Super Bowl 50 ads employ humor, candor and side-show freakiness

Three notable campaigns are grabbing early attention for a creepy combo creature, dozens of dashing Dachshunds and an unlikely source ranting about irresponsible behavior.

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Branding experts are calling Super Bowl 50 the “modern Super Bowl.”

To best stick in the minds of consumers, marketers and advertisers aren’t too concerned with “staying on message.” Instead, they’re seeking to shock, charm and challenge the game’s millions of viewers. The goal is to be memorable.

Though some chose to focus on fan engagement and product placement, marketers for three leading consumer brands have come up with these distinctive campaigns and ads:

Mountain Dew gets weird

It’s been 15 years since PepsiCo advertised its neon soft drink during the Super Bowl. To market its reemergence, its brand managers are going bold.

To promote its latest concoction, Kickstart, the beverage maker released an ad that features what Tech insider called, “a monstrous Frankenstein-like creature dubbed PuppyMonkeyBaby, with a baby’s legs, a monkey’s torso and a puppy’s head.”

The obscure nature of the ad stoked discussion on Twitter:

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