Advertisers look to stir Super Bowl viewers

NEW YORK – It’s almost showtime.

When the Super Bowl kicks off Sunday, 40-plus advertisers will be hoping to win over more than 110 million viewers tuning in. After paying $4.5 million for a 30-second spot, advertisers are hoping to have the ad everyone will be talking about Monday morning.

Here are 10 Super Bowl ads to watch for:

Budweiser: Brewer Anheuser-Busch’s 60-second ad shows a Labrador puppy chasing after the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales that are being moved to a new stable. The tune, “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” performed by Sleeping plays in the background. The ad is the sequel to last year’s “Best Buds,” showing the bond between a puppy and Clydesdale, a spot many considered the best ad of the 2014 Super Bowl.

McDonald’s: In its 60-second spot, the fast-food chain announces that it will let random customers pay for their food with acts of goodwill, such as calling their moms and telling them they love them. It’s part of a Valentine’s Day promotion that will start on the day after the Super Bowl.

SNICKERS: Snickers’ 30-second ad re-creates the famous “Brady Bunch” episode in which the oldest daughter, Marcia, gets hit in the nose with a football. Florence Henderson and action movie “Machete” star Danny Trejo also make appearances for the Mars brand.

NFL’S “NO MORE”: The NFL is airing a public service announcement from No More, a coalition of anti-domestic abuse organizations. The 60-second ad depicts a chilling 911 call from a battered woman to demonstrate the terror of domestic abuse.

ALWAYS: Procter & Gamble’s Always feminine protection brand’s 60-second Super Bowl spot is a version of a viral video it aired in June. The ad shows adults and a boy running and throwing rather weakly when they’re asked to depict what it means to do those actions “like a girl.” But then they ask young girls, who run and throw with much more energy. Copy says “Let’s make #likeagirl mean amazing things.”

BMW: In order to promote its new all-electric BMW i3 in a 60-second spot, BMW enlisted former “Today” show hosts Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel to re-create a 1994 on-air conversation when they tried to figure out what the @ symbol in an email address meant.

T-Mobile: To promote a service that lets users keep their unused data for a year, wireless provider T-Mobile hired Kim Kardashian for a 30-second spoof on public service announcements. In the ad, she makes a plea to save people’s unused data taken back by wireless carriers. She laments that the data could have been used to see her makeup, vacations and outfits.

FIAT CHRYSLER: The automotive advertiser always surprises with memorable ads about its cars, starring celebrities such as Eminem, Clint Eastwood and Oprah. The company says it will air three commercials during the Super Bowl this year but hasn’t released those ads.

NATIONWIDE: Insurer Nationwide’s teaser for its Super Bowl ad shows “Mindy Project” star Mindy Kaling believing she is invisible and doing scandalous acts, including sitting naked in Central Park and going through a car wash. The teaser indicates the Super Bowl ad itself will show what happens when Kaling realizes she isn’t actually invisible.

GODADDY: Spoofing Budweiser’s popular ads featuring a puppy getting lost, GoDaddy released its Super Bowl ad that showed a puppy finding his way home only for his owner to say that she sold him online with a website she created with Godaddy.com. Pet owners were outraged. GoDaddy said it wouldn’t air the spot, and instead air another one. The question is whether GoDaddy’s new ad will be edgy or take a more cautious route.