Now what should brands do?

Over sixty commercials took marketing’s biggest stage for Super Bowl LX, but there’s no time to gather around that omnipresent watercooler. What? No fist bumps over Kevin-from-The-Office clones? No collective head-scratching over what the heck Ben Affleck was talking about? No whispers of personal clenching over “Relax your tight end”? Rest assured, there will be plenty of people carrying that juicy torch for all of us. We marketers need to dig in—take the hotbed of inspiration and start the 360-plan for 2027.

“The attention is meaningless unless you have a plan to maximize it, pre…during…and post.”
Jim Ganzer, Adcom Chief Strategy Officer

Whether brands can spring for a spot on the most culturally significant stage next year isn’t the point—pre-setting the stage for any awareness moment is, along with a broader push to keep the momentum going afterward. Like any good game plan, let’s break it down:

PRE-GAME: MORE THAN JUST PARTY PREP

The weeks leading up to kickoff are now akin to a system of content that maximizes the ROI on an $8 million pay-to-play media buy. Think earned media and viral sharing:

• Teasers for Super Bowl ads came out before the AFC and NFC champs were determined: Rocket Mortgage/Redfin went so far as to release a three-minute, behind-the-scenes chat with Lady Gaga on her approach to capturing the essence of today’s Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.

• Star-studded talent announcements drove excitement: Kurt Russell for Michelob Ultra, Guy Fieri for Bosch and Jennifer Aniston with Matt LeBlanc for Dunkin.

DURING: FROM COIN TOSS TO CONFETTI DROP

Savvy marketers wager their own kind of bets to go down during the game. Given that over 70% of Super Bowl viewers spend time intermittently scrolling on a “second screen” in their hand (the one that’s not dripping with nacho cheese), media departments coordinate content to dominate their social feeds. Think massive reach and real-time cultural impact:

• Niche creators, formerly known as influencers: To align with its Super Bowl spot, Dove enlisted Kylie Kelce to be the force behind the #KeepHerConfident social platform.
  
  
• Interactive tech as a central engagement element: The Svedka Vodka commercial features AI-generated robots that encourage passive viewers to become active participants in a “bot dance” on social platforms from home.
  

POST-GAME: MAKE YOUR SUPER BOWL AD STICKY

Leveraging emotional or nostalgic icons is one way to bring spots to mind long after the celebratory parades have ended. Think Clydesdales…better yet, an American Eagle giving flight to a Clydesdale! What else can keep the engagement going?

• Interactive content: A “Build Your Own” in-app feature lets Uber Eats users choose from its celebrity lineup to create their own commercial edit.

• Retail marketing pushes: Keeping the celeb-relationship narrative established by Sabrina Carpenter in the Super Bowl Pringles spot, the can of chips takes interactive storytelling to a grocer near you.

INSPIRED YET?

Adcom is. We are positioned to help brands of any size create strong omni-channel marketing strategies to set the stage, create awareness, and then keep the momentum going. Your brand guidelines, our 360-degree approach—let’s get started on our own road to cultural glory.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

As a Creative Director and Writer at Adcom, Julie Robinson is here to say that the concept behind the “Football is for Food” Uber Eats campaign can go on to eternity as far as she’s concerned. The perfect insight, a smorgasbord of jargon to play with and spot-on casting.
#BigFanofWordplay #NaysayerofPuns