In perhaps the biggest advertising gamble of the night, Hyundai is teaming with director Peter Berg (Deepwater Horizon) to actually film a 90-second ad while Super Bowl LI is underway. Hyundai said the ad will show “off the field” moments captured during the game, and will air right after the contest ends.

Traditionally, ads that air before or after the Super Bowl itself aren’t very successful at drawing eyeballs. But the on-the-fly aspect of this ad could make it hard to ignore.

“The challenge for all of these companies is, ‘How do you stand out?’ ” said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University. “As a result we’re going to see this year people try some very curious approaches.”

Dean Evans, Hyundai’s chief marketing officer, said the shoot-during-the-game approach is all about buzz. “We wanted to test ourselves,” Evans said.

Going live

Snickers will air a live Super Bowl ad in the third quarter starring Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens). The Mars brand will also live-stream the set of the commercial for 36 hours ahead of the spot (this year, 30-second Super Bowl spots cost around $5 million U.S.).

“The actual ad is only part of the equation,” said Allison Miazga-Bedrick, a Snickers brand director, who promises “over 30 hours of original content” streamed live leading up to the game.

Meanwhile, Wix — an Israeli website hosting service — turned to Facebook Live and YouTube Live on Jan. 17 to debut teasers for its Super Bowl ad. The teaser — which was prerecorded and only streamed live — starred Israeli actress and model Gal Gadot, who plays Wonder Woman in her own film later this year, and English actor Jason Statham (The Fast and the Furious).

The company said it’s the first time a Super Bowl campaign has been launched live.

Banned supplements

The first-ever commercial set to air during the Super Bowl for vitamin and supplements retailer GNC was rejected this week after the ad apparently ran afoul of NFL sensitivities.

The abrupt cancellation was a bitter pill for GNC, which announced the 30-second spot in December as part of a rebranding effort aimed at recapturing market share.

“While we are disappointed by Fox Sports/NFL’s late-in-the-game decision to exclude our ad from the Super Bowl, we continue to be excited about the campaign,” GNC said in an email Tuesday.

The company said the ad, which involved “inspiring stories of the courage to change,” would run in numerous media outlets. The company declined further comment.

The National Football League issued a statement saying it told Fox not to run the commercial during the Super Bowl or any NFL programming.

“This is consistent with our policies that prohibit the advertising of supplements,” the league said in an email.

According to news reports, the NFL objected to GNC’s sponsorship because the company sells substances banned by the league. The company reportedly is on a list of “prohibited companies” that NFL players are warned not to endorse.

The Legend returns

Nintendo will run its first-ever Super Bowl commercial for the Switch, its latest home video game console launching on March 3. The ad features the console along with one of its signature properties: The Legend of Zelda. A new version of the game, called The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, will launch with the new console.

The ad will focus on Switch’s main feature: the ability to play games at home in front of a television or on the go. It starts with someone playing The Legend of Zelda in bed and while making breakfast, then popping the tablet-like device into a dock to continue playing on TV.

The 30-second spot will run during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LI between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. A longer version of the ad will appear online, and feature more games including Mario Kart, 1-2-Switch and Splatoon 2.

The Switch is a critical device for Nintendo as it tries to rebound from lagging sales of the Wii U. Launched in 2012, the Wii U reached more than 13 million in sales to date. By comparison, Sony’s PlayStation 4, which launched a year later, sold more than 53 million as of January 1.

Knot ready for prime time

First-time Super Bowl advertiser 84 Lumber pulled a vintage ad stunt when the company went public with claims that Fox rejected its original ad because it was too “controversial.”

The Pennsylvania building materials supplier bought a 90-second ad during the game — a huge commitment for a regional brand. But Amy Smiley, the company’s director of marketing, said its first ad was rejected because some of its imagery, including a border wall that supposedly prevented people from working in the U.S., steered too close to political rhetoric about the Mexican border from President Donald Trump.

Fox declined to comment, ensuring that 84 Lumber got plenty of press well ahead of the game.

This Bud’s for everyone

Anheuser-Busch InBev unintentionally waded into political controversy with a Super Bowl commercial that touts inclusion and the American Dream but could end up drawing the ire of half the U.S.

The well-crafted spot called “Born the Hard Way” tells the story of Adophus Busch’s emigration from Germany to St. Louis, where he shares a beer with businessman Eberhard Anheuser. The two launched their eponymous company in the 19th century, and it became the largest brewer in the United States.

The ad was released on Tuesday and shows Busch navigating the new world against the headwinds of prejudice and hardship.

The commercial’s themes are hope, ambition, patriotism, hard work and self-reliance. And then there’s timing, with Busch and Anheuser’s serendipitous introduction over a beer that led to their dynasty. Turns out, timing is still relevant. Budweiser has released the commercial as U.S. President Donald Trump raised a national firestorm with his order last week to temporarily ban refugees and immigrants from seven mostly Muslim-dominated countries as part of his national security policy.

“They hit on a relevant theme that’s going to resonate with half the country,” said Allen Adamson, founder of BrandSimple Consulting, referring to the beer ad. “But in this polarized world, it could easily upset half the country and be seen as political and stepping into something they don’t want to get into. If you feel everyone is out to get your president, this can easily can be interpreted that way.”

Elsewhere in politics

With an audience of more than 100 million tuning in, Super Bowl advertisers want their commercials to get attention — just not the wrong kind. None of the ads for this weekend’s game are expected to purposely press any political buttons, but advertisers want to avoid even accidentally offending anyone. That’s a tall order in a particularly tense moment in the U.S., when CEOs are under pressure to take sides on major issues and the president routinely scolds companies on Twitter.

Here are some other advertisers who will tread extra carefully this year:

  • Avocados From Mexico, the non-profit marketing arm of two avocado associations, has a commercial about the health benefits of the fruit. It comes just days after talk of Trump’s border tax with Mexico has raised concerns about avocado prices.
  • Intuit Inc.’s TurboTax will air an ad featuring Humpty Dumpty. Trump said in 2015 he hoped to put H&R Block Inc., TurboTax’s rival, out of business with his simplified tax code.
  • Plenty of automakers are represented this year, including Ford, which has gone from working with Trump on economic policy to opposing his immigration moves. The Dearborn, Mich.-based company will focus on innovation in its 90-second spot.
  • The ad from Skittles, owned by Mars Inc., will feature a teenage boy throwing the candy at the window of a girl he’s trying to reach. Left unmentioned will be Donald Trump Jr.’s tweet last year comparing Syrian refugees to a bowl of Skittles sprinkled with a few that “would kill you.”

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