• by Danielle Oster , December 8, 2023

Hellman’s will serve up a 30-second ad on advertising’s biggest stage in February, with the leading mayo brand’s fourth consecutive Super Bowl appearance. The current cost for a 30-second Super Bowl placement is around $7 million, according to multiple outlets, the same cost as last year.

The Big Game ad will focus on the Unilever mayo mammoth’s “Make Taste, Not Waste” initiative -- a multiyear program designed to raise awareness about food waste and provide practical ways to transform leftovers with mayo, including a recipe finder, flexible recipes, and a list of recipes sorted by ingredient.

"Hellmann's has always dedicated its Big Game commercial to the fight against food waste," says Chris Symmes, marketing director, dressings North America, Unilever. "Given what we know about food waste the day after the game, there couldn't be a more relevant moment to drive awareness and make an impact about the issue.”

Hellman’s made its Super Bowl debut back in 2020 with an ad tackling the subject, starring Amy Schumer as a “Fairy Godmayo” character who transformed a fridge full of leftovers at risk of becoming food waste into a dazzling buffet with the wave of a butter knife. Last year, the brand brought together the croque monsieur-worthy pairing of Brie Larson and Jon Hamm – who mysteriously found themselves in a fridge together.

“For the last three years, we're proud to say that our message got people talking about leftovers -- we even saw an increase in the conversation about food waste by double digits -- and we have plans to make this year the most impactful yet," adds Symmes.

(It’s unclear what specifically the “double digits” comment refers to, presumably social listening on a specific channel.)

Hellman’s has run a number of marketing plays this football season, including awarding a contract for a lifetime supply of mayonnaise to Titans quarter Will Levis and a partnership with the NCAA’s SEC division to introduce the inaugural Hellman’s Award, given to the player who “creates the best tailgate recipe featuring the condiment.”