Bowl ad. • Esurance's Big Game spot features Lindsay Lohan. • Fiat Chrysler will run three ads, one of which is supposed to run after the "two-minute" warning in the second quarter. • Mophie and Deutsch L.A. have released the "All Powerless" campaign. • WeatherTech's spot is live. • Snickers' Brady Bunch-themed ad with Danny Trejo has been released. • Procter & Gamble is taking its popular "Like a Girl" ad to the Super Bowl. • Sprint's 30-second ad will run during the third quarter of the game. • Mobile gaming company uCool—makers of Heroes Charge—will run a 15-second ad. AUTOMOTIVE | FASHION | FOOD & BEVERAGE | INSURANCE & FINANCE | MOVIES | ONLINE BRANDS | PACKAGED GOODS | PSAs & CAUSES | TELECOM & TECH | TRAVEL | BRANDS BACKING OUT AUTOMOTIVE Fiat Chrysler: The Super Bowl favorite has confirmed that it will run three ads for its brands during the game. A rep declined to name which brands the ads will be for, but the first spot is expected to air during the two-minute warning in the second quarter. BMW: The luxury automotive brand will run its first ad in four years with a 60-second spot from Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners. Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric will promote the BMW i3 with a nod to the now-famous Today Show clip of the pair cluelessly talking about the Internet. "What is 'Internet' anyway? Do you write to it like mail?" Kia: The car brand will run its sixth consecutive Super Bowl spot, this time featuring Pierce Brosnan and the Sorento crossover SUV. The 60-second ad takes place in Brosnan's talent agency and explains the actor's "unexpected" role in the commercial. UPDATE: Kia has released the extended version online. Nissan: After sitting out the Super Bowl since 1997, Nissan is back this year with a 90-second spot from TBWA\Chiat\Day in Playa del Rey, Calif. The ad is under wraps until it airs, but the brand has tapped seven YouTube stars, including Roman Atwood and Dude Perfect, to churn out online videos leading up to the Big Game. Toyota: This year will mark the third consecutive year Toyota has run a Super Bowl ad. The automaker will promote the 2015 Camry with two 60-second commercials from Saatchi & Saatchi in Torrance, Calif. The ad features Paralympic athlete and actress Amy Purdy; Muhammad Ali; and NFL players Kurt Warner, LaVar Arrington and Fred Jackson. UPDATE: The first of the two ads is now live. Lexus: Toyota-owned Lexus will run its second ad this year. Agency Walton Isaacson is behind the campaign, which will include a 30-second ad showcasing its NX model. Mercedes-Benz: Mercedes' 60-second ad, from Merkley + Partners, retells the story of The Tortoise and the Hare, with a certain car model playing a pivotal role in the outcome of the race. The whimsical spot mixes animation with live action and was directed by Robert Stromberg, who is known for his feature film work (Maleficent, Avatar) and hasn't directed a commercial before. The ad will air in the fourth quarter. This year marks the brand's third Super Bowl appearance in five years. WeatherTech: Automotive floor mat company WeatherTech will run a 30-second spot this year after debuting its first ad during last year's game. Pinnacle Advertising is behind the campaign. "The whole idea of going into the Super Bowl again this year is to continue to build awareness—this large of a stage is a great way to position the brand to America," Michael Magnusson, president and CEO of Pinnacle, told Adweek. UPDATE: Here is the 30-second ad. FASHION Victoria's Secret: After running ads in 1999 and 2008, the lingerie brand is back this year with a 30-second spot that will air in the fourth quarter of the game. The ad features Angel supermodels Karlie Kloss, Adriana Lima, Doutzen Kroes, Lily Aldridge, Behati Prinsloo and Candice Swanepoel. The ad is part of a Valentine's Day campaign that also includes a 90-second online video. UPDATE: Here's the final spot. Skechers: The shoe brand returns to this year's Super Bowl (after sitting out last year's) with a campaign from Siltanen & Partners. FOOD & BEVERAGE Weight Watchers: AgencySpy reports the diets player will run its first Super Bowl ad as part of a bigger marketing shift that began in November. McDonald's: The fast-food chain will run an in-game ad (from Leo Burnett) as part of a bigger branding campaign. This time, diners pay for their meals with a twist. Budweiser: Anheuser-Busch plans to run three ads this year—two for Budweiser (from Anomaly in New York) and one for Bud Light (from Energy BBDO in Chicago). For Bud, one ad will draw on 2014's popular "Puppy Love" spot with a lost puppy and the brand's iconic Clydesdales. UPDATE: Budweiser has released "Lost Dog." Bud Light: The beer brand has already released its 90-second "Coin" ad, which will air during the fourth quarter of the game. The brewer chose to launch the ad on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, showing how brands are looking to generate the most pregame buzz on talk shows versus traditional news outlets. Bud Light will also host a three-day event called "House of Whatever" in Phoenix, with DJ Steve Aoki and other entertainers. In addition, the brewer will set up four social media command centers in New York; Glendale, Ariz.; St. Louis; and Palo Alto, Calif., where reps from both teams will create real-time content during the game. Coca-Cola: Coke will run a 60-second ad targeting online trolls with the hashtag #MakeItHappy. For context, last year's multiethnic ad struck a nerve with some viewers, and the 2013 and 2012 spots included strong digital efforts. The company isn't unveiling the ad before game night, but it will release a few teasers, including four longer videos featuring teens and celebs who have dealt with Internet haters. Here's one with Kid President. Doritos: The Pepsi-owned snack brand will run its "Crash the Super Bowl" campaign for the ninth year. The brand has narrowed the competition to 10 original ideas from independent filmmakers, although one ad is suspiciously similar to 2010's "Drama Queen" spot created by Rogier Hesp and produced by TBWA/PHS Helsinki. Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco is Doritos' lead agency. Pepsi: Pepsi plans to run a 30-second ad to support its halftime sponsorship, where Katy Perry will perform, but it will not air during the game. Mekanism is creating the ad, which also worked on the brand's 2014 campaign. According to USA Today, the ad is set in a desert and show strange things that happen there. "Strange things happen in the desert," Pepsi's senior director of marketing Lou Arbetter told the publication. "That's the basis of the spot." Snickers: After running a Super Bowl ad last year for M&M's, parent company Mars has bought a 30-second ad for Snickers from BBDO in New York. The spot builds on its "You're Not You When You're Hungry" campaign, and a 15-second teaser features Danny Trejo. Previous ads starred Betty White in 2010 and Roseanne Barr in 2011. UPDATE: The 30-second ad has been revealed online after a 15-second teaser racked up 2.5 millon social media impressions. In addition to Trejo, another surprise celebrity makes a cameo. Skittles: Mars will also run its first ad for Skittles this year. The candy brand is working with DDB Chicago to create the ad and has released a 15-second teaser on YouTube showing men and women with bodybuilder arms in a diner located in a small town in U.S. Avocados From Mexico: Claiming to be the first fresh produce brand to advertise at the Super Bowl, the brand will air a 30-second ad at the end of the first quarter of the game. The spot is part of a bigger campaign that runs through June to build awareness and consumption of guacamole. In correlation with the Big Game, Avocados from Mexico will launch a digital program called "No Guac, No Game" that features Mario Lopez and wife Courtney Lopez. After the spot airs, a social media team plans to launch seven online videos with the help of a social media war room. UPDATE: The final spot is live: INSURANCE AND FINANCE Esurance: The online insurance company is running a Super Bowl spot for the first time this year after pulling off an interesting stunt last year with a $1.5 million sweepstakes. This year's campaign—created by Leo Burnett—stars Lindsay Lohan. Nationwide: The Columbus, Ohio-based insurance brand returns after five years with two 45-second ads. One ad stars Mindy Kaling and plays off of the theme of people feeling invisible to brands. Unless, of course, that brand is Nationwide. A second spot from Ogilvy & Mather focuses on a social cause. TurboTax: The online tax preparation software will debut a 60-second ad this year after running a spot in 2014 with Wieden + Kennedy as part of a bigger marketing ramp-up during tax season. Ads also ran during last week's Rose Bowl game and are planned for Sunday's Golden Globe Awards. The brand claims sales were up 14 percent in 2014. MOVIES Jurassic World: The long-awaited (or at least long-delayed) fourth installment of the Jurassic Park film franchise will debut this summer, and according to a leaked Toys 'R' Us memo, a trailer for the movie is slated to run during the Super Bowl. However, the movie trailer lineup for the Big Game is known to change up to the last minute, so at this point, it's hard to say what to expect. ONLINE SERVICES GoDaddy: Making its 11th run as a Super Bowl advertiser, GoDaddy aims to tone down its image after years of salacious ads. This year's spot, "Journey Home," will feature a golden retriever puppy named Buddy and Danica Patrick, and will illustrate the tenaciousness of small business owners. Lead agency Barton F. Graf 9000 shot the ad in December in Los Angeles. UPDATE: The ad went live online and was then pulled down after animal rescue critics said that the ad encouraged private breeding and puppy mills. GoDaddy's CEO Blake Irving confirmed that the puppy ad would not air during during the game in a blog post. Instead, he said the brand will run an ad that "we hope it makes you laugh." Microsoft: After running its first ad last year, Microsoft is back again with an ad that builds on last year's empowerment theme. UPDATE: Two ads are live online. Wix: The website development company has bought its first Super Bowl ad this year. The company plans to run a 30-second spot from Committee in Los Angeles as part of a bigger branding campaign—tapping ex-NFL players Brett Favre, Terrell Owens, Emmitt Smith, Larry Allen and Franco Harris to build online buzz leading up to the game. Wix has previously run TV ads in the U.S., Latin America and Europe. UPDATE: Here's the extended online version of the ad. Squarespace: This is the third company that provides website development tools to marketers that has revealed an ad for this year's game. And this is the second year Squarespace will run an ad. Last year, the brand developed the ad in house but is working with Wieden + Kennedy New York for the 2015 spot. UPDATE: The company is rolling out some teasers for its Big Game ad, starring Jeff Bridges. UCool: The mobile gaming company will run its first Super Bowl ad this year with a 15-second spot. The ad (created in-house) spotlights Heroes Charge and will air in the fourth quarter. Game of War: First Age: Heroes Charge competitor Game of War: First Age will run an in-game ad starring Kate Upton. Last week, the game posted a teaser video on YouTube and also ran pre-game ads today promoting an in-game ad. The spot is likely to build on the game's first gloabl marketing campaign with Upton that launched in November. Upton also announced the news on her Instagram account today. So excited for #GameOfWar commercial to air tonight! #SuperBowlXLIX @quinnmurphy1 @brycescarlett A photo posted by Kate Upton (@kateupton) on Feb 1, 2015 at 12:57pm PST Discover: Discover is the only advertiser within the credit and debit card category to run an ad this year. The spot from The Martin Agnecy fits into the brand's ongoing "We treat you like you'd treat you" campaign and marks Discover's first appearance in the Big Game since 1986. PACKAGED GOODS Procter & Gamble: After accumulating more than 80 million online views since launching in June, the Always "Like a Girl" campaign will run a 60-second commerical in the Super Bowl. Led by Leo Burnett, the original video has become a message of empowerment for women. Dove Men+Care: The men's grooming brand used the 2010 Super Bowl to launch its advertising and now it has revealed this year's ad, from Davie Brown Entertainment. The Unilever-owned brand's spot uses the same creative from its #RealDadMoments campaign last June that challenges male stereotypes. As Jennifer Bremner, director of marketing at Dove Men+Care, says, "Fast-forward five years later, we want to go back to the Super Bowl and continue that conversation ... to celebrate the multidimensional aspects of masculinity that define what it means to be a man today." Jublia: The brand is getting into the Big Game for the first time with an ad to treat toe-nail fungus. Dubbed "Tackle It," the company won't be teasing the 30-second spot before Feb. 1. The ad was created by healthcare shop Harrison and Star with animation from digital shop Th1ng. Loctite: Henkel-owned glue brand Loctite makes its first appearance in this year's game. And while a glue company may seem like an odd brand to run an expensive ad at the world's biggest marketing event, marketing director Pierre Tannoux told Adweek that the plan to run an ad started a year and a half ago. "The category of glue has been treated advertising-wise—in our opinion—in a very boring way. We said that we would like to change that," he said. Tannoux declined to comment on the ad's creative content but said it will break out of the traditional demonstrations and visuals that home improvement brands employ. Loctite tapped Fallon in Minneapolis to create the campaign, which will also include the brand's first full-fledged social media war room. PSAs & CAUSES NFL: The football league and Grey New York will run a 60-second PSA about domestic violence, a move clearly created in response to the recent controversies around NFL players such as Ray Rice. The NFL donated airtime and production costs for the spot. TECH & TELECOM Northrop Grumman: The brand will promote its upcoming bomber (which costs a pricey half billion dollars to build) in a 30-second ad. The video was posted on YouTube Thursday, generating more than 315,000 views so far. T-Mobile: The mobile carrier is back in this year's Big Game after running three spots with Tim Tebow. This year, Kim Kardashian pitches T-Mobile's Data Stash offer by encouraging people to save unused data so they can scroll through her social feeds. Sprint: The mobile carrier makes its fourth Super Bowl appearance this year from new lead agency Deutsch L.A. The ad won't be released until the game, but a 30-second teaser has leaked online. Mophie: The smartphone case maker brand plans to run a Super Bowl ad this year after hiring Deutsch L.A. as its lead agency in August. According to the brand, there is a growing amount of competition in the phone accessory category, and it wants to build market share by launching its first big campaign at the game. UPDATE: The brand's commercial has now launched. TRAVEL Carnival: Carnival Corp. will debut its first Super Bowl spot this year from BBDO in Atlanta. The cruise company has leaked cuts from four commercials online and is letting consumers pick their favorite, which will air during the game. Cinematographer Wally Pfister is behind the work. BRANDS BACKING OUT General Motors: Chevy, Buick, GMC and Cadillac will not advertise during this year's game. Detroit News reports that Tim Mahoney, Chevy's global chief marketing officer, made the announcement at this week's North American International Auto Show in Detroit, saying that this year's Big Game doesn't align with new car launches. Acura: Detroit News also reports that Mike Accavitti, Acura's svp and gm, confirmed at this week's auto show that his brand will not advertise in this year's game. Volkswagen: After running ads for the past few years—including 2011's much-loved "The Force," VW is sitting out the 2015 Super Bowl. Last year, the German automaker ran a minute-long spot that played off the movie It's a Wonderful Life. Each time a car hit 100,000 miles, an engineer received his wings. Audi: The automaker is sitting out this year's game after running in-game ads since 2008. Its 2014 campaign included a big digital push with two social media war rooms and a partnership with The Onion on Snapchat. Jaguar: The British car maker ran its first ad last year with a 60-second "British villains" spot but will not participate in this year's game. The brand also set up an elaborate social media war room last year with agency Mindshare to get in on real-time chatter. Lincoln: In case you haven't figured it out from the previous brands mentioned, automakers are pulling back on their Super Bowl spots this year. Lincoln ran its first Super Bowl ad in 2013, which included a major social push. Dannon: After prominently featuring John Stamos in its ads last year and in 2012 to promote Greek yogurt, Dannon will sit out this year's game. Instead, the brand will launch a campaign with football player Cam Newton on Jan. 12 as part of a bigger sponsorship with the NFL. The ads will highlight a new protein-packed yogurt called Oikos Triple Zero. Got a tip on a national Super Bowl ad, celebrity cameo or brewing controversy that's not yet in the Super Bowl Ad Tracker? Drop an email to Adweek staff writer Lauren Johnson.

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Super Bowl Ad Tracker: Everything You Need to Know About 2015's Big Game

An up-to-date roster of the brands, spots and celebs to watch for

Lauren Johnson

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