Is anyone not politically polarizing these days? The Oscars are upon us and, if you listen closely, you can hear advertisers that have cast their lot with celebrity frontmen/women collectively wringing their hands in anticipation.

The 89th Academy Awards will soon be upon us and if the final of the trifecta of awards shows follows the path of the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards, politics will be present in this year's ceremony. Although the 2016 Oscars did reach an eight-year low in terms of viewership, the award show still remains the second-most watched TV event, so the question for brands looking to reach the estimated 34+ million viewers will be how can they engage in this current dialogue, if at all, without losing authenticity?

Over the past weekend, I was back in my hometown for some family events. I stayed a night with my folks. As I was pulling into the driveway, I couldn't help recall a Comcast commercial that was airing during the holidays. The spot, "Hooking up Grandma's House" is a funny and heartwarming vignette about a grandchild that tweets about entering the "gates of hell," a/k/a her grandparents' home, where there are no wi-fi and no premium channels.

I think people will be looking beyond the dresses this year and will be more interested in the words spoken on stage and trending hashtags in social media.

Mashable called it a "stunt." "Adweek" said it was a "neat party gimmick." And the "Washington Post" deemed it a "nifty innovation." I'm talking about the new Tostitos chip bag that can detect alcohol on a person's breath when you blow into it, announced to much fanfare last week. Tostitos is also offering 25,000 $10 discounts off Uber rides on Super Bowl Sunday, helping to ensure that football fans get home safely after celebrating the big game.