• Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu takes on the starring role in “Mean Troy,” a new Coke Zero ad that puts an unexpected twist on the iconic Coca-Cola “Mean Joe Greene” commercial. It will be the first Coke Zero ad ever to air during the Super Bowl telecast. In the 30-second spot, Polamalu reprises the part made famous by Pittsburgh Steelers legend “Mean” Joe Greene. “The Coca-Cola ‘Mean Joe Greene’ ad is one of the most famous commercials of all time, so I was blown away when they asked me to be in this new spot,” said Polamalu.
• Heineken USA, as part of their new marketing platform “Give Yourself a Good Name,” will air a new Heineken television ad featuring John Turturro in 27 top markets during the Super Bowl XLIII broadcast. The campaign showcases subtle ways in which consumers decide to “give themselves a good name” through their actions, their words and their choices.
• Seattle seafood restaurant  Ivar’s Seafood Restaurants (Ivar’s Acres of Clam, Ivar’s Salmon House and Ivar’s Mukilteo Landing) will run a half-second, regional television spot during the big game. This is the shortest known television spot to ever air in any market, apparently. It will feature a flash of iconic imagery and a brief voice over. Terry Heckler, principal of Ivar’s advertising agency of record, Heckler Associates, encouraged the idea. The agency contacted Seattle’s NBC affiliate, KING-TV, requesting the highly unusual :005 spot and made quick work of production and placement. Following airing, Ivar’s will place the ad on www.ivars.net and link to a page on its website for the replay.
• Monster.com, the online career and recruitment resource of Monster Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: MWW) will launch a unique promotion during Super Bowl XLIII in an effort to identify, recognize and reward one of football’s biggest fans. Monster and the NFL have teamed to create the Department of Fandemonium and Monster will launch a national contest providing fans the chance to apply to be the first ever Director of Fandemonium. The Director of Fandemonium will serve as goodwill ambassador for Monster and the NFL at several marquee events during the 2009 NFL season and also will receive a $100,000 signing bonus, courtesy of Monster.
• First Toy Story, and now the Super Bowl? Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) characters Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head will appear in a Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations commercial which will air during Super Bowl XLIII. Titled “Taters” and slated to air between the first and second quarters of the game, the 30-second commercial depicts the iconic couple enjoying a scenic drive which is interrupted by an unexpected turn of events. “MR. AND MRS. POTATO HEAD are two of our most iconic characters and we are thrilled to share them with one of the year’s largest television audiences on Super Bowl Sunday,” said John Frascotti, global chief marketing officer, Hasbro. “MR. AND MRS. POTATO HEAD were perfectly cast as the loveable stars for our ‘Taters’ spot.” said John Baratta, president, Replacement Tire Sales U.S. and Canada Consumer Tire Sales Division.
• Spartanburg, South Carolina-based Denny’s (NASDAQ:DENN) will run their first ever Super Bowl ad, developed and produced by San Francisco based Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. It takes a humorous shot at its competitors’ “candy breakfasts.” The spot is part of the next evolution of Denny’s “Real Breakfast” campaign which touts their famous Grand Slam through scenarios in which “Cowboys” and “Thugs” are served pancake breakfasts drowning in sugary whipped cream, jelly beans and other assorted candy. “We know there is stiff competition out there,” notes Mark Chmiel, Chief Marketing Officer, Denny’s. “So we are highlighting our points of differentiation…..real, serious breakfast that tastes great.
• E*TRADE FINANCIAL Corp. (NASDAQ: ETFC) will feature its “Talking Baby” during Super Bowl XLIII. The “Talking Baby” ad campaign, which premiered during Super Bowl XLII, generated lots of attention. “History repeatedly has shown that those who continue to make smart marketing investments when economic times are uncertain are best positioned for success when the economy rebounds,” said Nicholas A. Utton, Chief Marketing Officer, E*TRADE FINANCIAL Corp.
• Go Daddy, the internet domain company, received network approval for TWO GoDaddy-esque naughty commercials weeks in advance of the Super Bowl; viewers have picked one to air online. Historically, censors have rejected Go Daddy’s risqué ads.
• DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (NYSE:DWA) and PepsiCo’s SoBe Lifewater joined together with Intel Corporation and NBC to create the ‘Monstrous’ 3D event for Super Bowl XLIII. This first-ever all 3D Super Bowl commercial will mark the debut of DreamWorks 3D movie trailer for its upcoming feature film, Monsters vs. Aliens, which hits theaters in the U.S. on March 27th. In addition, the timeslot will feature a 60-second SoBe Lifewater commercial marking the return of the SoBe lizards.

“Super Bowl ads have the potential to be the best investment a major brand can make all year,” said Talk’s President & Creative Director Debbie Elliott.

Super Bowl advertising is a big draw for viewers, with over 54 percent of U.S. adults who expect to watch Super Bowl XLIII planning to tune in as much or more for the commercials as for the game, according to a poll from the branding firm Hanon McKendry conducted by Harris Interactive. This year, 72 percent of U.S. adults plan to watch Super Bowl XLIII, up from 68 percent in 2008. Astoundingly, 34 percent of those anticipated viewers watching equally for the ads as for the game and 21 percent tuning in exclusively or predominantly for the commercials.

“This poll affirms the power of traditional broadcast advertising,” said Bill McKendry, founder and chief creative officer at Hanon McKendry, in a press release to PR Newswire. “It also suggests a strong synergy between television and the Web. Not only are Super Bowl ads drawing people to the game, they’re driving Web traffic.”

McKendry noted a historic correlation. “When commercial television broadcasting took off in the ’50s, everyone predicted it would be the death of radio. In reality, TV has generated more interest in music and radio personalities. That same synergy is happening today between the Web and TV, including television advertising.”

For the Super Bowl, Hanon McKendry set up www.superadbowl.com , where viewers can vote on favorite Super Bowl ads and get real-time results. Other info from the survey:

• The overall percentage of women who plan to watch the Super Bowl is up from 60% in 2008 to 67% in 2009, with the percentage of female viewers who will tune in as much or more for the ads remaining fairly constant — 62% in 2009 vs. 65% in 2008.
• At 36% (male) and 31% (female), a consistently high percentage of men and women who plan to watch say they’ll do so equally for the game and the commercials.
• Female viewers are nearly three times more likely than male viewers to watch primarily for the commercials (31% of female viewers vs. 11% of male viewers).

Nielsen Company reports that Super Bowl XLII drew a record 97.5 million viewers, up from 93.2 million in 2007 and above the previous viewership record of 94.08 million in 1996.

Chester the Cheetah is finally getting his big break in the Super Bowl.

Frito-Lay is hoping the commercial, which breaks during the first half of Super Bowl XLIII, will give snackers the munchies. The strategy is part of the client’s larger mission of reaching adult consumers via Cheetos, a repositioning that began last year.

For the full article, please click here: Brandweek.com Chester Cheetah Story

As if you won’t be talking about Super Bowl ads enough at work the next day, the magazine Adweek is launching an online Super Bowl micro-site with live chat, so readers can talk to industry experts about stuff like the E-Trade talking baby.

It’s at www.adweek.com/SuperBowl and it also has overall advertising news, videos of the all-time best and worst ad spots and exclusive Nielsen data with Super Bowl ad ratings and game information from 1967—2008.