The Super Bowl is inarguably the most watched broadcasted event in America, with an average viewership of 112.3M (and that doesn’t include those who gather in large groups to watch the game)! The commercials are a highlight of the game, and every year viewers are eager to see how creative and entertaining their favorite brands can be with their marketing.
TRENDS WE SAW DURING THE 2023 SUPER BOWL
Brands are joining together to share 30-second TV spots, which cost an average of $7M for the 2023 game. Two brands are more efficient and affordable than one – many brands leaned into collaborating content to display their products or services. With content collaboration, they’re able to tap into multiple types of fan bases.
- General Motors and Netflix teamed up to promote electric vehicles, which is part of a partnership that will see more Electric Vehicles placed in Netflix productions. Will Ferrell stars alongside a variety of stars from a selection of Netflix’s top shows.
- Miller Lite vs Coors Light… and Blue Moon? These big-name beer brands joined together to share a TV spot that ended with a twist: what appeared to be a competition between Miller Lite and Coors Light ended in the victory of Blue Moon.
- Heineken and Marvel partnered together to advertise both Heineken’s nonalcoholic beer and the upcoming film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
- Michelob worked with Netflix to promote the new Golf-themed series Full Swing. The ad features athletes like Alex Morgan, Tony Romo, and Rickie Fowler drinking Michelob Ultra and includes a QR code to scan for early access to the documentary series.
- Pringles took their ad beyond the TV screen this year with a TikTok campaign using #StuckInPringles. The cross-platform program featured Meagan Trainor both in the commercial and as a Paid Partner on TikTok doing the viral dance to her song Made You Look.
More Collaborations
The Super Bowl isn’t just commercials of chip and alcoholic beverage brands. In the past, we’ve seen many licensed product deals come out of the biggest sports event of the year. Not only are brands finding creative ways to appeal to their audience through already beloved products, but also innovative, licensed products are being brought to the forefront. Below are a few product collaborations that we’ve seen so far:
- Fisher-Price and the NFL launched its Little People Collector Super Bowl Champions set. Available for purchase are figurine sets of top players from the Kansas City Chiefs and a separate set featuring players from the Philadelphia Eagles. Although both sets were available for purchase, only the set of the winning team will be sold. In this case, those who purchased the Eagle’s set will be refunded.
- Skechers x Snoop Dogg teamed up to create a footwear collection that is “fit for the Top Dogg”.
- Mitchell & Ness x FENTY joined together to create a special collection of Super Bowl apparel in support of Rihanna’s half-time performance, only available at PacSun. FENTY also had a moment in the middle of Rihanna’s performance where she applied her makeup onstage!
OTHER TAKEAWAYS
According to a recent poll by Numerator, 3 in 5 US consumers plan to watch the big game. Of the consumers included in the poll, 61% said they were planning to watch the game. Of that 61%, 75% watched it from the comfort of their own home, 20% went to someone else’s home, and 5% planned to go to the bar or other public space. The Super Bowl for many is more than a football game; rather, a reason to attend or host a party filled with snacks and beverages. Some will watch the entire game, while others tune in only to catch the ads and the half-time show.
GOING BEYOND LINEAR WITH PRODUCT INTEGRATIONS
Super Bowl ads seem to be the only exception to viewer ad tolerance these days. While brands willing to pay the hefty price tag of $7M for a 30-second spot may attract a lot of eyeballs, research from analytics firm 605 shows a more engaging approach translates to more sales.
With a recent product placement in CW’s drama Riverdale, Doritos saw a 61% lift in sales among audiences exposed to a TV commercial and the integration in the series—nearly 2x the 37% lift in sales among audiences who only saw the commercial. And on CBS’s comedy series Mom, a popular cereal brand experienced a 53% lift in sales among audiences who saw a liner ad and product placement in the series—over 3x the lift of the audience who just saw the TV commercial. In-content placements are the perfect opportunity for brands looking to increase the impact of their traditional ads or achieve ROI through authentic placements alone.
Special thanks to Victoria Lee and Lindsay Friedrich for their contributions to The Buzz – Super Bowl LVII.
