The biggest moments of Super Bowl 60 may not unfold solely on the television broadcast. A shift is underway, redefining success for brands beyond the traditional 30-second spot, and prioritizing relevance, proximity, and participation over sheer scale.
This isn’t a dismissal of the broadcast’s enduring power, but rather an acknowledgement of an expanding creative landscape. With audiences engaging with Super Bowl content across multiple platforms – social media, streaming services, and online commentary – brands are increasingly focused on extending their reach beyond the game itself.
The Super Bowl remains a cultural touchstone, but culture now moves at a velocity that a single broadcast can’t contain. Winning brands aren’t simply those that appear during the game; they’re those that understand how to show up around it, designing more targeted campaigns for the right audiences, in the right places, and at the right time.
Challengers Leading the Charge
This approach is particularly evident among challenger brands, often lacking the budgets and established presence of industry giants. These companies are actively seeking “white spaces” – overlooked opportunities to connect with consumers in innovative ways. While established brands often rely on familiarity and repetition, challengers are taking smarter risks by appearing in unexpected places.
Duolingo’s real-time social media commentary during last year’s game provides a compelling example. The language learning platform leveraged its social accounts to offer translations of plays, and even incorporated musical references to the halftime show, generating 41 million impressions with zero ad spend. This strategy effectively combined product messaging with cultural relevance, driving engagement without a substantial financial investment.
Liquid Death, known for its unconventional marketing, similarly demonstrated the power of strategic placement. While the company ran a national Super Bowl ad last year and plans to do so again in , in it opted for a regional ad campaign designed to generate conversation. The intentionally provocative ad garnered over 300,000 views on X (formerly Twitter) and over 4 million views on TikTok as users reacted to and shared the content.
However, this strategy isn’t new. In , Volvo executed a highly effective campaign that asked fans to tweet the hashtag #VolvoContest every time a car commercial from another brand aired, offering a new XC60 as a prize. This tactic activated an existing fan base and generated significant organic media coverage – a 71% sales jump and approximately $44 million in earned media value.
What Sticks on Monday Morning
For creative leaders, the key shift isn’t abandoning the Super Bowl ad altogether, but reframing its role within a broader marketing strategy. This requires building creative flexibility into campaigns, establishing frameworks, empowering teams, and setting clear guidelines to enable rapid response without sacrificing brand voice.
This willingness to operate outside of traditional airtime can provide a competitive edge. What resonates with audiences on Monday morning isn’t always the most extravagant or visually stunning commercials, but those that evoke laughter, provoke thought, or foster a sense of connection. Authenticity, cleverness, and self-awareness are increasingly valued over spectacle.
Audiences are adept at identifying overproduction, forced relevance, and opportunistic marketing. Ideas with staying power are those that feel genuinely human. When brands prioritize participation over explicit sales pitches, they create space for connection and cultivate long-term loyalty.
These non-traditional executions may not dominate ad metrics, and that’s often the point. Success isn’t always measured in immediate recall or next-day rankings. Instead, it manifests in conversations, earned media, social trends, and enduring brand affinity.
As advertisers navigate the evolving media landscape, the Super Bowl is becoming less about a single, high-stakes ad buy and more about a sustained, multi-channel engagement strategy. The brands that recognize this shift and embrace a more holistic approach are poised to win not just on Super Bowl Sunday, but throughout the year.
The average cost of a 30-second ad during Super Bowl LX, broadcast by NBCUniversal, reached $8 million, according to reports. However, the true value lies in extending brand awareness beyond that single slot, leveraging platforms like YouTube and engaging with audiences across multiple touchpoints.
