CBS News
Super Bowl 2024 commercials will have brands betting big on celebrity appeal and comebacks
As Super Bowl 2024 looms closer, not just athletes but also brands are gearing up for one of the most anticipated events of the year. A 30-second spot at this year’s game costs about $7 million, according to Ad Age, a company that tracks data on marketing and media. With such a high price tag for ads, the pressure is on for advertisers to create memorable and impactful commercials that connect with millions of viewers — and, for Bud Light, to distance itself from controversy.
The Super Bowl‘s advertising space is a crowded field, with brands employing familiar faces like Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Steve Martin and John Travolta.
Whether it’s Affleck and Lopez’s humorous banter as a married couple or Travolta’s nostalgic tunes, the goal is clear: to go viral and leave a lasting impression, said Keith Cartwright, the founder of marketing agency Cartwright.
“Star power is pretty important. It is the one time when big, big, big-name celebrities will pick up the phone. They love a good Super Bowl ad,” said Cartwright.
Behind the scenes, creative minds like Charles Kidd II, known as “Calmatic,” tackle the pressure of tapping into pop culture. Directing his fifth Super Bowl spot, Calmatic said he tries not to think of the multimillion-dollar investments that go into the ads.
“Sometimes I don’t even want to know what the budget is, like let me just create it. But then I have to, like, snap back into reality and be like, ‘OK, everyone’s gonna see this,'” said Calmatic.
Bud Light aims for a comeback with humor in Super Bowl 58 ads
Bud Light seeks to reclaim its position after a controversial partnership last year with transgender influencer and TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney led to a significant backlash, boycott and a reported 10.5% revenue drop for its parent company in the second quarter of 2023. Todd Allen, Bud Light’s new senior vice president of marketing, has signaled the company wants to shift toward humor to rejuvenate the brand’s image and connect with audiences on a lighter note.
“It’s a big moment for the brand, for sure. We actually consciously wanted to lean much more into humor, to put a smile on people’s faces. And ultimately, make people laugh,” said Allen.
From recovery to Super Bowl glory: Jeremy Renner’s inspirational journey featured in ad
One standout commercial that will air on Sunday features actor Jeremy Renner, marking his return to the spotlight a year after he was crushed by a snow plow near his home in Reno, Nevada, leaving him seriously hurt.
Renner’s journey of recovery, involving more than 30 broken bones and a collapsed lung, is not just a personal victory but also a part of his ad for the plant-based protein brand Silk.
“It’s like the threshold of making it … I wasn’t going to let the snowcat be a haunting memory for me … At my home, I see the tracks on that thing, I was like, ‘Wow, man,'” said Renner.
Renner shares the spotlight with his 10-year-old daughter, Ava. He credits her with inspiring his will to live.
“I was never really kind of afraid of death, but when it really happened to me, like the only thing I was afraid is, like, I didn’t get to say anything to my family or my daughter. If I didn’t have all those people to get better for, to help them heal, I’d be a goner,” he said.
Watch the Super Bowl on your local CBS station, on Nickelodeon and streaming on Paramount+ on Sunday, Feb. 11.
CBS News
Kamala Harris will speak with “60 Minutes” tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the interview.
Voters will get the chance to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday as she presents her case for why she should be president in a “60 Minutes” election special.
For decades, “60 Minutes” has featured both Republican and Democratic nominees for presidents, but this year, former President Donald Trump backed out after previously indicating he would be on the show. Correspondent Scott Pelley, who’d been set to interview Trump, will instead travel to Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of Arizona’s voters and a critical battleground in a key swing state.
One thing is certain about the election; with the U.S. deeply involved in both the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, whoever wins on Nov. 5 will become a wartime president.
What Harris will discuss
Israel’s war started one year ago after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack and correspondent Bill Whitaker will discuss the ongoing war with Harris.
Harris will also discuss the economy, immigration, her record as vice president and the differences between herself and Trump.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz will also appear.
Whitaker joined the Democratic ticket on the campaign trail this week to gain insight into their platform’s priorities and values, and what the candidates believe voters should know.
Why Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” interview
Leading up to the candidate hour, Trump, through campaign spokespeople, was the first candidate to accept the “60 Minutes” request to be interviewed for the special, according to CBS News. It had been agreed that both candidates would receive equal time during the broadcast.
Trump last sat down with 60 Minutes in 2020. He walked out during the interview with Lesley Stahl. Trump referenced the incident on Tuesday night at a Milwaukee press conference when asked about his decision not to participate in the Oct. 7 “60 Minutes” election special.
“Well, right now, I went to – they came to me and would like me to do an interview, but first I want to get an apology, because the last time I did an interview with them, if you remember, they challenged me on the computer,” Trump said. “They said the ‘laptop from hell’ was from Russia, and I said it wasn’t from Russia. It was from Hunter, and I never got an apology, so I’m sort of waiting. I’d love to do ’60 Minutes.’ I do everything.”
The Republican nominee for president emphasized that he felt he was owed an apology from “60 Minutes.”
“Let’s see if they do it. I wouldn’t mind doing 60,” Trump continued. “I’ve done ’60 Minutes’ a lot.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s team had not agreed to an interview.
“Fake News,” Cheung said in a post on X. “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
Previous Trump, Harris appearances on 60 Minutes
Trump previously sat down with “60 Minutes'” Mike Wallace in 1985, Pelley in 2015 and Lesley Stahl twice in 2016, first in July of that year and then again in November of 2016. He also spoke with Stahl again in 2018 and 2020.
Harris previously sat down with Whitaker last year. She also was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent, in 2020.
How to watch the “60 Minutes” election special
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