Here's what you can expect from Super Bowl commercials this Sunday

NEW YORK — Big name advertisers will be pulling out all the stops on Super Bowl Sunday — enlisting high-profile actors, investing in dazzling special effects and, they hope, going for laughs as they seek to win over viewers during game breaks.

Marketers will use Sunday’s game, which will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+, to draw attention to new products, brand extensions and their marketing message as they again vie for the eyes of more than 100 million expected viewers.

Here’s what we know heading into this year’s big game.

TV show mini-reunions

Perhaps taking a cue from the success of last year’s PopCorners ad that featured a reunion of “Breaking Bad” actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, this year there’s a slew of mini TV show reunions in ads.

T-Mobile, which has been reuniting “Scrubs” co-stars in Super Bowl ads since 2022, teams Zach Braff and Donald Faison to sing a version of “Flashdance…What a Feeling,” with Jason Momoa — with a cameo by Jennifer Beals.

In an ad stuffed with celebrity cameos — including “Judge Judy” Judy Sheindlin — e.l.f. cosmetics reunited “Suits” stars Gina Torres, Rick Hoffman and Sarah Rafferty in a courtroom spoof.

NBC sitcoms have quite a few reunion moments during the game. In an Uber Eats ad, which shows people forgetting things so they remember Uber Eats can deliver a wide variety of items, Jennifer Anniston seemingly forgets she ever worked with her “Friends” co-star David Schwimmer.

In an ad for Mtn Dew Baja Blast, Aubrey Plaza says she can have a “Blast” doing anything, including reuniting with her “Parks and Rec” boss Nick Offerman as they fly on dragons.

And in an ad for Booking.com, Tina Fey hires body doubles to stay at different lodging because she has so many options on the site, including her “30 Rock” co-stars Jane Krakowski and Jack McBrayer.

Nostalgia, light hijinks

Humor and a touch of nostalgia can be found in many ads. Molson Coors’ ad brings back their “Chill Train” that last appeared in advertisements nearly two decades ago, in 2005. A tongue-in-cheek ad shows the train crashing into a football watching party to bring partiers Coors Light. LL Cool J turns out to be the conductor.

In another hijinks-filled ad, Doritos introduces its new Dina­mita chips — the 24th year Doritos is advertising in the Super Bowl — by depicting two grandmotherly women in a store with actress Jenna Ortega. They reveal their action prowess by taking off to pursue “Top Gun: Maverick” actor Danny Ramirez, who grabbed the last bag of chips from a store shelf.

Frito-Lay North America CMO Brett O’Brien says Dinamitas is aiming to reach a “multicultural young audience” ages 16 to 24.

Celebrities abound

There are always tons of celebrities in ads, and the star power seems to escalate further every year.

“It’s celebrity on steroids right now,” Virginia Commonwealth University Brand­center’s Jessica D. Collins said. While that is not necessarily new or surprising for the Super Bowl, she added, “it’s just going to be so heightened this year.”

That means big names such as Arnold Schwarzenneger starring in a State Farm ad, Ice Spice making an appearance for Starry, Christopher Walken facing imitations of himself for BMW, and Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner Usher showing up in an Uber Eats spot.

Many ads include multiple celebrities. Beyond the TV show reunions, Michelob Ultra features soccer legend Lionel Messi, “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis and retired Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino. BetMGM features Vince Vaughn, Tom Brady and Wayne Gretsky. And Paramount+ touts a star-filled lineup, including Drew Barrymore, Sir Patrick Stewart and Creed.

Squarespace also hired a big name for behind the camera, with Martin Scorcese directing his first Super Bowl ad for the domain hosting site.

While star power is exciting, it’s always possible to overdo it. Advertisers can risk viewers remembering what stars they saw in a commercial but not the brand name, University of Minnesota associate professor of marketing Linli Xu notes.

Some serious moments

Of course, this year’s Super Bowl commercials won’t be all laughs.

Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism has said it will run an ad featuring Martin Luther King Jr.’s speechwriter, Dr. Clarence B. Jones. Dove’s ad focuses on the fact that low body confidence leads to girls quitting sports. And Google’s heartstring-pulling ad follows a blind man as he uses “Guided Frame” — Google’s AI-powered accessibility feature for the Pixel camera that uses a combination of audio cues, high-contrast animations and tactile vibrations — to take pictures of the people and places in his life.

Surprises

As always, there will still be game-day surprises. Some advertisers such as Amazon have stayed mum on any plans. Upstart e-commerce site Temu has reportedly bought several ads. In a presidential election year, it’s possible we might see a candidate ad.

And while there have been no indications of such, many wonder if advertisers will capitalize on this year’s Taylor Swift buzz in some way.

Regardless of whether she makes her way into the commercial side of the big game, marketers say advertisers are taking note of the “Taylor Swift effect” and trying to reach everyone, not just sports fans.

“We have people that have never watched football a day in their life now watching the entire game — not just for the ads, but for the game itself and for the celebrity sightings,” Collins said.