Bob Dylan Will Be a-Changin’ Super Bowl Ads This Weekend
Although Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers will dominate the halftime show at the Super Bowl on Sunday, Bob Dylan will make an unusual appearance, too: his music will be featured in a Chobani yogurt commercial that you can preview here.
The ad uses the folk-rock icon’s harmonica-powered 1966 hit “I Want You” as the soundtrack to a very hairy scene. In it, citizens of a rural town cower as a bear works his way through a general store. Eventually, it finds what it’s looking for (it’s easy to guess what that is) and the vocal line of the Blonde on Blonde track plays to narrate just what the bear is thinking.
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Dylan will reportedly make an appearance in another game day ad, too. Multiple sources have told Billboard that Dylan will appear in a Chrysler ad that will also feature an as-yet-undisclosed song by the singer, though neither the car company nor a Dylan rep have confirmed the rumor. The ad will likely promote the auto manufacturer’s new 200 model vehicle.
Previously, Dylan licensed his track “Motherless Children” to Jeep (a Chrysler company) for a spot that aired this past fall. That ad supposedly opened up the conversation that led to this one.
Kantar Media reported recently that the cost of Super Bowl ads has risen by almost 70 percent over the last decade. The average rate for a 30-second spot in last year’s big game cost $4 million. The second most expensive advertising venue in television remains the Oscars, which, by comparison, charges a mere $1.6 million for a half-minute of airtime. The media company estimates that costs of ads will be even higher for the Super Bowl this year.
Other notable Super Bowl ads this Sunday will feature reunions of actors from two TV series – Seinfeld and Full House – and a new song, titled “Invisible,” from U2. That group will also reportedly announce the release of their new album during the Super Bowl.