Jeep Lands The Boss

In 2017, brands delivered politically charged messages en masse, including Airbnb's last-second entry that contained a message about diversity and 84 Lumber's ad that invoked images of the border wall. This year, brands have largely stayed funny, and the few to dabble in a more serious tone have done so without touching anything political. [You can watch all the ads released so far here.]

Until now. Jeep has released a two-minute spot with The Boss. Bruce Springsteen narrates the longest ad of the game, which focuses on the "ReUnited States of America" and that we need to "meet in the middle." It will be interesting to see how Americans react to the ad.

In our story: Commerce editor Lisa Lacy dives deep into Jeep's thinking, which for a second year in the row booked a celebrity who has historically strayed away from advertising.

The Avengers Effect

Apparently one celebrity isn't enough for Super Bowl advertisers anymore. We started to notice this last year thanks to Sabra's ad that featured 19 celebrities, but it's really ramping up this year. Brands are increasingly using ensemble casts to make their ads memorable. We explored why celebrity involvement keeps growing.

Alcohol brands get creative

Anheuser Busch has had exclusive advertising rights in the Super Bowl for over 40 years. But regional ads and stunts are fair game for its competitors. Something like… Sam Adams using Clydesdale horses to poke fun at Budweiser. Adweek's Katie Lundstrom highlights the best non-AB InBev alcohol ads around the game.

Exclusive Survey on Delivery Brands

Only 23% of Super Bowl watchers plan to order from a delivery app today. That leaves a big opportunity for growth for brands like DoorDash and Uber Eats, which are advertising tonight. Check out the rest of the data.

What you need to know about Adweek's plans on Sunday:

On a year when hitting the right tone has proven difficult, advertisers are leaning on A-listers.

Anheuser-Busch has had an exclusive agreement with the NFL since 1975

As DoorDash, Uber Eats spring for Big Game ads, it's clear they have room for growth