Marketing Facts & Predictions for the Big Game
We still don’t know who will play in the Super Bowl on February 9th, but we already know some major advertisers taking the field.
As usual, it’s an eclectic mix of CPG brands, tech companies, and service businesses, with a tiny team of MULO (multi-location) brands thrown in. And, even if brands don’t spend the $7M for a 30-second spot, many marketers are suited up to “momentjack” the game.
Among the committed advertisers for 2025 are:
Tech Companies
- GoDaddy
- NerdWallet
- Instacart
- Rocket Mortgage
- Tubi
CPG Brands
- Coffee Mate
- Hellman’s
- Dove
- Doritos
- Skechers
- Nerds
- Coors Light
- Häagen-Dazs
MULO Brands
- TacoBell
- Disney (This giant multi-faceted brand could fit in any of the categories)
Although the list of MULO brand advertisers is currently small, this day presents a huge opportunity for restaurants, retailers, and C-stores, as people are dashing to find wings, burgers, beer, and big-screen TVs to watch the action.
Says Ethan Chernofsky, SVP of Marketing at Placer.ai: “The Super Bowl drives visits and creates opportunities for well-positioned restaurants, superstores and grocery chains to capitalize on the need to prep for the experience that surrounds football’s biggest night. The question isn’t whether those visits are available to be captured, but who will capture them with the right promotion or concept that will tilt the favor towards them.”
As we know, the marketing experience around the day has changed radically since the digital and social media explosion. Ad fans no longer need to wait for kick-off to preview ads. Smart marketers are all about phygital experiences, creating tight tie-ins between what people view and interact with on giant and small screens.
Brian Cardona, President of AtData believes that we’ll see more AI this year. “Super Bowl 2025 campaigns will leverage AI to deliver interactive, real-time ad experiences that evolve with the audience, seamlessly integrating second-screen engagement through gamified apps and social media, driving a surge in first-party data collection from polls, games, and exclusive offers, which in turn will heighten the need for robust identity verification to secure fraud-resistant promotional redemptions.”
How will brands in regulated industries (like alcohol) take advantage of the Big Game and market to home viewers or people looking to toast the win at bars?
Bryan Whitaker, CEO of Statara, says that “They can use addressable, precision targeting capabilities leveraging age-verified data to ensure compliance and maximize target audience reach.”
Scott Sutton, CEO of Later, talks about the power of creator and influencer marketing and predicts: “At first glance, Super Bowl LIX will look very different from years past from an advertising perspective, but what we’ll really see is a continuing shift away from only linear TV advertising towards a greater focus on creator and influencer marketing. A great example of this is from Pepsi, who pulled out of the halftime show in 2023 to instead allocate those dollars to creator marketing. The brand saved millions on the TV spot, while instead allocating those dollars towards on-the-ground ads and partnerships with influencers like Khaby Lame and Zach King. Because brands have to shell out millions on Super Bowl ads without any way to truly track ROI or target their audiences, smart marketers are going to tap into the social media buzz where they can use tools platforms like Later to plan effective targeting and then to better assess ROI.”
Paige Sawin, President of Sparkcatcher Media, addresses the power of brand loyalty and gamification when she says: “[We’ll see] more interactive ads during the game, including QR codes, offers, and sweepstakes! With audiences as engaged in the commercials as the game, it’s a prime chance to connect with targets beyond the screen.”
Watch this space for more about the ads and campaign creative integrations. But, in the interim, here’s a “teaser” from Ian Barry, Chief Creative Officer, LT: “My hope is that brands will take a humorous or uplifting approach to their marketing, as it’s what the country needs right now.”
Will we see those Clydesdales this year? We agree with Barry. Despite AI, sophisticated targeted marketing, and creative gamification, the Super Bowl is incomplete without those old-school majestic beasts! Perhaps we’ll see robotic Clydesdales one day soon!
