This year’s Super Bowl advertisers are riding a wave of nostalgia, judging from the spots and teasers that have been released in advance of Sunday’s big game.
In ad after ad, an array of companies and brands are highlighting artists and athletes from the past or celebrating some of our favorite movies and TV shows from decades ago. Remember “Caddyshack”?
But what about those crypto companies that dominated last year’s crop of ads? They’re mostly a distant memory.
Instead, we’re getting ads hawking Anheuser-Busch InBev’s BUD, -0.05% Michelob Ultra beer, now with a “Caddyshack” connection. Yes, the 1980 golf-themed film that starred Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield is the basis for spots that feature such athletes as tennis star Serena Williams and former quarterback Tony Romo.
But the blast-from-the-past theme doesn’t end there. E-commerce company Rakuten Group Inc. RKUNY, -0.99% takes us back to the 1995 movie “Clueless” in a Super Bowl spot. The ad even features Alicia Silverstone, who starred in that movie.
“Breaking Bad” is also back, complete with main characters Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, and Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul. But instead of making crystal meth, they’re making snacks in an ad for PepsiCo.’s PEP, +1.98% PopCorners.
We can also relive the glory of “Grease” with John Travolta. A T-Mobile US Inc. TMUS, +0.60% spot has him singing his way through a reworked version of “Summer Nights” alongside Zach Braff and Donald Faison.
In other cases, the nostalgic theme is more about the artist. For example, Sarah McLachlan, the singer-songwriter who first made her mark in the 1990s, appears in an ad for Busch beer that plays off her commercials in support of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Ozzy Osbourne, another artist who has been on the scene for decades, is also in an ad — for software company Workday Inc. WDAY, -1.54%.
Then there’s Dave Grohl, the rock icon of Foo Fighters and Nirvana fame. He’s in a spot for Diageo’s DEO, -0.72% Crown Royal whiskey.
Ben Stiller brings back his Zoolander fashion-model character in an ad for Pepsi Zero Sugar.
An ad for sports-betting app DraftKings Inc. DKNG, -3.27% stars Kevin Hart and also features legendary athletes including David Ortiz, Julius Erving, Lisa Leslie and Tony Hawk.
Speaking of retired athletes, NFL great Peyton Manning is in a spot for Bush’s Beans.
Of course, not every Super Bowl ad will have a nostalgic slant. For example, Boston Beer Co.’s SAM, -1.29% Sam Adams is continuing its “Your Cousin From Boston” campaign — albeit with a twist that imagines a world in which Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees fans can get along.
Unilever’s UL, +0.18% Hellmann’s mayonnaise has an ad that imagines a very different ham-and-cheese sandwich — one with TV and film stars Jon Hamm and Brie Larson. Oh, and Pete Davidson somehow finds his way into the spot.
And let’s not forget Jennifer Coolidge, most recently of “White Lotus” fame. She’s talking up her “baby dolphin” skin in this spot for cosmetics from e.l.f. Beauty Inc. ELF, -2.06%.
Finally, for all you fans of groove-worthy hold music, this Bud Light spot with Miles and Keleigh Teller might have you doing a living-room dance, too.