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Super Bowl Commercials 2017: Star-studded Lineup, Lots Of Teasers, And A Potent Tribute

The game doesn’t happen until Sunday, but the competition to keep those 112 million sets of eyeballs on the big brands paying for the party has already begun. Advertisers have been planning, writing and shooting spots for months, placing super-sized bets on their most moving commercials this year. The cost of a 30-second spot is now $5.5 million, double the price in just 2010.

Technology has raised the stakes, too. Multi-screen mobile and social sharing now demand that marketers become even more sophisticated in their holistic media strategy to maximize exposure both before and after the game. Reports show that an additional 25% to 50% (or more) of the cost of a Super Bowl ad will be spent marketing the ad itself. So it better be good.

Other than for the entertainment value, why bother talking about the commercials? I believe that to a certain extent the crop of ads every year represents a sort of cultural zeitgeist. They reflect our technological advancement, humor, style and the national mood. Of course, more ads will be released on game day, but what do the commercials say so far?

Nostalgia

These familiar faces, songs, and voices coopt the currency of a different time and place. Two brands pull it off quite well.

Squarespace starts with a tight in shot on our favorite ticking time bomb as he tries to secure the domain for a new line of clothes, the John Malkovich Collection, only to realize it’s been taken. F bombs ensue. “Get your domain before it’s gone.”