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This photo provided by Bud Light shows a scene from Bud Light 2021 Super Bowl NFL football spot. ( Bud Light via AP)
Super Bowl ads each year offer a snapshot of the American psyche. And this year, it's a doozy.
After a year of pandemic fear and isolation, a tumultuous election capped by a riot at the Capitol, and periodic uncertainty as to whether there would even BE a Super Bowl, marketers have to tread carefully. The ideal: promote their brands to a weary audience looking for comfort and escapism without crossing any lines that might trigger viewers.
So Will Ferrell is teaming with GM — and Awkwafina and Kenan Thompson — on a madcap cross country dash to promote electric vehicles. Amazon toys with sexual innuendo when a woman is distracted by her new Alexa assistant that looks like the actor Michael B. Jordan. And Anheuser-Busch offers a hopeful look toward a time when we can say "let's get a beer" to friends and coworkers again.