After the ticker tape settles, the social chatter dies down, and the “best / worst commercial” rankings are posted, that’s when the industry gets to reflect on the hard work that goes into creating Super Bowl magic and think ahead.
From on the ground activations to celebrities and social listening trends, here are our insights and learnings from Super Bowl LVIII, the most watched telecast in history, and how brands can implement these learnings for Super Bowl LIX.
Social Listening
Here at MMC, data and insights drive every campaign strategy and creative idea we produce. So, this year, we were thrilled to see how many brands used social listening to craft messaging for their Super Bowl ads.
For years, consumers on social platforms like Reddit and X (née Twitter) have been bringing actor Michael Cera into the CeraVe conversation, with platform users creating fake product labels featuring Cera’s face, and others suggesting the actor become the face of the brand and some even speculating that he is the genius behind the brand. CeraVe’s Superbowl ad proves that the brand is listening to what consumers are saying about them and is only one of many examples of Super Bowl ads where brands leaned into consumer chatter about them.
Disney+ shared consumer’s favorite Disney movie soundbites to quote in social media in a simple yet engaging ad that teased Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour coming soon to the streamer.
Consumers have been spelling Skechers with a t for decades, so the brand partnered with Mr. T and Tony Romo to educate consumers on the proper spelling of the brand name in their high-energy ad.
Viva Las Vegas
On the ground, brands took advantage of Vegas and leaned into everything it had to offer. There were takeovers all along the strip:
- Frito Lay’s Chip Strip
- Pepsi’s Sip City
- Paramount+ Mountain
- The Sphere campaigns
- Doritos takeover of the Luxor façade
These activations created not only consumer engagement but took advantage of the influencers and celebrities coming to Vegas as well. We even saw brands leaning into weddings as Vegas is known for – Cheetos had the Cheetos Chapel and Old Spice surprised a couple with Eli Manning as their ring bearer.
Female Fans Get the Recognition They Deserve
On the advertising front, we saw beauty brands take center stage with e.l.f. and Dove returning to the big game and newcomers like Cerave entering nationally and nyx, Hero, and Cetaphil with regional spots. Coming of the success from last year’s beauty brands, like Fenty whose Rihanna performed at halftime and saw sales skyrocket,beauty and skin care have woken up to the mass audience the Super Bowl brings –and with the expanded NFL fan base of this year’s season and game, they entered at exactly the right moment.
We also saw more stylish fan gear go viral with Kristin Juszczyk, designer and wife of San Francisco 49ers Kyle Juszczyk, designing a puffer coat for Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes. The NFL and brands took notice. The NFL quickly created a licensing deal with her and brands like FedEx, Gatorade, and Invisalign partnered with her before the big game. She also dressed people like Kelly Clarkson and Lil Wayne for their appearances.
Ready to artfully disrupt your brand in 2024? Reach out via hello@hellommc.com.
