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Just who are the 111 million viewers of the Super Bowl? According to Nielsen, the audience last year was almost evenly split between men and women – 53 per cent and 47 per cent, respectively.

But advertisers are again turning mostly to male celebrities. Charles R. Taylor, a professor of marketing at Villanova University, said his analysis of Super Bowl ads released in advance last week showed a roughly 2-1 ratio of male-female celebrities in principle roles – in line with past years.

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The first exception came after the kickoff. Toyota touted its longtime Olympic and Paralympic sponsorship with the story of Canadian Alpine Skier Lauren Woolstencroft, a Paralympic gold medallist .

Later, Cindy Crawford will reprise her role for Pepsi in a nostalgic spot celebrating pop culture moments of years past.