In the last year where Canadians have to be sneaky to see U.S. Super Bowl ads on television, Canadians certainly had a significant presence in Super Bowl ads from Super Bowl 50.
There are a lot of Ryan Reynolds in "Ryanville" in this Hyundai Elantra ad. Since my day job involves cars, I won't comment too much on this ad, except to say Ryan Reynolds dominates the ad.
I wonder if Ryanville also has room for fellow Canadian Ryan Gosling. Or NHL star Ryan O'Reilly or even honourary Canadian Ryan Stiles.
Bud Light makes Amy Schumer and Canadian Seth Rogen say the word "caucus" a lot. The two celebrities are rallying people around the Bud Light Party to bring people together in a non-partisan fashion. Definitely a job for a secret Canadian who rallies the cry for an independence day by quoting from the American film "Independence Day."
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"I told a lot of people I'm from Canada but I lied."
Drake had a lot of fun poking at his "Hotline Bling" video in a T-Mobile commercial. The suits interrupt Drake dancing in the yellow box with fine print changes. The above line has the restrictions of calling Mexico and Canada. Drake really is Canadian but fun to watch him make fun of that fact.
Drake made it into a CBS promo for the Grammys as a performer. So Drake took to Twitter during Super Bowl 50 to set the record straight. The Grammys are February 15; presumably Drake will be in Toronto the previous night for the NBA All-Star Game. He didn't say he wouldn't be there, just that he won't be performing.
Drake also had an Air Jordan commercial as part of its #WEAREJORDAN campaign.
Norm Macdonald always seemed an odd choice to play the role of Col. Harlan Sanders, but has done a good job since last August. A Quebec City native playing a Southern colonel, a comedian not known for his impressions, unlike the previous "Colonel" in Darrell Hammond.
Macdonald makes it to the first 5 seconds of the Super Bowl ad in that role before Jim Gaffigan steps in as the new "Col. Sanders." Given Gaffigan's love for fast food and being from nearby Indiana, playing the "Colonel" in commercials makes a lot of sense.
But having a Canadian play Colonel Sanders isn't that much of a stretch, given that Sanders moved to Mississauga, Ontario to oversee his Canadian franchises in 1965 and lived in Mississauga until 1980, the year of his death. Sanders sold most of the rights to Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1964, but didn't include the restaurants in Canada.
The end of the ad lends an impression that Macdonald isn't completely done in his role as "Col. Sanders."
The ad ran during the pregame and in the second half of the live stream of the game.
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The PayPal ad shows old money while talking about new money. All of the bills are U.S. currency except for the Canadian $10 bill.
Canadians are more likely to know that Sir John A. Macdonald (no relation to Norm), the country's initial prime minister, is on the $10 bill.
Eugene Levy makes a cameo in a Snickers commercial. The ad plays on the variation of a famous person who is out of sorts. In this case, Willem Dafoe is Marilyn Monroe on a grate.
"This scene will never make the cut. Morons." — Levy on the now famous scene.
Canada has its own Super Bowl ads, though there aren't many of them. One company at the forefront of making Canadian Super Bowl ads is American company Budweiser. This ad keeps the goal light theme of the ads that sponsor Coach's Corner with Don Cherry.
Budweiser is bringing a huge goal light to the top of the Arctic Circle in September. So we will definitely be hearing more about this quest in the months to come. Given that September is at the end, look for huge tie-ins to the World Cup of Hockey 2016, which will be in Toronto.
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As we noted, Super Bowl 50 is the last Super Bowl where most Canadians will have to suffer through domestic ads. Thanks to the CRTC decision, CTV will still run Canadian ads on its feed in 2017, but can't sim sub Fox TV signals from the United States on cable or satellite.
Super Bowl XLIX preview: CRTC to allow Super Bowl ads in 2017
Canadians get a lot of U.S. TV, but normally get shut out of Super Bowl ads
How many Canadians will stay loyal and watch Super Bowl LI (51) on CTV in 2017? Some, but not as many as CTV would like.
videos credit: Hyundai; Bud Light; T-Mobile; KFC: Snickers; Budweiser Canada
photo credit: PayPal
tweet credit: @Drake
I am one of the lucky ones not subjected to simultaneous substitution. Watching the U.S. Super Bowl ads is almost as entertaining as the game itself. I would say very, very few will watch the CTV signal.
Also, another Canadian link: The commercial for Xifaxan, a medication for treating irritable bowel syndrome, featured a walking, talking, pink-hued lower intestine dealing with an upset stomach during a big game. The stadium used for the commercial was clearly BC Place in Vancouver! The stadium seating, concourse and roof make that obvious: http://bcove.me/hczagvxm
Posted by: Tyler | February 10, 2016 at 12:14 PM
I wasn't sure about the use of BC Place, but the roof is rather distinctive. Good eye. Adding that to the surprisingly long list. Good catch.
Glad you got a chance to see the Super Bowl ads. The only audience I could imagine for CTV are those without cable in cities with an over the air CTV signal would watch. Even if I lived in Canada, I would pick the U.S. signal over CTV.
Posted by: Chad | February 10, 2016 at 12:56 PM