• by Steve Ellwanger , February 1, 2023

 Opinions differ on the purpose and value of teaser ads.

They don’t just amortize the cost of “inflated Super Bowl production and media costs,” according to Adam Chasnow, chief creative officer at the Fortnight Collective agency, which has created a Super Bowl ad for Iowa internet provider ImOn Communications.

“They also give the brands, their sales force and distribution channels something to talk about in anticipation of the final spots, which generally are under intense scrutiny by those inside and outside brand marketing departments and by agency leaders of all departments—not just creative,” says Chasnow.

“So a teaser is a way to say you’ve got a big spot without committing to showing the big spot that the CCO and CMO are texting back and forth about while infinitely tweaking the ending or the music.”

Other advertising professionals miss watching the game and seeing spots for the first time.

“Now that we’re making commercials about commercials, I think we’re getting a bit carried away,” says Jonathan Schoenberg, executive creative director and partner at the TDA Boulder agency, whose client First Bank will appear during the Super Bowl.

“The pre-pre-debut only works if the lead-up is truly entertaining, and a ‘teaser’ is rarely engaging to people outside of the industry. I do think a Super Bowl spot is no longer a commercial, but something that must be bigger to rationalize the media buy," adds Schoenberg.

“Maybe we should go back to medieval times, when there was a great spot and viewers saw it for the first time and had a chance to be surprised and loved it."

Still, the teasers continue -- many with celebs, who had ” had a strong presence in last year’s Super Bowl spots—with 74% of the ads “casting at least one famous face," according to iSpot.tv.

Joining the lineup this week are John Hamm and Brie Larson—yes, ham & brie—for  Hellmann’s mayonnaise, and Anna Faris for Avocados From Mexico.

In this “Who’s In The Fridge” teaser from Wunderman Thompson, Hamm and Larson find each other stuck inside a dark, giant refrigerator accompanied by a variety of leftovers.

The final Hellmann’s Super Bowl spot will address the issue of food waste at home.

“We’re using the Big Game’s enormous platform to encourage people to be creative with the food already in their fridge—especially on the second most wasteful food day of the year in the U.S.,” Chris Symmes, marketing director for dressings and condiments at Unilever NA, tells Marketing Daily.

“By introducing our spot with a teaser, not only are we able to get people excited and interested in our Big Game commercial, but it can help get people to think differently about the foods they will consume at Big Game parties and how they can do more with any leftovers they might have.”

In its eighth Super Bowl campaign in 10 years, Avocados From Mexico’s teaser features the green and yellow fruit’s “ability to change the world.”

Best known for her comedic performances in the “Scary Movie” film series, Faris is seen in this spot from the LERMA agency traipsing through a forest before opening an avocado with a dazed look.

The final commercial will explain how avocados “make everything” better.

"Like Avocados From Mexico, Anna made everything better,” says Alvaro Luque, Avocados From Mexico president and CEO.

 “She was a perfect fit for our Eve character. Her energy and comedic timing brought the good times to the production. And like us, she loves avocados!"