Super Bowl ads passing on splashy theatrics

There will be a few attempts at wizardry: General Motors Corp.s Cadillac, for example, uses high-tech effects to promote its latest model. And there will be at least one famous face. International Business Machines Corp. is featuring Muhammad Ali in a commercial promoting the Linux operating system. It has a somber tone: Unfolding against a stark, white backdrop, it features a freckle-faced boy watching footage from Mr. Alis fights. A moment later, the boxer himself appears and urges the kid to “shake up the world.”