You know, I liked it better when we DIDN’T see the Super Bowl commercials in advance. he element of surprise was part of the fun. But times have changed, marketing campaigns include online pre-release, and here we are. And we might as well take a look.

So we have Samsung Mobile (disclaimer: they’ve advertised on this site) with a funny spot starring Bob Odenkirk, Seth Rogen, and Paul Rudd playing off the fact (true!) that if you aren’t an Official Licensed Partner of the National Football League, you can’t say the name of the game in ads or promotions:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzfAdmAtYIY?rel=0&w=615&h=346]

What? You said “Super Bowl” without a license? Better call Saul.

Mercedes-Benz (they haven’t advertised on this site, but THEY SHOULD) will have this one (in a shorter version), with Willem Dafoe in a tale of a guy who mulls selling his his soul for a car, Kate Upton, Usher, a little racing action, and, ostensibly, free gas:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPNr0_6MnDo?rel=0&w=615&h=346]

What would I get for a ’99 Volvo with cracks in the front left quarter panel and non-functional air conditioning? The ladies love Grandpa cars.

Surely you’ve seen this one and/or heard the controversy about it, Volkswagen’s guy-speaking-in-a-Jamaican-accent spot, featuring Jimmy Cliff covering the Partridge Family theme (really):

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H0xPWAtaa8?rel=0&w=615&h=346]

The creative meeting that came up with that one was probably more interesting than the actual spot.

Lots of car commercials, huh? Here’s another, Hyundai flogging the Santa Fe with the assembly of a tougher-than-average kids’ football team:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPZ8LZQMPys?rel=0&w=615&h=346]

They proceeded to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-14.

And Audi, with a teen stuck going to the prom himself getting emboldened by driving dad’s Audi:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANhmS6QLd5Q?rel=0&w=615&h=346]

The kid who punched him out probably drove that Mercedes to the prom.

SodaStream is now big enough to advertise on the Super Bowl, with this one:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1HQxcTYTho?rel=0&w=615&h=346]

Having cut back on soda consumption, I’d prefer a Keurig ad, but that’s apparently not in the cards.

But this one got rejected, and since you know they had to figure making fun, by name, of the competition would be nixed, they surely were going for the “banned!” cachet. It’s not, however, that great:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68al-o2XSpE?rel=0&w=615&h=346]

The Faygo and Shasta drivers escaped injury.

This is a preview of Calvin Klein’s ad for the new Concept line of underwear, and, yes, this is going to air on the Super Bowl telecast:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiScRWg15fk?rel=0&w=615&h=346]

Because we all have abs like that.

Say, how about Spicy Buffalo Wheat Thins with a Yeti? Check:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf4sLJi-dIM?rel=0&w=615&h=346]

At some point, crackers turned into Doritos. Spicy Buffalo crackers? Crackers are supposed to compliment what they accompany, not overwhelm them. Get off my lawn.

There are more, but that’s a sampling of what you can expect. Impressed or pining for the good old days of Apple’s “1984”? In a way, I feel relieved. I can actually walk away from the TV during the commercials on Sunday and not feel like I missed anything….