The arrival of the 2017 Super Bowl between the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots brings along one of the globe's favorite pastimes—Super Bowl commercials.
This is no joke, seeing as ad space in the big game is more hotly contested than a quarterback's pass into triple coverage, with a 30-second spot costing millions of dollars.
Advertisers know the drill. This isn't just the biggest game of the year for the most popular sport in the United States—it is essentially a global holiday when even people who aren't fans of the sport tune in for commercials with Hollywood-esque production.
Positive exposure at the Super Bowl pays back the initial buy for advertising companies in droves.
The past few years offer a good example of the risk-reward companies take. Nationwide got blasted in 2015 for an ad featuring a rather somber tone. Last year, Hyundai won the automaker lottery with the "First Date" ad.
As for 2017, expectations are through the roof.
Many companies have already committed. Juggernauts like Wix have made trailers for their commercials, with the web-development company's preview teasing at a big debut featuring Jason Statham and Gal Gadot:
It seems like players in the Super Bowl itself will have some ad time, too, with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady showing up in a teaser trailer for Intel:
Automakers are once again expected to make the most noise.
Hyundai, cruising after last year's big win, has decided to go the innovative route by filming a documentary commercial during the Super Bowl that will be the first ad to air after the game.
Hyundai CMO Dean Evans talked about the decision with Adweek's Katie Richards.
"Super Bowl is the biggest day in advertising, and following our incredibly successful 2016, we wanted to push the creativity and storytelling even further," Evans said. "Our brand commitment is to make things 'better,' and we are going to give some deserving fans an experience they will never forget."
Hyundai won't be alone, though, not with Kia making a big splash with Melissa McCarthy:
Outside of the automaker realm, a company like Skittles is once again expected to make some noise, as the candy company has more innovation up its sleeve:
On the other end of the spectrum, at least from a health standpoint, it sounds like Avocados From Mexico has another big ad campaign fired up and ready to go.
Heading into its third Super Bowl campaign, the company released a health-based teaser:
Anheuser-Busch is one of the most-hyped brands going into the big day. According to Adweek's Kristina Monllos, the company will use the opportunity to promote its new tagline "Famous among friends" while promoting Bud Light, Budweiser and Michelob Ultra.
"You're going to see moving forward that we're never going to tell fantasy stories for our brands. We're never going to tell people to lead or climb mountains or things like this," Anheuser-Busch's Marcel Marcondes said, per Monllos.
According to Adweek's Sami Main, notable past Super Bowl juggernauts like Doritos, Taco Bell and Toyota, among others, won't trot out ads during the game.
While notable absences, the voids create room for other hungry companies to enter the fray and capture the hearts and minds of viewers. Fresh blood isn't a bad thing in this sense, and it's actually a fitting theme of the season given Atlanta's shocking run to a Super Bowl appearance.