These Brands Will Air Super Bowl Ads For The First Time Ever

I have one wish for Super Bowl LVIII: that last year's mostly enjoyable lineup of food and drink commercials is matched, or surpassed, by this year's broadcast. And judging by all the major brands that have decided, for the very first time, to spend millions of ad dollars on TV's biggest night, my wish might just be granted.

Last year's Super Bowl had the notable distinction of being the most beer-soaked broadcast in recent memory. Thanks to Budweiser parent company Anheuser-Busch surrendering its exclusive advertising rights for the first time in more than 30 years, a slew of other brands were able to sidle up to the broadcast, with a particularly memorable ad spot claimed by Sam Adams in which Bostonians are uncharacteristically kind to each other.

Now, in 2024, a number of well-known fast food and snack brands are investing serious coin to make their very first Super Bowl broadcast appearance. Here's a look at what each newcomer has in store.

It seems inconceivable that Popeyes hasn't yet capitalized on its viral 2019 chicken sandwich fame to launch into the Super Bowl broadcast, but 2024 is the year that the brand starts strong in the first quarter of the game. The ad will apparently center around the fact that Popeyes' new wings are being added to the permanent menu, and leading up to the game on February 11, the brand is hyping its "Wings for Wings" promotion: If the Super Bowl winner has wings in its name, logo, or on its mascot, then you can score a free 6-piece order of wings on February 13 (Fat Tuesday) with any online or in-app purchase. And yes, Buffalo counts as a team "with wings in its name."

It's been one year since Pepsi unveiled Starry, its Gen-Z-centric replacement for the discontinued Sierra Mist soft drink. The new neon-branded lemon lime soda has popped up just about everywhere since, including a title sponsorship with both the NBA and WNBA, so it makes sense that the brand is gearing up for a Super Bowl debut, or as a press release puts it, "bringing its weirdly refreshing personality to the sports and entertainment world."

In order to prove its tagline that the soda "Hits Different," Starry is teaming up with Ice Spice (of both music and Dunkin' fame), who, like the product itself, will also be making her Super Bowl commercial debut. She'll star alongside her "new besties" Lem & Lime, the cartoon quasi-mascots of Starry who have been slinking around the edges of its branding for months now. We're taking bets on which celebrities will be performing the voiceover work.

As we previously reported, we're in the golden age of Nerds candy. It's a product that's been around for 40 years, but only recently has the brand taken off tenfold, mostly on the back of one product: Nerds Gummy Clusters, winners of several coveted confectionery awards since their debut in 2020. The boom times for Nerds mean that the brand is taking its newfound fame all the way to the Super Bowl with a new 30-second ad spot that might have cost as much as $7 million to secure. Adweek notes the commercial will feature the anthropomorphized Nerds mascots as they "[engage] all of the senses," and will also feature Nerds Gummy Clusters, the candy to thank for all this hoopla in the first place.

In December, Ad Age reported that Drumstick, one of the best ice cream novelties in the freezer aisle, will air its first-ever Super Bowl commercial during the third quarter of the game. The 30-second ad spot will star comedian Eric André and will continue the adventures of Dr. Umstick, a Ken-doll-esque figure who stands about the same height as his favorite ice cream cone. Though it will air at the Super Bowl in February, the ad will serve as the kickoff to a campaign that will continue throughout the summer. The theme: that "any day is a good day for a Drumstick."

Oreo will also be returning to the Super Bowl after a decade away from the game, while frequent Super Bowl advertiser Avocados From Mexico will be abstaining this year. What kind of ads are you hoping to see (or avoid) this year?