It Wasn't Me 🧀

Hello!

I'll start you off with a flurry of updates from this morning (and yesterday):

Trend Story: Notable Brands Are Sitting Out Super Bowl 2021 and Giving Money to Good Causes Instead

Anheuser Busch is working with the Ad Council to share vaccination awareness PSAs. Kia is sitting out to donate to its Great Unknowns Scholarship (full details of Kia's plans will be out later this week). Now, Planters is giving away $5+ million "to the ones whose little acts of extraordinary substance make the world a better place.” Apparently, Mr. Peanut has a new outlook on life… after dying last year.

In this trend story, Adweek's Paul Hiebert and Ryan Barwick dive into why these brands shifted their spend from ads to charity.

The Big Game Summit

On Thursday next week, we're hosting our first Big Game Summit with our partner USA Today and its legendary Ad Meter. You can hear from some of the brightest minds in Super Bowl marketing at Pepsi, ViacomCBS, Rocket Mortgage and Super Bowl champion wide receiver Torrey Smith. The event is free to attend—register here.

This frequently updated gallery will contain all the national in-game Super Bowl ads.

Planters, Budweiser and Kia won’t appear in the Big Game.

GM is running a brand portfolio spot to showcase its electric ambitions.

Mike Myers and Dana Carvey reprise their classic SNL roles in teaser.

The carrier is also running an ad in the Big Game.

This year's ad will focus on a new body for the voice assistant.

An ambitious AI project revives Vince Lombardi to deliver a message of unity.

The Anheuser-Busch brand leaned on experiential during last year's Big Game.