Credit: Tide 
 
 So that happened. The 2018 Super Bowl spots were generally either silly or sincere—and all of them played it safe. If there are any major takeaways, it's that brands were largely disinclined to make any kind of statement other than "everyone is a special snowflake." We wish we could say the same in return. 
 
 See how 4,000 marketing pros rated the ads for entertainment but also effectivness in Ad Age's first Super Bowl Ranking with Morning Consult. 
 
 Amazon, "Alexa Loses Her Voice" 
 
 Lucky Generals and D1 
 
 The most surprising thing about this ad full of surprises is that Jeff Bezos has a decently compelling screen presence and can actually sort of act. Pretty funny for a terrifying boss. That's our main takeaway, anyway. Also, it would be excellent to have Cardi B as the voice of Alexa at all times. 
 
 Current mood: laughing 
 
 NFL: "Touchdown Celebration" 
 
 Grey NY 
 
 To celebrate its newer, more lenient rules regarding end-zone celebrations, the NFL put out this spot to combat its "No Fun League" rep. Here we get Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. recreating the iconic climax to "Dirty Dancing" set to its theme song, "(I've Had) The Time of My Life." Not since the Super Bowl shuffle have we so enjoyed seeing these big lugs boogie. 
 
 Current mood: laughing 
 
 Tourism Australia, "Dundee" 
 
 Droga5 
 
 Imagine being tasked to make an ad for Australia: You're instantly battling icons, from Paul Hogan as Crocodile Dundee to, uh, Paul Hogan slipping "an extra shrimp on the barbie" to, er, Yahoo Serious. It speaks volumes about the state of moviemaking that the spot's head-fake premise is so plausible. You call yours an ad? Now, this is an ad. 
 
 Current mood: laughing 
 
 Sprint, "Evelyn" 
 
 Droga5 
 
 This genuinely amusing ad suggests that when our robots gain sentience they may not be as vengeance-bent as the droids on "Westworld." But they will tease us without mercy (albeit without much skill either). If it's in the interest of ostensibly saving us money, we'll take it. 
 
 Current mood: laughing 
 
 Febreze, "The Only Man Whose Bleep Don't Stink" 
 
 Grey New York 
 
 Brands invite trouble when they create their own hashtags, but Febreze no doubt gamed every possible way #BleepDontStink could go awry—and stuck with it anyway. For taking a common expression and making us think of it in new ways, Febreze comes off just as fresh as we all wish, well, our bleeps did. 
 
 Current mood: laughing 
 
 Tide, "It's a Tide Ad" 
 
 Saatchi & Saatchi 
 
 Tide gets uber-meta in this suite of four increasingly funny spots. Banking off his "Stranger Things" lovable everyman Hopper, David Harbour riffs on commercial clichés, hangs out with Isaiah Mustafa (we missed you, buddy!), marvels at a majestic Clydesdale and grinds like Mr Clean. One thing he definitely never does is eat a Tide pod. Mmmm, Tide pods. 
 
 Current mood: between smiling and laughing 
 
 Doritos and Mtn Dew, "Doritos Blaze vs. Mtn Dew Ice" 
 
 Goodby, Silverstein & Partners 
 
 Some things about 2018 are actually good. We may have to wait till 2125 for the final season of "Game of Thrones," but at least we can see the Dink lip-sync ferociously to Busta Rhymes' verse in (ugh) Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now." Then we get Morgan Freeman, the coolest man alive, slaying Missy Elliott's "Get Ur Freak On." Bonus: Both rappers get cameos here. 
 
 Current mood: smiling 
 
 Toyota: "One Team" 
 
 Saatchi & Saatchi 
 
 A priest, a rabbi, an imam and a Buddhist monk all go to a football game. It sounds like the setup to a joke. Instead it's the set-piece for this delightful spot that deftly delivers the message of togetherness—without beating anyone over the head with it. 
 
 Current mood: smiling 
 
 Blacture: "Be Celebrated" 
 
 McKinney 
 
 Rapper Pras is using the Super Bowl to launch Blacture, a new media platform for black culture that celebrates, in his words, "black excellence." In this ad, the Grammy-winning founding Fugee attempts to pique curiosity with some startling imagery: He appears onstage in an empty ballroom, wearing black tie, blindfolded, with duct tape over his mouth. He removes them to the tagline "Be celebrated. Not tolerated." It got our attention. 
 
 Current mood: smiling 
 
 Quicken Loans: "Translator" 
 
 Huge 
 
 Keegan-Michael Key's anger translator was so beloved that he made an appearance at President Obama's final White House Correspondents Dinner. Here he's back, but without the anger (or the edge), to deftly de-jargon pretentious waiters, deliberately obfuscating Tinder profiles and, of course, the mortgage process. Frankly, we wish we could take him everywhere. 
 
 Current mood: smiling 
 
 Lexus, "Long Live the King" 
 
 Walton Isaacson 
 
 Lexus injects a healthy dose of badass into an ad slate that otherwise leans either silly or sincere. "Black Panther" fans have to wait until Feb. 16 for the film to come out, but this spot—complete with actual film footage and a snip from Run the Jewels' soundtrack—should tide them over 'til their king descends from Wakanda. 
 
 Current mood: smiling 
 
 Bud Light, "Ye Olde Pep Talk" and "Bud Knight" 
 
 Wieden & Kennedy 
 
 Sure, the "Dilly Dilly" stuff is silly silly, but it's so pliable it's taken quick root in the vernacular. Now we finally get some kind of logical connection between the knights, their Dillies and Bud Light. OK, maybe "logical" is a stretch, but here we meet Bud Knight in an execution that is consistently on point. Now Bud just needs to turn the slogan into sales. 
 
 Current mood: smiling 
 
 Jeep: 'Jeep Jurassic' 
 
 DDB Chicago 
 
 In making so many different ads for one game, Jeep is betting that something will stick with everyone. We're never not happy to see Jeff Goldblum at any age—and this spot will appeal to all generations of "Jurassic Park" fans even at the risk of reminding us how old we're getting. 
 
 Current mood: smiling 
 
 Avocados From Mexico, "#GuacWorld" 
 
 GSD&M; 
 
 Avocados From Mexico returns for its fourth consecutive year with yet another smart-funny bit of lighthearted fun. The brand plays up the versatility of avocados here, with a nod to that millennial darling, avocado toast. As Gen X-ers, we love Chris Elliott just for showing up—and perhaps even more for not really ever having a reason for being there. Pass the guac. 
 
 Current mood: smiling 
 
 Wendy's, "Iceberg" 
 
 VML 
 
 This commercial throws so much shade, we need a glass of iced tea. Wendy's pulls no punches here and we love it for it. After telling us that McDonald's publicly claims its burgers are flash-frozen, the ad reminds us that "the iceberg that sank the Titanic was frozen, too." Oooh. Need some aloe for that flame-broiled burn, McD's? 
 
 Current mood: smiling 
 
 E-Trade, "This Is Getting Old" 
 
 MullenLowe 
 
 Some things in life will always be true: Saving money is boring. And old people doing young people stuff is hi-lar-i-ous. To the tune of "Banana Boat Song (Day O)," these oldsters sing about the misery of still having to punch a clock: "I'm 85 and I want to go home." It's a nice spoonful of sugar for some tough medicine: More than a third of Americans have no retirement savings. 
 
 Current mood: smiling 
 
 Intuit, "Giant Skip Ad" 
 
 Phenomenon/Passion Animation Studio 
 
 Finally a Super Bowl ad that admits no one actually likes ads. 
 
 Current mood: smiling 
 
 Kia, "Feel Something Again" 
 
 David & Goliath 
 
 Steven Tyler returns to the Super Bowl (last seen there in a Skittles ad), this time to reclaim the glories of youth. While Aerosmith continues to exist, against all odds, Tyler has emerged as something of a national pervy-great-uncle/magician. Also, he looks more and more like my mom every year. This is getting weird. But the ad works. 
 
 Current mood: smiling and a bit confused 
 
 Ram Trucks: 'Icelandic Vikings' 
 
 Goodby, Silverstein & Partners 
 
 The Vikings may not be in the Super Bowl, but that's not stopping them from trying to get to their home stadium—-by truck and by boat. The highlight here is the resurfacing of a rare amped-up BBC performance of Queen's "We Will Rock You." The punchline takes a bit of deciphering, but it turns out these warriors are forlorn about not getting to do battle. Because, get it?, the Vikings aren't in the Super Bowl. 
 
 Current mood: smiling and confused. 
 
 Squarespace: "Make it Happen" 
 
 In-house 
 
 Delightfully weird and mildly confusing, this spot trots out the millennial sentiment that "there has never been anyone just like you," only in a creepy tone and with Keanu Reeves inexplicably standing on a rolling motorcycle. Like last year's John Malkovich spot, this manages to be both compelling (the music helps) and slightly unsettling. It's unclear what it all has to do with Squarespace, though we're not sure we care. 
 
 Current mood: smiling, but confused 
 
 TurboTax, "Thing Under the Bed" and "Noise in the Attic" 
 
 Wieden & Kennedy 
 
 By anthropomorphizing well-known bogeymen, this spot charmingly works to dispel the fear of taxes. The monsters are endearing, it turns out! Nothing to be scared of here. Now if only TurboTax would put out a similar spot to quell our crippling fear of inexorable decline and death. Hey, pass the guac! 
 
 Current mood: between meh and smiling 
 
 Michelob Ultra, "I Like Beer" 
 
 FCB Chicago 
 
 Move over, Pratt. The real star of this ad is the song. If there's any justice in the world, Tom T. Hall, who wrote the 1975 waltz featured in this spot will soar to the top of the charts this week. Heck, make him next year's halftime act—he'll only be 82, roughly the average age of the American TV viewer. Also the auteur of "Harper Valley P.T.A.," Hall's as American as they come. Bottoms up! 
 
 Current mood: smiling 
 
 Michelob Ultra, "The Perfect Fit" 
 
 FCB Chicago 
 
 Who doesn't love Chris Pratt? (Other than Anna Faris, maybe.) Handsome, funny, handsome, fit and handsome, the "Jurassic World" star should be able to parlay this high-profile beer spot—his first—into some real success. We kid, but it's testament to Pratt's likability that he outshines the ad's mediocre premise and downright lame punchline. 
 
 Current mood: meh 
 
 YouTube 
 
 Hook 
 
 YouTube has a message for cord cutters: For just $35 you can stream more than 40 channels of live entertainment over your set top box. Will anyone actually pay $35 for YouTube TV? The ad ran between the coin toss and kickoff and by the time the game started we had forgotten it aired. 
 
 Current mood: meh 
 
 Jeep: 'The Road' 
 
 FCB Chicago 
 
 "The road is someone else's idea," this ad reminds us. "The road always ends." A stirring call to adventure, this spot urges us outdoors and off the beaten path. We're in. Who's driving? 
 
 Current mood: meh 
 
 Universal Parks and Resorts, "Peyton Manning: Vacation Quarterback" 
 
 In-house 
 
 Note to self: Next time Peyton Manning invites us to a Universal theme park, tell him we're holding out for an invite from pervy uncle/magician Steven Tyler. 
 
 Current mood: meh 
 
 Persil ProClean, "The Professional" 
 
 DDB New York 
 
 This spot would have been way more fun if the titular professional emerged from the TV more like the girl in "The Ring." Here, this old visual trick offers nothing new aside from the straight-man reactions of the game watchers: "What was in those brownies?" Maybe the creative team actually should have spiked them. 
 
 Current mood: meh 
 
 Wix.com, "Rhett & Link" 
 
 In-house 
 
 We first learned about Rhett and Link when our kids showed us clips from their YouTube show "Good Mythical Morning," so we feel slightly ahead of the curve. Mostly, we're trying really hard not to type the word "influencers." Ach. Damn. Anyway, these dudes are charming enough and the ad actually shows us what Wix.com does. Utilitarian, if not especially riveting, fare. 
 
 Current mood: meh 
 
 Coca-Cola, "The Wonder of Us" 
 
 Wieden & Kennedy 
 
 A diversity play, but less bold than 2014's multilingual "It's Beautiful" spot: Everyone is a special, unique snowflake! Except when it comes to Coke: We all drink the same thing! To be sure, Coke wants to evoke that one time it taught the world to sing in perfect harmony. And the subtle nod to the transgendered community with "them" was a nice touch. But this is a millennial pander. Also the tagline, "Taste the feeling," could really alienate the synesthesia community. 
 
 Current mood: meh 
 
 T-Mobile, "Little Ones" 
 
 in-house and Laundry Service 
 
 We wonder what Kurt Cobain would make of this. Set to a lullaby version of "All Apologies," the spot reminds us that babies aren't judgmental. Maybe he'd take a line from his own song: "I wish I was like you/ Easily amused." Maybe he'd switch to Sprint. We love the full-throated embrace of tolerance and equality here. We're just not sure what it has to do with T-Mobile. 
 
 Current mood: meh, but also confused 
 
 Pepsi, "This Is the Pepsi" 
 
 In-house 
 
 Why make a new commercial when you can just do a greatest-hits mashup of all your golden oldies? Pepsi leans into the nostalgia angle with this quick-moving trip down memory lane. Hey, remember that Pepsi spot with Cindy Crawford? With Britney? With Michael (wait, didn't they accidentally set him on fire)? Well, the gang's all here. Everyone, that is, except Kendall. 
 
 Current mood: mildly confused 
 
 Budweiser, "Stand by You" 
 
 David 
 
 AB InBev goes for the do-gooder vibe in this disaster-relief spot for Budweis—uh, America. Emotionally much more manipulative than the Stella Artois spot, here we have a soupy cover of "Stand by Me" to convey that in times of trouble, the beer brand—and the everyday Joes who work there—are there for you. For this we sacrificed Clydesdales? 
 
 Current mood: confused 
 
 Turkish Airlines: 'Five Senses' 
 
 This beautifully shot ad makes us suddenly desperate to visit Turkey. It also makes us desperate to never see Dr. Oz again. 
 
 Current mood: confused 
 
 Diet Coke: "Groove" 
 
 Anomaly Los Angeles 
 
 Just because "I can" doesn't mean "I should." This spot, starring Australian actress Hayley Magnus, was originally shot as a quick social media video. It's possible it should have stayed that way. The no-doubt adorkable Magnus dances in mismatched rainbow socks in front of a mango-hued wall as a way to explain the "why" of Diet Coke Mango. The goofy-sexy shimmy is more awkward than compelling, though, and does little to entice us to try the new flavor. 
 
 Current mood: confused 
 
 WeatherTech, "American Factory" 
 
 Pinnacle Advertising 
 
 If we didn't know what WeatherTech did before this ad, we certainly still don't know now. We do, however, know that they have—again—chosen to lead with a lily-white manly #MAGA jingoism, which will no doubt resonate in the red states. So, good for them? 
 
 Current mood: mostly confused 
 
 Toyota, "Mobility for All" and "Good Odds" 
 
 Saatchi & Saatchi and Dentsu 
 
 We're not crying, you're crying. Toyota looks beyond cars and into mobility of all kinds. "When we're free to move," the tagline concludes, "anything is possible." Case in point: the inspirational story of eight-time Paralympic gold medalist Lauren Woolstencroft. Toyota, an Olympic and Paralympic sponsor, does the everyone's-a-special-unicorn messaging better than the rest. 
 
 Current mood: sobbing (but in a good way?) 
 
 Hyundai: "Hope Detector" 
 
 Innocean 
 
 This wasn't the ad Hyundai had planned to make, but due to security concerns about filming in real time at the game itself, this is where it landed. It works. In this moving ad, real-life Hyundai owners are pulled aside as they arrive at the "Super Bowl Experience" at the Minneapolis Convention Center, and are greeted with real cancer patients. The purchase of their car, these game-goers learn, helped to fund pediatric cancer research. Tears and hugs follow. 
 
 Current mood: sobbing 
 
 Verizon, "Answering the Call" 
 
 McCann New York 
 
 Verizon doesn't just tug at your heartstrings here, it practically reaches down your throat and rips them out. This touching homage to America's first responders is a message that absolutely anyone can get behind, and Verizon works in its reason for being there in a mostly seamless and organic way. 
 
 Current mood: sobbing 
 
 M&M;'s, "Human" 
 
 BBDO New York 
 
 If you didn't see the garbage truck coming a mile away, then this is the commercial you deserve. M&M;'s is going the KFC Colonel route of late, first with David Cross voicing the new caramel-filled iteration of the candy, and now with Danny DeVito as the human incarnation of the red M&M.; It's a time-honored tactic: Tap a celebrity with good will to carry your flaccid ad into the end zone. 
 
 Current mood: mad 
 
 Ram Trucks: 'Built to Serve' 
 
 Highdive 
 
 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the speech played here 50 years ago tonight. The words alone—a rousing call to service for all citizens—are blazingly powerful. Layered over images of everyday heroes (and Ram trucks) the message feels co-opted. We're grateful to hear his voice tonight. It's just too bad it's being used to sell pickup trucks. 
 
 Current mood: mad 
 
 Jeep: "Anti-Manifesto' 
 
 Arnold Worldwide 
 
 Commercials that brag about being un-commercials are somewhat tedious. The meta execution on the Tide spots tonight was spot on (pun not intended but we'll keep it). This just feels overly smug and pleased with its anti-commercialism (which, of course, set the automaker back $5 million). 
 
 Current mood: mad 
 
 Pringles, "Wow" 
 
 Grey New York 
 
 The wacky-for-the-sake-of-wacky ad is a worn-out trope, and this one breaks no new ground. The ad's stagehand yokels are slack-jawed wacky types. Bill Hader is tediously bug-eyed and wacky. Together they stack Pringles to create new flavor combinations, which isn't going to make Pringles themselves taste any less like a cereal box. 
 
 Current mood: mad 
 
 Stella Artois, "Taps" 
 
 Mother 
 
 Stella is to be lauded for teaming with Matt Damon's water.org to bring a global crisis to our attention. But just because a spot highlights a worthy cause doesn't mean it has to be so anodyne. The solution? Buy beer mugs! Sorry, "chalices." Stella's word, and it's distracting. (It did remind us to rewatch Danny Kaye in "The Court Jester": It's the chalice from the palace, after all, with the brew that is true.) 
 
 Current mood: confused and a little mad 
 
 Groupon, "Who Wouldn't" 
 
 O'Keefe, Reinhard & Paul 
 
 Tiffany Haddish landed this spokesgig when she effused about Groupon during her "Girls Trip" press tour. This spot feels like two commercials in one. First we get Haddish, who is funny and super-watchable. Then we get...a cheap hit-in-the-nuts gag. Groupon blew $5 million to gain the attention of 100 million people to show them an "America's Funniest Home Videos" outtake? 
 
 Current mood: mad ||||| CLOSE In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ram truck owners also believe in a life of serving others. 
 
 A still from a Ram Trucks Super Bowl ad featuring the voice of Martin Luther King Jr. (Photo: Ram Trucks) 
 
 When Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a sermon imploring hearers to imitate the servanthood of Jesus, he probably didn't envision them buying Ram trucks to do so. 
 
 And yet there was King's voice Sunday night, booming through millions of TV speakers during Ram's latest Super Bowl ad: 
 
 "If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness." 
 
 The speech, delivered 50 years ago on Feb. 4, 1968, served to inspire a Ram Trucks ad of American workers wiping brows, fishing and riding horses, doing pushups and, of course, driving ram Trucks. 
 
 After King's speech culminates, the ad's tagline appears: Built to serve. 
 
 The use of King's sermon to sell trucks did not sit well with many viewers, who voiced reactions ranging from uneasiness to repulsion. 
 
 More: 
 
 All the Super Bowl 2018 ads from the first half in the order they were released 
 
 All the Super Bowl 2018 ads from the second half in the order they were released 
 
 There was audible painful groaning at the Super Bowl party I’m at as everyone realized Dodge Ram was trying to profit off of an MLK speech — Hunter Walker (@hunterw) February 5, 2018 
 
 Not sure MLK’s dream was to drive a Dodge Ram. — ItsTheReal (@itsthereal) February 5, 2018 
 
 mlk died to sell RAM TRUCKS — deaux (@dstfelix) February 5, 2018 
 
 Not everyone seemed to oppose the ad, however: 
 
 It’s fine. I’m not crying after a Dodge Ram commercial. #MLK#SuperBowlCommercial — Melinda Doolittle (@mdoolittle) February 5, 2018 
 
 The King Center, the Atlanta-based nonprofit dedicated to King's legacy, denied approving the use of King's words in the commercial: 
 
 Neither @TheKingCenter nor @BerniceKing is the entity that approves the use of #MLK’s words or imagery for use in merchandise, entertainment (movies, music, artwork, etc) or advertisement, including tonight’s @Dodge#SuperBowl commercial. — The King Center (@TheKingCenter) February 5, 2018 
 
 A spokesperson for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, responding by email, said: “We worked closely with the representatives of the Martin Luther King Jr. estate to receive the necessary approvals and estate representatives were a very important part of the creative process.” 
 
 As reporter Kate Aronoff noted, King himself discourages listeners from overspending for automobiles in the very same sermon Ram sampled. A new Ram 1500 can cost about $27,000. 
 
 Not totally sure the Dodge RAM ad guys read that whole MLK speech.. https://t.co/QPa16BGv3dpic.twitter.com/3eFVZjb3BB — Kate Aronoff (@KateAronoff) February 5, 2018 
 
 Watch all the Super Bowl ads from this year: 
 
 Contributing: Erik Brady ||||| The Super Bowl was full of ads with strong messages about inclusion and acceptance. And that didn’t go over well with everyone on social media. 
 
 Some supporters of President Trump quickly called for boycotts of several companies, including Budweiser, 84 Lumber, Coca-Cola, Airbnb, Kia and Tiffany. Their ads had messages about immigration, equality and environmentalism. 
 
 Even the NFL drew calls for a boycott for having Lady Gaga as the halftime show performer. She has called Trump a bully, and she supported Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign. 
 
 84 Lumber’s commercial was seen as largely pro-immigration. It featured a Hispanic mother and daughter setting out on a harrowing journey from their home. 
 
 The television ad directed viewers to a supplement online. The online ad showed the mother and daughter arriving at the U.S. border to find a looming wall. They eventually notice that the wall has a huge door, and they walk through. 
 
 The ad led some Trump supporters to vow not to shop at the building supply company. 
 
 One interesting thing about the 84 Lumber boycott is that the company’s owner, Maggie Hardy Magerko, said she voted for Trump. In fact, having a huge door in the wall is something Trump himself mentioned repeatedly in campaign speeches. 
 
 A Budweiser commercial also triggered a backlash for being anti-Trump and pro-immigration. The ad showed Adolphus Busch, one of the founders of Anheuser-Busch, journeying to the United States as an immigrant, only to be told he was not welcome. 
 
 A spokesman for Budweiser said 78% of the social media reaction that the company tracked was positive. 
 
 Airbnb’s ad about acceptance said “we all belong” — regardless of religion or country of origin. It didn’t sit well with some Trump supporters. 
 
 Coca-Cola’s “It’s beautiful” ad, which has aired since 2014, featured “America the Beautiful” sung in several languages. 
 
 Coca-Cola said the ad “promotes optimism, inclusion and celebrates humanity” and did not address Trump’s immigration order. 
 
 Kia’s commercial starred Melissa McCarthy, who appeared this weekend on “Saturday Night Live” and mocked the White House press secretary, Sean Spicer. The Kia ad, set to the song “Holding Out for a Hero,” showed McCarthy encountering slapstick obstacles as she tried to save trees and ice caps. 
 
 A hair product company called It’s a 10 ran an ad that was far from subtle. Its message? “America, we’re in for at least four years of awful hair.” The idea was that we need great hair — all types of it. 
 
 CEO Carolyn Aronson said the response to the It’s a 10 ad “has been overwhelmingly positive.” 
 
 “We are not a political brand,” she said in a statement. “We created this ad to introduce the world to our brand in a lighthearted way. The focus is on embracing the diversity of America.” 
 
 Lady Gaga drew calls for boycotts both for the halftime show and for her spot for Tiffany & Co. Gaga’s Super Bowl show conveyed a message of inclusion, and she chose to sing the lyrics of her hit “Born This Way,” which promote LGBT equality. 
 
 The other companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. ||||| Advertisers are rolling out celebrities, animals galore and old favorites to capture the attention of more than 100 million people expected to tune in for Super Bowl XLV on Sunday. 
 
 In this photo provided by PepsiCo, an Eminem puppet likeness is shown. Eminem is partnering with Brisk ice tea in a Super Bowl ad spot to debut on Sunday during the first quarter of the big game. (AP... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this screen shot provided by Audi of America, Audi's upcoming Super Bowl spot ‘Release the Hounds’ is shown.(AP Photo/Audi of America) (Associated Press) 
 
 In this composite screen shot provided by Mars Inc., Comedians Richard Lewis (left) and Roseanne Barr (right) will appear in a SNICKERS® Super Bowl XLV commercial called “Logging." (AP Photo/Mars Inc.) (Associated Press) 
 
 In this screen shot provided by CareerBuilder.com, the CareerBuilder chimpanzees are back at work, in a scene from this years Super Bowl commercial. (AP Photo/CareerBuilder.com) (Associated Press) 
 
 A sampling of commercials people are bound to be talking about after the game: 
 
 BEST BUY: Odd couple Justin Bieber and Ozzy Osbourne will star in the electronics seller's Super Bowl debut in the third quarter that promotes a new program where Best Buy will buy back electronics when customers decide to upgrade. The ad's still under wraps, but pairing the teen idol and the prince of darkness certainly fires the imagination. 
 
 AUDI: One of at least nine automakers advertising during the Super Bowl, Audi's ad during the first break after kickoff is targeted at younger buyers. It shows people escaping from a posh prison to illustrate the difference between "old luxury" and Audi. 
 
 CAREERBUILDER.COM: The mocking office chimps that show why viewers might want to look for a new job return in a third-quarter ad. 
 
 GODADDY.COM: Promotes the .co alternative to the .com Web domain in an ad that shows celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels and racecar driver Danica Patrick seemingly naked and directs viewers to its Web site to see the ending. 
 
 PEPSI: PepsiCo teamed with Eminem on a first quarter stop-motion animated spot that uses a puppet with Eminem's likeness to promote Lipton Brisk. Also has three ads each for its Pepsi MAX and Doritos, all created by fans. 
 
 SNICKERS: Comedians Roseanne Barr and Richard Lewis star in a second-quarter ad. It's an encore to last year's hit commercial that saw Betty White take a vicious tackle on a football field. 
 
 E-TRADE: The online investing site brings back the popular talking babies it introduced in 2008 in a third-quarter ad. 
 
 ANHEUSER-BUSCH: The brewer will promote an imported brand, Stella Artois, for the first time on the Super Bowl. That ad stars actor Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody as a 1960s jazz club singer. (If you're looking forward to Bud Light's legendary humor, it has three commercials coming, too, which it has teased on Facebook.) 
 
 SKECHERS: Kim Kardashian "will break someone's heart," the shoe maker says, in an ad for toning shoes near the two-minute warning. 
 
 VOLKSWAGEN: The automaker's trademark whimsy permeates an ad in which a Darth Vader-costumed boy tries using The Force on household objects and his father's Passat. ||||| In the Super Bowl of advertising, Justin Bieber replaced Ozzy Osbourne and Joan Rivers became a GoDaddy girl. But a pair of commercials by automakers took the early trophy for online buzz. 
 
 This screen shot provided by Kia Motors Corp., shows a scene from the Super Bowl commercial titled "One Epic Ride," with the all-new 2011 Kia Optima being held by Poseidon. (AP Photo/Kia Motor Corp.) (Associated Press) 
 
 COMMERCIAL IMAGE - In this photo released by Brisk on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011, Eminem is seen in puppet form for Brisk Iced Tea's Super Bowl TV spot shot in San Francisco. (Brisk via AP Images) (Associated Press) 
 
 In this screen shot provided by TeleFlora, Faith Hill and actor, Kevin Manwarren are seen in Teleflora’s commercial, “Help me Faith,” that is scheduled to debut during the Super Bowl. (AP Photo/TeleFlora)... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo released by Brisk on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011, Eminem in puppet form is seen in the recording booth, in an image from the taping of the Brisk Super Bowl TV spot in San Francisco. (Brisk via... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this composite screen shot provided by Mars Inc., Comedians Richard Lewis (left) and Roseanne Barr (right) will appear in a SNICKERS® Super Bowl XLV commercial called “Logging." (AP Photo/Mars Inc.)... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this screen shot provided by CareerBuilder.com, the CareerBuilder chimpanzees are back at work, in a scene from this years Super Bowl commercial. (AP Photo/CareerBuilder.com) (Associated Press) 
 
 A two-minute ad for Chrysler starring Eminem and a Volkswagen ad featuring a mini-Darth Vader that went viral before it even aired were two of the most talked-about spots during advertising's big night, Super Bowl XLV, in which Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25. 
 
 Chrysler was one of nine automakers that took advantage of advertising's biggest and most expensive showcase, at $3 million for 30 seconds, to try to show they're back after two tough years for the industry. 
 
 The cinematic third-quarter Chrysler ad starred Eminem driving through Detroit and introduced a new car, the Chrysler 200 sedan, amid gritty scenes of the city. A voiceover talks about how the city has survived going through "hell and back." 
 
 "This is the Motor City and this is what we do," Eminem says. 
 
 The Chrysler ad was "the big story of the night," according to NM Incite, a Nielsen/McKinsey Co. that tracks online buzz. 
 
 Consumers repeated the "imported from Detroit" slogan over and over in online buzz, the company said. 
 
 "It was a very risky commercial, but it scored very well with our panel" that rates the ads, said Tim Calkins, Clinical Professor of Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management. 
 
 Another hit was a Volkswagen's ad that showed a boy in a Darth Vader costume trying to use "The Force" on objects, including the Passat. 
 
 "It really wasn't selling a car, it was selling a feeling, and it tapped into its target market of families very effectively, which you usually don't see in a car ad," said Robert Kolt, an instructor at Michigan State University College of Communication Arts & Sciences. 
 
 Volkswagen released the ad early on Youtube.com and it had than 13 million views before the game even started. 
 
 Elsewhere, celebrities and humor dominated. A scantily clad Kim Kardashian broke up with her trainer for Skechers, Roseanne Barr took a big hit from a log in a Snickers ad and comedian Joan Rivers, her head at least, became a GoDaddy girl. 
 
 According to the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter, the best-scoring ads featured dogs: A Doritos ad that showed a man taunting a dog and getting smashed under a glass door, and a Bud Light ad that showed dogs catering a party. The newspaper uses a panel of viewers who rate the commercials as they watch them. 
 
 After avoiding the Super Bowl for two years as it went in and out of a government-led bankruptcy, General Motors came back with five ads for Chevrolet. In one ad, a seemingly mundane car dealership ad is disrupted when a Camaro suddenly morphs into the Bumblebee character from the "Transformers" movies. 
 
 One miss was daily coupon website Groupon's fake public service ad with Timothy Hutton, which appeared to be a plea for help for people of Tibet but instead touted a deal from Groupon for fish curry. 
 
 While aiming for humor, "It wasn't a very effective piece of communication and clearly rubbed some people the wrong way," Calkins said. 
 
 A Homeaway.com ad featuring a "test baby" smushed against a window also garnered negative reaction from ad experts and "didn't resonate with people," Calkins said. 
 
 Some ads, predictably, drew criticism for being entertaining without doing much to sell people on the item being advertised. 
 
 Among those was an ad for Lipton Brisk Iced Tea in which an animated Eminem explains why he doesn't usually do endorsements. He throws a business type off a roof when he refuses to rename the drink "Eminem." 
 
 "It was confusing, and it didn't say a lot about the product," Calkins said. 
 
 Not all ads went for laughs. Motorola Mobility's 60-second spot during the second quarter played off of the famous Apple ad "1984." The dialogue-free Motorola ad shows a world where drones dress all in white and wear Apple iPod-like earbuds and a man uses a Motorola Xoom tablet to free and woo a girl. 
 
 The message is that Apple has become an oppressor rather than a liberator, and show Motorola's tablet as a worthy opponent to Apple's popular iPad, said Bill Ogle, chief marketing officer of Motorola Mobility. 
 
 "A lot of people just try to go for laughs," he said. "There are all kinds of sex and monkeys and horses (during the Super Bowl), but what we were trying to do is a bit more of a serious story." 
 
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 Online: 
 
 http://www.youtube.com/adblitz ||||| “I was just thinking that one thing I haven’t seen are those ads that objectify women, which is refreshing,” Ms. Johnson said. “And guess what? There’s still funny stuff on the air. We’re making progress.” 
 
 Still, some wished that there was more humor. 
 
 “It’s really a pretty lame year,” said Marianne Malina, president of the agency GSD&M in Austin, Tex. “When the TV promos for the Olympics and ‘The Voice’ and the N.F.L. and Justin Timberlake overshadow a lot, that says everything.” 
 
 Ms. Malina pointed out that that was a shift from the political tone of last year. 
 
 “It’s an interesting insight into just the level of risk that people are comfortable with right now,” Ms. Malina said. “Last year, people had a very strong response, and now, a year later, people are confused. Everyone’s trying to get their head around all the things that are going on, so you can see how maybe the risk dial goes down.” 
 
 “But in reality,” she added, “the risk dial maybe needs to go up.” 
 
 Verizon was among the brands that took a somber route. Its ad showed images of rescue situations and carried the voices of people thanking emergency workers, ending with the words: “They answer the call. Our job is to make sure they can get it.” 
 
 “In a culture and a climate where it’s hard to find any kind of positive news out there at the moment, it felt like something we wanted to really lean into and take on a very different message,” said Andrew McKechnie, Verizon’s chief creative officer. 
 
 Ram ad using Martin Luther King Jr. sermon draws criticism. 
 
 The blowback was swift for Ram after the carmaker used a sermon given by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as the voice-over for one of its ads. 
 
 The general sentiment: Did it really just use Dr. King’s words about the value of service to sell trucks? 
 
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 “MLK wanted equal rights and for me to buy a Dodge Ram,” one Twitter user wrote. Another wrote: “Black people cant kneel and play football but MLK should be used to sell trucks during the super bowl. Unbelievable.” 
 
 “It’s the wrong mistake to make given everything that’s going on in the U.S. right now,” said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. “There’s so much emotion right now around race in this country that this was a high-risk move, and clearly it’s not going over very well. 
 
 “I think it was well intentioned, but they’re going to have a lot of explaining to do,” Mr. Calkins added. “They did not release this ahead of time, so they went for the surprise. They got that, but at the same time, they now have a big problem with feedback and people being upset.” 
 
 Adding to the disconnect, the sermon in question, delivered exactly 50 years ago, touched on the danger of overspending on items like cars and discussed why people “are so often taken by advertisers.” 
 
 Ram approached Dr. King’s estate about using his voice in the commercial, said Eric D. Tidwell, the managing director of Intellectual Properties Management, the licenser of the estate. 
 
 “Once the final creative was presented for approval, it was reviewed to ensure it met our standard integrity clearances,” Mr. Tidwell said in a statement on Sunday night. “We found that the overall message of the ad embodied Dr. King’s philosophy that true greatness is achieved by serving others.” 
 
 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles U.S. said in a statement: “We worked closely with the representatives of the Martin Luther King Jr. estate to receive the necessary approvals, and estate representatives were a very important part of the creative process every step of the way.” 
 
 That’s not a movie. It’s just an ad. 
 
 The Super Bowl regularly draws elaborate schemes from advertisers, and this year is no exception. Tourism Australia — the Australian government agency responsible for attracting international visitors to the country — decided last April that it would buy a Super Bowl spot as part of a broader campaign geared toward drawing more visitors from North America. 
 
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 The form it took: a big movie campaign for “Dundee,” a sequel to the movie “Crocodile Dundee,” starring the actors Danny McBride and Chris Hemsworth. 
 
 The catch: “Dundee” isn’t actually being made, despite the entertaining trailers that have been released for the film, its movie website and IMDB page, and a cast introduction video that includes appearances from a host of famous Australians, including Hugh Jackman, Margot Robbie, Isla Fisher and Russell Crowe. 
 
 “We did a scan around things like the Grammys and the Academy Awards and other sporting events like the N.B.A. Finals and the World Series, but the event that really stops this country is the Super Bowl,” said John O’Sullivan, the managing director of Tourism Australia. “It’s such a spectacle, right? If you look at it from a foreigner’s point of view, it’s this massive event which I think surpasses things like the Grand Slams in tennis and the Champions League final.” 
 
 North America is the second-most-valuable market for Australian tourism after mainland China, and one that the agency has decided to focus on in the last six months, Mr. O’Sullivan said. While many people want to visit Australia, he said, the trick for the country is moving up from a “bucket list” destination to a place that people will go in the near future. 
 
 The concept for the campaign was created by the ad agency Droga5, whose founder, David Droga, is Australian. Content tied to the pretend movie will morph after the Super Bowl ad and will continue to use Danny McBride and Chris Hemsworth, Mr. Droga said. 
 
 “The beauty is there’s also a lot of content that moves with Chris and Danny that’s sort of them exploring the country as friends — as an Aussie showing around a mate,” he said. 
 
 Mr. Droga also noted that the campaign for “Dundee” benefited from the support of “Aussiewood” stars like Mr. Jackman and Ms. Robbie, who worked on it for “nothing.” 
 
 “If we had to pay commercial rights for those people,” then it “would be the most expensive ad in the Super Bowl maybe ever,” he said. 
 
 Video 
 
 One final Super Bowl connection: Mr. O’Sullivan noted that he spent a year of high school in Lebanon, Pa., making him a Philadelphia Eagles fan. 
 
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 Slow start for ads, though some bring smiles. 
 
 “Typically, you see the great work is front-loaded, and I guess my hope is that the better work is coming,” Wendy Clark, the chief executive of DDB North America and a former marketing executive at Coca-Cola, said at the start of the game’s second quarter. “At the end of the day, a Super Bowl ad is about epic, over-the-top production value,” and the first quarter “was a little quiet in the end.” 
 
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 Still, Ms. Clark was a fan of the Tide ad and the Doritos-Mountain Dew ad featuring Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman lip-syncing to Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes. 
 
 “The complete flip to Morgan Freeman, it’s just so good,” she said. “There’s a surprise aspect there, and it’s really enjoyable watching those two characters rap — the complete 180 is fantastic.” 
 
 She added, “Functionally, you’re also thinking, ‘Oh, my God, I would eat those together.” 
 
 Tide drew the laughs heading into the second quarter with a meta commercial starring David Harbour (“Stranger Things”) that showed a slew of setups for other ads before interrupting itself with, “No, it’s a Tide ad.” 
 
 “I want to see how they bring it to life and on social,” Ms. Clark said. “I assume they’re going to comment on every single ad now from their handle.” (That’s @Tide on Twitter.) 
 
 Beer makers push philanthropy. 
 
 Stella Artois ran a commercial featuring Matt Damon urging people to buy limited-edition chalices in order to give years of clean water to people in developing countries through a partnership with Water.org, which works for safe water and sanitation. That was joined by a somber commercial from Budweiser, set to the song “Stand by Me,” focused on the company’s efforts to deliver cans of water to people affected by natural disasters. 
 
 “Millennials like brands that link themselves to a social cause,” Charles R. Taylor, a professor of marketing at the Villanova University School of Business, said. “What Stella Artois is doing with Water.org, I think, is really smart.” 
 
 Still, Stella Artois’s effort spurred some skepticism, with news outlets fact-checking the ad’s claims and some viewers asking why Stella Artois didn’t simply donate the cost of the commercial to Water.org. The company, through a public relations firm, declined to say whether it had paid Mr. Damon for the appearance. 
 
 Pringles tries to encourage ‘stacking.’ 
 
 Pringles is running its first Super Bowl ad, starring the comedian Bill Hader, as it tries to popularize the notion of “stacking” chips with different flavors to arrive at a new, artificially flavored snack. (And, presumably, to encourage people to buy more than one pack of the chips at a time.) 
 
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 Yuvraj Arora, a senior vice president of marketing at Kellogg, explained how to use the process to approximate the taste of chicken wings. “You take barbecue Pringles, buffalo ranch Pringles and ranch Pringles and you get a chicken-wing-like experience without the mess,” he said. 
 
 Mr. Arora noted that the way the millennial generation interacts with food, especially on social media, was an inspiration for the idea. 
 
 “Food is so central to millennials’ lifestyle,” he said. “All around, you see there’s mashups, new flavor experiences and a number of unique flavors.” 
 
 A huge audience with a big price tag. 
 
 In an era of cord-cutting and ad-skipping, the Super Bowl is a sweet salve for the nation’s marketers. There’s no bigger stage for advertisers — last year’s game drew more than 111 million viewers — and that’s why they’re willing to shell out millions of dollars to be on it for 30 seconds. 
 
 Last year, commercials with social and political messages stole the show, but this year’s crop of advertisers seemed to steer clear of such commentary and aimed for laughs and nostalgia. 
 
 Of course, they’re paying the same high-ticket prices: The average cost of a 30-second ad in the Super Bowl is more than $5 million this year, according to ad buyers, roughly in line with last year. And that doesn’t count all the expenses tied to making and promoting an ad, like the star power. Cindy Crawford, Peter Dinklage and Danny DeVito are among the famous faces who will make commercial appearances this year. 
 
 While some ads focused on philanthropy, the tone seemed to have shifted from last year, when Airbnb and 84 Lumber ran spots that were viewed as responses to President Trump’s rhetoric on immigration and Audi broadcast a commercial advocating equal pay for women. Some industry experts had expected at least one major ad focused on women this year, perhaps tied to the #MeToo movement. 
 
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 “I’m a little bit surprised,” Charles R. Taylor, a professor of marketing at the Villanova University School of Business, said. “Some of the best ads over the last 10 years have focused on female empowerment, like the Audi daughter ad.” 
 
 Women are generally much less visible in Super Bowl ads than men, even as Nielsen data shows that women were 47 percent of the audience for last year’s game. Mr. Taylor, who recently studied Super Bowl ads from 2008 to 2017, found that 76 percent of the commercials showed a man as a principal character, while 43 percent featured a woman as a principal character. 
 
 Susan Credle, the global chief creative officer at the agency FCB, said Super Bowl advertisers may be “concerned about looking opportunistic versus supportive.” And humor, she noted, was particularly appealing given the social and political climate. 
 
 “Sometimes when the world is troubled or America is feeling a little — well, I wouldn’t say it was an up 2017 for everybody — I think there is a tendency to want to balance out the energy,” Ms. Credle said. “Lightheartedness and a little fun and joy is probably a good antidote to the reality that we’re sitting in.” 
 
 A ‘Game of Thrones’ reference and a Jeff Bezos cameo. 
 
 Fans of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” have been buzzing about a commercial for Doritos and Mountain Dew that stars the actors Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman, as well as the musicians Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes. The brands, owned by Pepsi, cast Mr. Dinklage to represent fire, for a new spicy Doritos flavor, while Mr. Morgan plays ice for a new kind of Mountain Dew. 
 
 Greg Lyons, the chief marketing officer of Pepsi’s North American beverage unit, said the casting was not a reference to Mr. Dinklage’s “Game of Thrones” character, who advises a queen who owns dragons. The actor, he said, is “fiery on his own.” 
 
 Mr. Lyons said, “He was in ‘Elf’ — he was pretty fiery in that as well.” 
 
 In another kind of pop-culture moment, Jeff Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon, who has become far more visible in recent months at Hollywood and charity events, will appear in his first ad for the company, which promotes its Echo device. 
 
 Half a billion dollars in commercial time. 
 
 While it has never been easier for advertisers to reach vast numbers of people around the world, thanks to the internet, the lure of the Super Bowl is the one huge audience it provides. Advertisers spent a combined $534 million on ads before, during and after the game last year, according to the research firm Kantar. The company said that the roughly $5 million a 30-second commercial cost last year compared to $2.5 million for 30 seconds in the National Football Conference championship game and $1.9 million for the same time in the Academy Awards. 
 
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 “It’s a finite amount of inventory,” Gibbs Haljun, managing director of media investment at GroupM, the media buying arm of WPP. “There’s only one game, it’s only on once a year, the ratings are relatively stable and it is what it is.” 
 
 Still, it appeared that NBC was selling at least some spots down to the wire, as illustrated by a last-minute buy from Wix.com that the company announced on Friday. In January, Wix.com was promoting its decision to sit out of this year’s game and arranging press interviews with its chief marketing officer about alternative plans for the money. 
 
 NBC said in an email late Friday that it had sold all of its ads for the game. 
 
 The network, which is owned by Comcast, has had the dual challenge this year of selling ads for both the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics, which will begin on Friday. 
 
 “I can’t remember the last time that occurred,” Mr. Haljun said, “so this is kind of an odd challenge for them and continues to make the negotiations a little more interesting and robust.” ||||| “We believe beer should be bipartisan, and did not set out to create a piece of political commentary,” Marcel Marcondes, vice president for marketing at Anheuser-Busch InBev, said in a statement. “However, we recognize that you can’t reference the American dream today without being part of the conversation.” 
 
 In 2012, a Chrysler Super Bowl ad featuring Clint Eastwood was seen by some conservatives as pandering to President Barack Obama after his administration’s bailout of automakers. 
 
 In the case of 84 Lumber, Ms. Magerko said that Fox vetoed the initial idea based on a storyboard of the proposed commercial from Brunner, the company’s ad agency. That document, which was reviewed by The New York Times, said the commercial would show a mother and daughter on “an arduous journey north,” as American workers built a large structure. Their journey appeared doomed once they reached the wall until a patriotic symbol inspired them to find a massive doorway — which is what the workers were creating all along. The final line: “The will to succeed will always be welcome here.” 
 
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 Ms. Magerko, who said she voted for Mr. Trump, said the ad was meant to recruit employees in their 20s “who really believe in American dreams.” She expressed concern about the labor shortage her company is facing. She said she had a welcoming attitude toward certain immigrants, while providing the caveat that she had faith in elected officials to “make the decisions to make us safe.” 
 
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 “I am all about those people who are willing to fight and go that extra yard to make a difference and then if they have to, you know, climb higher, go under, do whatever it takes to become a citizen. I am all for that 110 percent,” she said. “But do I want cartels? Hell, no.” 
 
 It has become a marketing strategy of sorts over the years to intentionally create a Super Bowl ad that will never make it to air, then capitalize on online traffic. But Ms. Magerko said that was not 84 Lumber’s plan, noting that the company is still showing the edited 90-second spot that Fox has approved. 
 
 Ms. Magerko said that some people might think she was “as crazy as a loon to go out there and buy this enormous ad that makes no sense financially.” 
 
 “I’m sure I’m going to have economists and all these people say she’s an idiot, and maybe I am,” she said. “But I’m an idiot that has some money now that my people made for me, and I owe it to them to say that they’re great and I need more people like them.” 
 
 A company representative confirmed that it spent more than $5 million on the ad, which was the average rate this year for 30 seconds. 
 
 The company, which draws about $2.9 billion in revenue a year and has been rebuilding since the recession, is keen on igniting a conversation around housing and labor, she said. 
 
 As for immigration and the wall, “We didn’t know this was going to be the hot topic six weeks ago,” Ms. Magerko said. “We knew it was a topic. We didn’t know it was the topic.”
– During this year's Super Bowl, advertisers mostly played it safe—apart from Fiat Chrysler, which faced a major backlash after using a Martin Luther King Jr. speech in an ad for Dodge Ram trucks. "Recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness," the civil rights leader said in the Feb. 4, 1968 speech. The company said it had obtained permission from King's estate, though the King Center nonprofit said it hadn't approved the ad, USA Today reports. Critics noted that MLK's dream "probably wasn't to drive a Ram"—and that in the same speech used in the commercial, he said families shouldn't spend too much of their income on automobiles. Some other standout ads, which can be seen in the gallery: NFL. The "Touchdown Celebration" NFL spot featuring Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. in a Dirty Dancing spoof got some laughs at AdAge, which writes: "Not since the Super Bowl shuffle have we so enjoyed seeing these big lugs boogie." Amazon. The company's "Alexa Loses Her Voice" ad featured an appearance from CEO Jeff Bezos, as well as celebrities including Gordon Ramsey, Cardi B, and Sir Anthony Hopkins. Doritos/Mountain Dew. Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman trade rhymes in an ad for Doritos Blaze versus Mountain Dew Ice that Billboard describes as "the rap battle of the 21st century." Tide. David Harbour stars in what he tells AdWeek was a "wildly self-aware" series of ads mimicking ads for other products designed to make viewers wonder, "Wow, maybe every ad is like a Tide ad." Pringles. Pringles brought out Bill Hader and what AdAge calls a collection of "slack-jawed wacky types" to introduce the concept of "stacking" Pringles for new flavor combinations. Budweiser. In one of several socially conscious beer ads, Budweiser, the game's largest advertiser, highlighted its efforts to send water to places in need. Toyota. Toyota promoted its Paralympics sponsorship by telling the story of skiier Lauren Woolstencroft, reports the AP, which notes that a fifth of this year's ads involved social causes, up from 6% last year. Hyundai. The automaker tugged at heart strings with an ad focusing on its pediatric cancer research charity. "This is the first time Hyundai has trotted out its charity in a Super Bowl ad, and we're betting it isn't the last," CNET predicts. Tourism Australia. The Dundee ad came as part of an elaborate Australian marketing campaign featuring a nonexistent sequel to Crocodile Dundee, reports the New York Times.