Pre-gaming: MULO Brands at the Super Bowl

When Super Bowl LVIII kicks off in Las Vegas on February 11th, marketers will be on their couches and in the stands, eager to critique the advertising campaigns (and surrounding digital buzz).

Just as CES is the “see and be seen” of technology brands (and the companies that use their products and services), the Super Bowl is the annual viewing party for the advertising community.

Beverage and car brands still top the list of all-time highest ad spenders and one MULO (multi-location) brand — McDonalds — made the list.

However, the event is no longer limited to just consumer buyers, as many B2B brands have realized that business people are consumers and viewers too.

We don’t normally trust Wiki as the ultimate information source, but this cool chart illustrates when technology, manufacturing, and office products first made their way to commercial screens.

Although companies like IBM bought ad space in the early days of tech, 2000 was the beginning of the digital boom, and websites were all the rage starting that year. Social media was integrated into the mix starting in 2013 and has been a staple of campaigns ever since.

This year, smart marketers will be using AI in many ways in their ad strategy and will be able to quickly swap out their digital advertising based on what their “AI quarterback” is seeing on the viewing and engagement field. 

Who else is suiting up and spending in 2024? How is AI and other technology factoring into this year’s display of creative prowess?

• MULO brands “playing” this year include first-time advertiser Popeyes. According to Marketing Dive, a “Wings for Wings” promotion offers consumers “free six-piece wings with any online or in-app purchase at participating locations if a football team that has wings on its name, logo, or on its mascot wins the Super Bowl.” Although the offer seems a little complicated, what’s clear is that MULO brands have made online ordering a core part of their business model.
• Speaking of online ordering, DoorDash will be advertising for its third year. So, MULO food brands should be sure that their Super Bowl offers are front and center for those game viewers who are prompted to get online and order snacks at halftime (or any time throughout the game).
• Web platform Squarespace engaged director Martin Scorcese to produce their ad. This reinforces that the do-it-yourself website and online shopping are here to stay (and generating significant revenues — an estimated $1B for 2023).
• C-stores should all have their shelves stocked by now. Brands like Pepsi and Doritos are staples on the screen, and snack brands (and the stores that carry them) can capitalize on that to boost sales.
• Las Vegas (the site of the game) will certainly be flashier than ever with digital OOH. We saw this with F1 in 2023.

We’ll be cheering from the sidelines and covering many of the other MULO and digital trends we see in the weeks ahead and on gameday itself. After all, we don’t need to be AT the game to enjoy it these days. We have our big screens, small screens, and even our voice-activated devices to keep us on top of marketers game action.

But AI will have already predicted the winner!