Multimillion-dollar deals. Cutthroat competition. A few high-profile fumbles.
And that’s just the ads.
Super Bowl XLIX is Sunday, Feb. 1 — but the real contest happens off the field in plays that last 30 or 60 seconds. This year’s commercials will be more expensive, more relevant and, if you can believe it, even more scantily clad.
This year’s commercial time costs $4.5 million for just 30 seconds — but with an estimated audience of half the country, a Super Bowl ad provides plenty of bang for the buck.
That said, a good ad is no guarantee of success. Radio Shack spoofed its stuck-in-the-’80s identity in a hilarious ad last year. The company is still in the tank.
Here are this year’s highlights:
BEVERAGES
Anheuser-Busch has bought three spots with one goal: “Sell more beer,” company veep Jorn Socquet says.
One ad will feature Budweiser’s famous Clydesdales, another will reunite the famous big-boned broncs with their happy-go-lucky canine friend from last year’s ad and the third features a man being pulled into a video game only to find himself in a life-size Pac-Man arena.
That one is part of the brand’s “Up for Whatever” campaign.
Coke and Pepsi will also have ads — but Pepsi is hosting the halftime show with Katy Perry, itself a big advertisement. Coca-Cola, meanwhile, has whittled its usual two ads down to one.
BEASTS
GoDaddy is abandoning sexiness in favor of fluff in the form of a Golden Retriever puppy named Buddy.
The company’s new “Chief Companion Officer” will show up in the second quarter accompanied, naturally, by NASCAR superstar and GoDaddy spokeswoman Danica Patrick.
Dove, the soap giant, will switch from deploying attractive women in favor of a 30-second ad, “Real Strength,” featuring dads. The ad will question gender roles and ideals of beauty.
BABES
It wouldn’t be the Super Bowl without some skin — not the kind from a pig.
Burger joint Carl’s Jr. — famous for its steamy ads featuring sizzling Kate Upton and Paris Hilton — will have busty newcomer Charlotte McKinney walking naked through a greenmarket with fruits and vegetables teasingly covering her prodigious assets as men suggestively spew a variety of liquids as she passes.
“Too hot for TV?” the Daily News asked.
Mindy Kaling also gets into the cheeky spirit, sunbathing nude in Central Park for Nationwide Insurance after becoming convinced she’s invisible.
And Lindsay Lohan will also reportedly play off her public persona in an ad for Esurance, according to TMZ. It will certainly be a hit — if she’s willing to make fun of her well-known reputation for misadventure.
Victoria’s Secret usually can’t be outdone in this department, but a teaser for the lingerie company’s Super Bowl ad features its cast of Angels trading lacy camisoles for shoulder pads and helmets.
It’s the brand’s first halftime ad since 2008, a spot that featured Adriana Lima in a sexy slip and suggested there are far more exciting games for men than football.
Let the advertising games begin.