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Super Bowl commercials 2013: The 4 best sneak previews

Super Bowl commercials are one of the most anticipated parts of this annual event for many viewers, and now companies are allowing consumers to get sneak peeks at the ads rolling out on game night. As one of the most-watched TV shows (and therefore the most expensive commercial air time), the Super Bowl has become the venue for premiering new TV ads. Here are some of the best Super Bowl commercial previews that companies have released so far this year.

Coca-Cola/YouTube screenshot

1. Coca-Cola

  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

For many, Super Bowl commercials are the favorite part of this national 'campfire' event. Companies spend millions to snag even a few seconds of airtime during what is often one of the most watched evenings of television in the year.

Last year, in a commercial spot for Acura, comedian Jerry Seinfeld tries to buy the first model of a car available and tries to bribe the person who’s No. 1 in line (it included an appearance by the famous Soup Nazi who featured in one “Seinfeld” episode), only to be foiled by TV host Jay Leno. Another popular spot was the Honda commercial starring Matthew Broderick, who reprised his role as the title character in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” as he took a vacation from his set and zoomed around town, visiting a carnival and acting out scenes from “Bueller.”

Many Super Bowl viewers still remember a 2011 commercial from Volkswagen in which a small boy dressed as Darth Vader tries to use the Force to move various objects, including the family dog and a baby doll. He’s simultaneously ecstatic and terrified when the family’s new car starts, thanks to his dad surreptitiously clicking the handheld remote starter.

This year, one of the best commercial previews for 2013 is for Coca-Cola. According to the new spot, three teams – one of cowboys, one of showgirls, and one of Badlanders (picture Mad Max) – are racing through a desert to try to reach a giant bottle of Coke first. But there's also a crowdsourcing element to the ad. Viewers can go online to vote for their favorite team and/or sabotage their least favorite. Coke will air the winning ending on Feb. 3. Who will snag the soda first?

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Mark Sappenfield
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