Super Bowl Sunday is one of the most highly anticipated days of the year, and for good reason.
Most people are excited to watch the AFC Champion New England Patriots take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks to decide who will take home the National Football League's Super Bowl trophy. Some are looking forward to the party aspect of the Super Bowl, like seeing Katy Perry "Roar" during the halftime show or getting the chance to pig out on Doritos and Tostitos.
Then there's those who watch the big game just for the Super Bowl commercials. Kantar Media said that advertisers will pay approximately $4.5 million for a 30-second spot, which is $200,000 more than companies paid in 2014. Companies shell out so much money because the Super Bowl is watched by so many people.
Last year's Super Bowl was viewed by 111.5 million people, and that number is expected to rise this year.
This Sunday on NBC, six automakers will have ads played during the most watched television event of the year, including Kia, BMW and Nissan, who hasn't had a Super Bowl commercial since 1997.
Here are some commercials and teasers that have already been released.
Kia Sorento
Story: Pierce Brosnan will star in Kia's Super Bowl commercial this year, parodying his roles as an action film star. The 60-second "Unexpected" spot is schedule to air during the third quarter of the big game. Kia told us earlier this week that spot is a part of the automaker's "Perfect Getaway Vehicle" campaign, which will incorporate a number of components like TV, cinema and social media.
Interesting fact: Kia's commercial was created by David & Goliath, the duo behind Kia's 2014 Matrix spot that air during the 2014 Super Bowl starring Laurence Fishburne.
Super Bowl Hashtag: #PerfectGetaway
Mercedes-Benz AMG GT
Story: Mercedes-Benz will air ads for its AMG GT sports car throughout the Super Bowl, including one during the fourth quarter that retells the classic story of the tortoise vs. the hare. Only this time, the hare has some help.
Interesting fact: Mercedes-Benz decided to debut the new spot on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" this week, where Ellen had a two audience members compete in "The Mercedes Race Around the Benz."
Super Bowl Hashtag: #TheBigRace
BMW i3:
Story: BMW's 60-second spot for the all-electric i3 will air during the first quarter of the Super Bowl. BMW has not had a commercial featured during the Super Bowl since 2011, so they decided to enlist former NBC "Today Show" hosts Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel to make the spot interesting.
Interesting fact: The ad opens with a 1994 clip of the "Today Show" where Couric and Gumbel discuss what the "@" sign is.
Super Bowl Hashtag: #HelloFuture
Toyota Camry:
Story: Toyota will air two 60-second commercials this Sunday, including one for its Camry Sedan during the second quarter, which will feature good dads of the NFL like NFL MVP Kurt Warner and DeMarcus Ware. The ads are part of the automaker's "One Bold Choice Leads to Another" campaign.
Interesting fact: If you watch the pre-game show before the Super Bowl, look for Toyota's "How Great I Am" spot, which will feature Team Toyota athlete, Paralympic medalist and "Dancing with the Stars" finalist Amy Purdy and the voice of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
Super Bowl Hashtag: #OneBoldChoice
Nissan:
Story: It's been awhile since Nissan has advertised during the Super Bowl, but this year they plan on making a lot of noise. So far just 10-seconds of the 90 second "With Dad" spot has been released, which depicts the struggle of work-life balance facing a number of families across the Unites States.
Interesting fact: The iconic song "Cats in the Cradle" by the late Harry Chapin is featured in the spot, along with two surprise products that make cameo appearances.
Super Bowl Hashtag: #withdad
Lexus NX:
Story: Unlike the planned Nissan and Toyota spots, Lexus wants to get straight to the point: we should have had a compact crossover vehicle available before now, but now that we do, it's an incredible ride. Lexus tried to drive this message home with its artsy "Make Some Nose" ad, which debuted online earlier this week.
Interesting fact: Lexus has publicly stated that it's hoping to sell about 35,000 NX vehicles this year. That should be an easy goal to achieve considering the amount of people that will be watching this Sunday.
Super Bowl Hashtag: #LexusNX
Fiat Chrysler:
Story: Fiat Chrysler confirmed on Thursday that it will air three Super Bowl commercials during the big game this weekend. The first ad will air during the two-minute warning in the second quarter, and the second and third commercials will appear in the third quarter.
Interesting fact: Unlike other automaker, Fiat Chrysler isn't saying anything about its Super Bowl commercials before Sunday. The company said back in November it had reserved time, but wouldn't even confirm it was using that time until this week.
Super Bowl Hashtag: Not known yet
Snickers:
Story: I know what you're thinking. "Snickers isn't a car company, why are they on this list?" We decided to include Snickers since the company recreated the iconic 1973 Plymouth Satellite Station Wagon featured on "The Brady Bunch" to promote the new spot in downtown Phoenix.
Interesting fact: "The Brady Bunch" spot stars Danny Trejo as a grumpy Marcia Brady, and Steve Buscemi as a whiny Jan Brady. So why are they so upset? They're hungry, of course.
Super Bowl Hashtag: #EatASnickers
Super Bowl XLIX is scheduled for Sunday, February 1, 6:30 pm on NBC.
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
