Tech Firms Draft Neeson, Schwarzenegger For Super Bowl 50 Ads
Last year, tough-guy actor Liam Neeson made a splash in a Super Bowl ad promoting mobile video game “Clash of Clans” from Super Cell. But this year, he’s switched teams. For Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, he will be promoting LG Electronics’ flagship OLED TV. The spot is LG’s first-ever Super Bowl ad. Several tech companies, including LG, are using star power in their Super Bowl 50 commercials to increase their buzz factor. Action star Arnold Schwarzenegger will be hawking Machine Zone’s war-themed smartphone game, “Mobile Strike.” During last year’s big game , Machine Zone advertised its mobile game, “Game of War: Fire Age,” in a spot that featured model Kate Upton. Website-hosting service Squarespace recruited the comedy team of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele for a Super Bowl ad and to provide live commentary online during the big game. Amazon.com ( AMZN ) roped in actor Alec Baldwin, football great Dan Marino and hip-hop artist Missy Elliott for an ad to promote Amazon’s Echo smart-speaker with Alexa voice controls. Amazon is a first-time Super Bowl advertiser this year along with LG and PayPal ( PYPL ). Wireless carrier T-Mobile ( TMUS ) hired rapper Drake to spoof his hit song “Hotline Bling” in a Super Bowl 50 ad. Apartments.com is using its regular pitchman Jeff Goldblum in an ad that features hip-hop star Lil Wayne. Website-hosting company Wix.com ( WIX ) took a different approach, commissioning a computer-animated ad from DreamWorks Animation ( DWA ) that also serves as a tie-in to DreamWorks’ “Kung Fu Panda 3,” now in theaters. Super Bowl ads are pricey, but generate considerable press and social media interest. This year, 30-second spots are selling for upward of $5 million. Other tech companies advertising during Sunday’s game include financial software firm Intuit ( INTU ) and action-camera maker GoPro ( GPRO ).