Stocks To Watch: 10 Public Companies With Super Bowl LVI Commercials

Super Bowl LVI airs Sunday, Feb. 13 on NBC, a unit of Comcast Corp CMCSA. Millions will tune in to watch the Los Angeles Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League’s championship game. Many will also tune in to watch the commercials from public and private companies.

Super Bowl LVI commercials had a cost that averaged $6.5 million for a 30-second spot, a high price to pay to get an ad seen by a massive audience. For many companies, the commercials prove to be hits and can help show off new products and initiatives.

Here are some publicly traded companies that have Super Bowl LVI commercials that could see stock price movement if their ads and messages are well received Sunday.

Yum Brands: For the first time since 2016, Taco Bell is featured in a Super Bowl commercial. The company, which is owned by Yum Brands YUM will feature music superstar Doja Cat in a commercial called “The Grande Escape.” The commercial features a remake of the song “Celebrity Skin” by Hole and encourages fans to download the Taco Bell app and to be members of the Taco Bell Rewards program. The ad coincides with Taco Bell celebrating its 60th anniversary and the company’s “Live Mas” slogan turning 10 years old.

Polestar: Electric vehicle company Polestar, which is merging with Gores Guggenheim Inc GGPI, will air its first ever Super Bowl commercial. A 30-second ad will air during the first quarter of the game. The company has not shared much ahead of the game, which could create more of a mystery element. The commercial could continue to increase brand awareness for Polestar, which is working on completing its SPAC merger and hoping to become a major player in the electric vehicle sector.

Caesars Entertainment: Sports betting will be a big theme around Super Bowl LVI with more states able to legally wager on the outcome of the game and hundreds of various prop bets. Sports betting companies will also air commercials to highlight their brands and potential huge promotions in an attempt to gain customers. Caesars Entertainment CZR will air its first ever Super Bowl commercial, which will feature JB Smoove, Halle Berry and the Manning family. Interestingly enough, Caesars will also air a new commercial during the Puppy Bowl on Sep 13 too, a game airing on Discovery Communications DISCA channel Animal Planet.

The commercial comes as Caesars Sportsbook took a surprising first place market share position in New York for the first month of legal sports betting. The company could look to continue to capture momentum there and in other states as it competes with the larger online sportsbooks.

General Motors: Super Bowl commercials are notorious for featuring celebrities, and also for sometimes reuniting stars of shows or movies. General Motors GM could have one of the most talked about Super Bowl LVI commercials Sunday with an ad that will reunite members from the Austin Powers franchise. The ad centers on Dr. Evil taking over General Motors.

“We are using climate change as the enemy,” General Motors Global Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Wahl said.

The 60-second commercial centers on General Motors’ efforts in the electric vehicle space, with a focus on its Ultium platform. The commercial will hit on the range of Ultium and could help GM highlight the progress it is making.

Meta Platforms: Facebook parent Meta Platforms FB will air a Super Bowl commercial that is being used to highlight the company’s heavy focus on expansion into the metaverse. There are not a lot of details out on the commercial yet, other than a teaser featuring a fictional Chuck E. Cheese virtual reality hangout. FB shares fell after its last earnings report, and some are questioning the company’s efforts and spending on the metaverse. Could a Super Bowl commercial help get the message of the metaverse potential across?

Anheuser-Busch: Massive beverage company Anheuser-Busch InBev BUD is a frequent Super Bowl commercial purchaser. The company will use this year’s big game as an opportunity to promote some of its new products and smaller brands, while also featuring its iconic Clydesdale horse in at least one ad.

Anheuser-Busch will feature its new zero carb beer Bud Light NEXT in a commercial that features nods to NFTs and the metaverse. Bud Light Seltzer will be featured in an ad that could be a fan favorite with Guy Fieri and mentions of the fictional Flavortown. Michelob Ultra and the company’s Cutwater Spirtis canned cocktail brand will also be seen in ads.

Wallbox: Electric vehicle charging company Wallbox WBX will air a 15-second commercial that features a lightning strike survivor. The commercial features Seth Thomas, who was struck by lightning and is afraid of electricity, except for the charging powered by Wallbox. The ad continues a trend of electric vehicle commercials being aired during the Super Bowl and could help boost the recognition of the company that went public via SPAC merger.

Vroom: Several online car marketplace companies will air Super Bowl commercials, with $1.1 billion market cap Vroom Inc VRM among them and likely the one that could get the biggest boost in value. The company will highlight why users should sell online by staging a fake musical called “Flake” that highlights how used car buyers can easily back out of deals. This is the second consecutive Super Bowl commercial appearance by the company.

Planet Fitness: Fitness retailer Planet Fitness PLNT will air its first Super Bowl commercial Sunday and is bringing along several celebrities. The ad features Lindsay Lohan and follows her around with narration by William Shatner. Cameos include Dennis Rodman and Danny Trejo, while the commercial also pokes fun at some of Lohan’s biggest news stories.

The commercial ends with the narrator saying, “Maybe it’s not what’s gotten into Lindsay, it’s what Lindsay’s gotten into.” Lohan is seen leaving a Planet Fitness location.

Squarespace: Online website builder Squarespace Inc SQSP has become a frequent Super Bowl ad buyer in recent years, using celebrities to help highlight how easy it is to create a website on the site. This year’s ad will be narrated by Andre 3000 and feature Zendaya. The commercial shows Zendaya as the seller of seashells by the seashore who has seen sales slow and needs a new outlet.

Disclosure: Author is long shares GGPI.