This image provided by Coors Light shows the Coors Light 2025 Super Bowl NFL football spot. (Coors Light via AP)2025-02-09T15:22:38Z Most of the commercials airing during this years Super Bowl are going for laughs, with advertisers betting that America could use a brief diversion.As the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs hit the field in New Orleans, a parade of silly ads will hit airwaves on Sunday. Many companies put their ads online ahead of the game, but some held out to maintain an element of surprise. Humor dominates in the ads released so far. Four old ladies go on a joy ride with WeatherTech, while Eugene Levys eyebrows fly off and buzz around after he eats some Little Caesars. Sloths have a case of the Mondays in an ad for Coors Light. A mans tongue starts dancing to celebrate cold foam from Nestl Coffee Mate. British singer Seal becomes an actual seal, sad that he cant hold Mountain Dew with his flippers.Actor Glenn Powell does a take on Goldilocks for Ram Trucks, while comedian Nate Bargatze clones himself and hires an opera singer because he saved so much money using DoorDash. Shaboozey takes a lighthearted stroll through New Orleans for Nerds, while the stars of the Fast and Furious franchise take a slow cruise in a convertible so they can enjoy Hagen-Dazs ice cream bars. Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of Management, said this was a complicated Super Bowl for advertisers. Most ads were in development during last falls U.S. presidential election race, so avoiding controversy was even more of a priority than usual, Calkins said. The finalized crop of commercials feature a lot of simple humor, nostalgia and few creative risks, he said. But even that approach can backfire.Thats the challenge this year. Everybody wants to be safe, but you also want to be interesting, Calkins said. Safe advertising isnt the advertising you notice or remember. AP @ the Super Bowl What time does the Super Bowl start? Our guide to the game The ads youll be watching Kendrick Lamar is ready for halftime See who won the AP MVP and other awards And advertisers cant afford not to be noticed. Some of the roughly 80 Super Bowl ads spots cost a record $8 million for 30 seconds this year. Here are some of the themes of this years Super Bowl ads:Heartwarming nostalgia Budweiser brings back its Clydesdales for its Super Bowl ad, including a foal that wants to join the delivery team. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal reenact their famous scene from 1989s When Harry Met Sally, except this time Sally is expressing her enthusiasm for Hellmanns mayonnaise. The Muppets search for accommodations with Booking.com, while an Instacart ad features a parade of familiar mascots like Mr. Clean, the Jolly Green Giant and the Pillsbury Doughboy. Disney asks what the world would be like without the iconic characters it owns, like Elsa from Frozen, Bart Simpson and the Marvel superheroes. Advertisers are leaning on nostalgia more than they used to in Super Bowl ads, according to Kimberly Whitler, a marketing professor at the University of Virginias Darden School of Business. Nods to the past can broaden the appeal of an ad to different generations and connect products to positive cultural moments, she said. Celebrity mash-upsPutting celebrities together in unexpected combinations can also broaden the appeal of a commercial. In their Super Bowl ad for Michelob Ultra, Catherine OHara and Willem Dafoe are pickleball champs. Soccer star David Beckham and actor Matt Damon are long-lost twins who bond over Stella Artois. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and comedian Pete Davidson team up for a HexClad commercial, while Post Malone, Shane Gillis and Peyton Manning have a block party with Bud Light. A slew of celebrities, including Matthew McConaughey, Martha Stewart, Greta Gerwig and Charlie XCX, appear in an ad for Uber Eats. Linli Xu, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Minnesotas Carlson School of Management, said celebrity endorsements can get people talking. But with dozens of brands using them, theres a risk of diminishing returns.Celebrities can also get so much attention that viewers dont remember which brand theyre advertising, Xu said.There is a balancing act in terms of having celebrities in the ads, she said. Serious momentsIt isnt all fun and games at the Super Bowl this year. Pharmaceutical company Novartis urges women to get early detection for breast cancer. Dove warns that half of girls who quit sports have been criticized for their body type. Hims & Hers, a telehealth company, talks about Americas obesity epidemic. And the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, founded by New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, has a stark ad featuring Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady saying what they hate about each other. Xu said she expected more ads promoting that unifying message. But for the most part, advertisers went with humor, she said.We just had an election year and theres a lot of discussion around divisiveness, she said. People might be wanting to see some unity, everybody coming together as a country.Artificial intelligence arrivesSeveral Super Bowl ads make the case for AI as a helpmate. Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth and Kris Jenner team up for an ad wearing Meta s smart glasses, which use artificial intelligence to answer questions about what wearers are seeing. Actor Walton Goggins pitches GoDaddy Airo, which uses AI to help build websites and social content. And Googles 50 States, 50 Stories campaign will show viewers a small business from their state thats using Googles Gemini AI assistant. But Cirkul, a water bottle brand, pokes fun at AI, showing comedian Adam Devine accidentally ordering 100,000 bottles using the AI assistant on his phone. DEE-ANN DURBIN Durbin is an Associated Press business writer focusing on the food and beverage industry. She has also covered the auto industry and state and national politics in her nearly 30-year career with the AP. twitter mailto MAE ANDERSON Anderson reports for The Associated Press on a wide range of issues that small businesses face. She is based in New York. twitter mailto WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS Grantham-Philips is a business reporter who covers trending news for The Associated Press. She is based in New York. twitter mailto