It is no secret that the Super Bowl may be the biggest stage for advertisers all year long. Despite advertising rates for the sports event reaching an all-time high, at an average of $7 million for a 30-second slot, the 57th Super Bowl was no exception.
Following the big game, which took place yesterday in Arizona, Spotlight clearly knows what advertising trends set the stage for the coming months.
1. TikTok Shines Bright
Despite the controversy surrounding TikTok in the U.S., its role in advertising this year’s Super Bowl was surprisingly prominent.
Brands have decided to make the most of the social media platform’s popularity, taking advantage of its audience of 1.5 billion users worldwide. Among the brands that have included TikTok in Super Bowl advertising strategies are FedEx, Popcorners and Doritos for the “Doritos Triangle Tryouts” campaign.
Last year, insurance company State Farm ran a TikTok-only Super Bowl campaign with highly successful results, begging the question of the app’s role in modern advertising.
This year’s utilization of TikTok for advertising for everything from a snack company to a mailing company indicates the strength of this trend.
2. Strong Partnerships Are Not Easily Forgotten
Partnerships between big brands have taken on new heights at this year’s Super Bowl, with multiple brands teaming up to create memorable advertisements.
Tackling current topics, trending TV shows, or upcoming movies, partnerships used cultural commentary to grab the audience’s attention. DraftKings teamed up with Molson Coors, Netflix with GM and Heineken with Marvel’s upcoming film “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.”
3. Crypto Gives Away the Spotlight
Unlike the previous year’s Super Bowl, crypto ads were nowhere to be seen following the market decline. Instead, the spotlight was handed over to two categories that seem to be an adequate match for a sporting event such as the Super Bowl - betting brands and alcoholic beverage companies.
FanDuel debuted its first-ever Super Bowl ad this year, while AB InBev ran four ads for its most popular brands (Bud Light, Budweiser, Busch Light and Michelob Ultra).
4. A Rise To Stardom with Celebrities
While Super Bowl ads are no stranger to celebrity cameos, the 57th Super Bowl seemed to be collaborating with Hollywood celebrities for every featured spot. Audiences could pick between A-list actors reprising famous film roles, such as Ben Stiller in “Zoolander,” or well-known celebs simply playing themselves, such as Pete Davidson in his second consecutive Hellmann ad.
Strategically, brands that may garner less attention from audiences put themselves straight in the spotlight with the help of some larger-than-life individuals. This was the case with Super Bowl rookie and management cloud Workday, which featured Ozzy Osbourne, Joan Jett and Billy Idol in its first-ever ad.
