Hasta La Creative!

Bad buyer behavior is gumming up the media engine.

Ad Age Next: Health and Wellness, a livestreamed conference, will take place on March 1 and include executives from Pfizer, WW and Hydrow.

The times are changing, and so are M&M’s well-known mascots. In an effort to better align with today’s emphasis on inclusivity and belonging, the 80-year-old brand has given its cast of candy characters a modern makeover. “We took a deep look at our characters, both inside and out, and have evolved their looks, personalities and…

I’m Ad Age Editor Jeanine Poggi, counting down to Super Bowl LVI. In the weeks leading up to the game, which will, as of now, air on NBC on Feb. 13, Ad Age will bring you breaking news, analysis and first looks at the high-stakes, Big-Game commercials—all in our Super Bowl newsletter. Sign up right here to get them in your email.

Another comeback

Kia is returning to the Big Game after sitting out last year. Kia has appeared in 13 Super Bowls and bought ads in 11 straight games until it opted to sit out of the 2021 bowl, joining other auto brands that curtailed investments in the game as they adjusted to COVID-19 budget realities, Ad Age’s E.J. Schultz writes. 

The return of Kia brings representation of the auto category in the 2022 game up to four brands, including Nissan, Toyota and General Motors. Last year only three automakers bought ads. 

Kia is typically known for celebrity-studded Super Bowl ads, but it took a more serious route in its last outing. The 2020 commercial starred Raiders running back Josh Jacobs and put a spotlight on youth homelessness.

You can watch Kia’s prior Super Bowl ads in our voluminous, searchable Super Bowl Ad Archive.

RSVP for Ad Age’s Super Bowl event on Feb. 8 at AdAge.com/InDepthSuperBowl.

Big box in Big Game 

Sam’s Club is looking to get out of the shadow of its giant sibling Walmart with its first-ever Super Bowl commercial starring Kevin Hart, Ad Age’s Jack Neff writes. The 30-second commercial features Hart receiving what he believes to be a VIP-shopping experience, unaware that he is using a service available to all Sam’s Club members. The spot will promote the brand’s Scan & Go checkout function. 

This is Hart’s first official Super Bowl ad. He did appear in a pre-game spot for Hyundai back in 2016 and teased Alexa’s ad in 2021, suggesting he should have been chosen as its voice rather than Michael B. Jordan. 

To keep track of all the advertisers running national spots in the game, bookmark Ad Age’s regularly updated Super Bowl ad chart.  

Get the latest Ad Age Super Bowl 2022 news here.

Megan Thee Stallion joins Super Bowl fray 

Rapper Megan Thee Stallion will make her Super Bowl commercial debut in Frito-Lay’s Cheetos and Doritos spot. A teaser released by the PepsiCo snack giant today shows the singer arriving at a movie lot munching on a bag of Cheetos, Ad Age’s Jon Springer writes. A security guard proceeds to ask whether she is allergic to dogs or cats—and to foxes, bears, water buffaloes, sloths or crocodiles. Watch the teaser here. 

In recent years rappers including Cardi B, Shaggy and Lil Nas X have also starred in Super Bowl commercials.

Last week, PepsiCo released a new campaign in the runup to the Super Bowl that features NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning, as well as other former football stars. The spots highlight the portfolio of PepsiCo’s snack and drink brands and their role in accompanying viewers of the big game and the playoff battles that lead to it, Springer writes. The commercial also includes former greats like Pittsburgh Steelers’ running back Jerome Bettis; Giants’ wide receiver Victor Cruz; and Terry Bradshaw, the legendary Steelers quarterback.

Travel places bets  

After skipping the game last year, several travel brands are coming back to the Super Bowl as the industry continues to rebound from pandemic lows, writes Ad Age’s Adrianne Pasquarelli.  

Last week, Booking.com and Expedia announced plans to air 30-second spots in the Feb. 13 game.

Brands are seeking mass-market ad opportunities as they battle for market share as more consumers are taking leisure vacations and even business trips are trickling back. Of course, it remains to be seen how the recent surge impacts the sector leading into the Super Bowl.

Trivia time with Tums

In a branding move seemingly tied to how much viewers eat while they watch the game, Tums announced “TUMSworthy Big Game Trivia,” which will be hosted by Scott Rogowsky, the former host of HQ Trivia. Fans will have the chance to win some of the $88,000 in prizes from the antacid brand, which is featuring former NFL players Terrell Davis and Hines Ward facing off in a challenge on February 10 that it will livestream on social media.

Following record levels of advertising spend in 2021, signs are that businesses will continue to step up their recovery plans from the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.K. with data suggesting that marketing budgets will see “considerable growth” this year, albeit perhaps not at the level of 6.2% previously predicted. According to industry membership body the…

Activision has a lot of popular games that fit into Microsoft’s plans to build a vast library of titles that can be played on all sorts of devices. The metaverse can wait.

Meta began the next steps of helping creators on Instagram monetize their efforts, kicking off a test of Subscriptions with a handful of creators in the U.S. Fan Subscriptions debuted on sister platform Facebook in June 2020, and the option was renamed Subscriptions last November. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday,…

Meta lifted the temporary ban on advertising medical masks that it imposed when the pandemic began in March 2020. The company said in an updated blog post, “In keeping pace with evolving guidance from governments and health authorities recommending that people use higher-grade masks, we are lifting our temporary advertising ban on medical masks. Advertisers…

The Messenger Kids application allows parents and children to turn on Dark mode to change the app’s appearance. Our guide will show you how this is done. Note: These screenshots were captured in the Messenger Kids app on iOS. Step 1: Open the Messenger Kids app and tap your child’s profile picture in the top-left…

Despite some developments in making diversity in tech companies a higher priority, it’s still clear that more needs to be done. Palm, an electronic technology company, is reminding us that real inclusion starts at a local level. In an effort to expand the technology space to local and underserved communities, Palm announces a new partnership…