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Ad Meter Super Bowl

Get a sneak peek at this year's Super Bowl ads

Chris Woodyard, and Charisse Jones
USA TODAY

The countdown to the big game is on, and with less than one week until the gridiron action, marketers are providing details on the commercials they will air on Super Sunday.

Actor Ryan Reynolds turns up repeatedly in Hyundai's Super Bowl commercial for Elantra

There will be cute critters, big-name celebs, humorous gags --  and even some somber messages on the small screen. For the 28th year, USA TODAY's Super Bowl Ad Meter will track consumer opinion via votes that come in through admeter.usatoday.com.

Here's a look at some of the advertising moves and strategies to expect for Super Bowl 50:

Get ready to laugh

Humor is set to come roaring back in this year's batch of Super Bowl ads. After a relatively somber 2015 - which some deemed a "sad-vertising" Super Bowl due to the tear-jerker ads that aired -- many advertisers are bringing back humor. Funny ads are expected from Seth Rogen and Amy Schumer, who are hosting a Bud Light party to a herd of sheep who sing Somebody to Love from old rock group Queen, having learned it while riding around in the bed of a Honda Ridgeline pickup.

Prepare be pitched on social responsibility  

Some marketers plan to use the world's biggest ad stage to pitch inspirational themes and messages of social responsibility. Colgate will champion water conservation in its Super Bowl commercial called "Every drop counts."   Budweiser recruited British actress Helen Mirren to give an in-your-face dress-down to any would-be drunk driver.

Tennis champ Serena Williams presents a powerful stance in a Mini ad about defying stereotypes

Expect encouragement

The video game sensation Pokemon will feature this ad that shows acts of courage and determination with the resounding message, "I can do that!"  And Mini uses a range of athletes and celebrities --  including tennis' Serena Williams, soccer's Abby Wambach, rapper T-Pain and actor HarveyKeitel -- to plug its Clubman crossover as a car to "defy labels."

Keep an eye out for celebs

Amazon, which makes its Super Bowl ad debut this year, has already released a teaser ad that features actor Alec Baldwin and football great Dan Marino planning a Super Bowl party.  (They get a little help from the Amazon Echo, the online retailer's wireless speaker.) Hyundai has tapped actors Kevin Hart and Ryan Reynolds.  

Kevin Hart, Ryan Reynolds star in Hyundai's Super Bowl ads

Hart and Reynolds each appear in separate 60-second commercials that feature new technology: Hart, in an ad that will run just before the kickoff, plays an overly protective father who lends his daughter's date the keys to his car because of the tracking device let him keep tabs. In the other commercial, Reynolds becomes the source of driver distraction by a pair of star-struck women.

Among the other celebs slated to appear: Christopher Walken will show up in a Kia ad and Liam Neeson will star in a LG commercial.

Count on carmakers to have a big presence 

The automotive industry will once again be among the dominant ad categories: At least eight automakers will be airing commercials during the Super Bowl.  In addition to Hyundai, Honda, Mini and Kia, they include Acura, Audi, Buick and Toyota.  Acura aims for an image revamp in a 30-second ad featuring Van Halen's Runnin' with the Devil. The gritty ad plays up the technology on its NSX supercar. The big question: Will Fiat Chrysler once again come in at the last minute with a high-profile ad aimed at clobbering the competition?  In years past, it has made a splash with powerful ads featuring stars such as Eminem and Clint Eastwood.

Acura aims for image revamp from its NSX Super Bowl ad

But not all automakers are revving up for the big game.  So far, Volkswagen, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and Ford Motor — all of which have had Super Bowl ads in the past — say they are going to sit out this year.

Some big automakers sitting out Super Bowl ad game

All the released Super Bowl 50 ads so far

Take a look back at some of last years's best Super Bowl ads:

Watch last year's funniest Super Bowl ads

Watch last year�s tearjerker Super Bowl ads

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