Super Bowl ads in 2014 will have fewer tongue kisses, half-naked women, or Gangnam Style. Instead, look for Super Bowl ads featuring fully-clothed women, well-known celebrities, and actual product information.

Forget slapstick humor, corny gimmicks and skimpy bikinis. This year's Super Bowl ads promise something surprising: Maturity.

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There won't be any close-up tongue kisses in Godaddy's ad. Nor will there be half-naked women running around in the Axe body spray spot. And Gangnam Style dancing will be missing from the Wonderful Pistachios commercial.

In their place? Fully-clothed women, well-known celebs, and more product information.

"We're seeing sophistication come to the Super Bowl," says Kelly O'Keefe, a professor of brand strategy at Virginia Commonwealth University. "Not long ago, almost everything seemed to be about beer or bros or boobs."

Companies that typically go for ads with shock value are toning them down as they try to get the most out of the estimated $4 million that 30-second Super Bowl spots cost this year.

Experts say companies are using the ads to build their image, rather than just grab attention for one night. Additionally, although the old adage asserts that "sex sells," experts say companies realize that watchers have grown bored with sophomoric humor and other obvious shock tactics.

"You can't really shock people visually anymore," says ad critic and Mediapost columnist Barbara Lippert. "So, this year people are being more creative."

Originally posted here:

Super Bowl ads show something shocking: maturity (+video)