When it comes to this year’s crop of Super Bowl ads, it seems like “Caddyshack” has taken the place of crypto.
Judging from the ads or teasers that have already been made available, the crypto companies that dominated last year’s Super Bowl broadcast, including Sam Bankman-Fried’s now-bankrupt FTX exchange, aren’t playing a role.
Instead, it’s largely an array of traditional companies and brands — think Budweiser and Doritos. And they’re often leaning heavily into movies or pop-culture heavyweights from decades ago to get their message across.
A perfect example: the “Caddyshack”-inspired ads hawking Michelob Ultra beer
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Yes, the 1980 golf-themed film that starred Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield is the basis for spots that feature such athletes as tennis star Serena Williams and football great Tony Romo.
But the blast-from-the-past theme doesn’t end there. Rakuten
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the e-commerce company, takes us back to the 1995 movie “Clueless” in a Super Bowl spot. And the ad even features Alicia Silverstone, the movie’s star.
In other cases, the nostalgic theme is more about the artist. For example, Sarah McLachlan, the singer-songwriter who first made her mark in the ‘90s, appears in an ad for Busch beer. And it plays off her commercials from long ago supporting the ASPCA.
Ozzy Osbourne, another artist who came on the scene decades ago, is in an ad as well — for software company Workday
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And don’t forget Dave Grohl, another rock icon. He’s in a spot for Crown Royal whiskey
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Of course, not every Super Bowl ad will have a nostalgic element to it. For example, craft-beer brand Sam Adams
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just continues its “Your Cousin from Boston” campaign — albeit with a twist that imagines a world in which Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees fans can get along.
Credit: marketwatch.com