The matchup is set.
The competitors are ready to air it out.
Super Bowl 50 on CBS, no doubt, will be an epic battle of wills between …
Acura, Buick, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mini and Toyota, the seven car companies that have purchased commercial time for around $5 million for every 30 seconds of exposure to a worldwide TV audience.
See No. 5 Kia at 4:15 and No. 4 Mercedes-Benz at 5:30 – or just watch them all.
Here’s when to look for them and a peek at this year’s playbooks:
Acura (American Honda) returns for the first time since 2012 with a 30-second, first-quarter ad likely to feature the NSX supercar and the brand’s North American roots.
Hyundai Motor America will blitz the game a 60-second ad during pregame coverage, another one-minute commercial just before kickoff, and two 30-second spots – one each in the first and second quarters. It’ll be the carmaker’s eighth appearance in nine Super Bowls.
Toyota plans to break a long run (60 seconds) during the commercial break at the two-minute warning of the first half promoting its Prius hybrid at the Super Bowl for the first time since 2005.
Buick (General Motors) will be represented by a 30-second spot, the brand’s first ever in the game, featuring the Cascada convertible and possibly the redesigned LaCrosse sedan and Envision crossover.
Honda will feature it’s all-new Ridgeline truck, which debuted at this month’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, during a 60-second, third-quarter spot.
Mini (BMW), which last appeared in 2011, will be represented by six celebrities, including Serena Williams, rapper T-Pain and skateboarder Tony Hawk, in a 30-second, third-quarter commercial.
Kia will run in its seventh-consecutive Super Bowl with a one-minute, third-quarter ad focusing on the new generation of the Kia Optima and featuring narration by celebrity Christopher Walken.
In addition to the car companies, Weather Tech, the vehicle floor mat manufacturer, will make its third appearance in the Super Bowl with a 30-second commercial.
Of course, the car ads will be competing against about 20 other advertisers, ranging from Pokemon, celebrating the 20th anniversary of its first game, to Pepsi, which also sponsors the halftime show, and Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch), which, alas, will not include a puppy.
