by Mick the Ram

When the Kansas City Chiefs take on Philadelphia Eagles in an attempt to win the 2025 Super Bowl for a third time in a row later on Sunday 9 February, it will be more than just a football game.

It has become an American cultural institution with potentially somewhere in the region of 200 million people viewing the eagerly anticipated contest.

As the most-watched TV broadcast each year, the Super Bowl offers the most coveted and expensive advertising slots on television and each year more and more brands want a part of it.

These brands are willing to invest a staggering figure of upwards of $8 million for a 30-second commercial to run on Fox’s broadcast that will simultaneously air on Fox’s Tubi streaming service.

Celebrity-backed ads are already circulating online ahead of the big match with one of the most played being a reunion between Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal in a famous sketch from their When Harry Met Sally hit movie.

Sponsors already known to have committed to be part of nights commercial slots include the likes of: GoDaddy, Häagen Dazs, Uber Eats, MSC Cruises, Disney, Pringles, Bosch, Reese’s, Mountain Dew, Dove, Coors Light, Coffee Mate, Sketchers and Warner Bros.

Hugely influential

Super Bowl 59 will be played on the turf of the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, but just as competitive will be the jostling for consumer viewing amongst the dozens of advertisers who recognise how a short, but spectacular commercial can significantly increase their customer base.

A survey conducted in December found that nearly 80% of viewers admit to watching the commercials with a quarter saying they “attentively” watch them.

Half of those who watch owned up to being highly likely to be influenced in choices by the ads and a similar number said they would almost certainly participate in social media discussions about them immediately after they air.

On top of that a further 11% revealed that they watch the Super Bowl JUST for the commercials!

Fun on the run

Mark Evans, EVP of Ad Sales for Fox Sports predict lots of AI messages and attempts at comedy will leave an impression during the Super Bowl, along with a tried-and-true elements.

He elaborated: “We’re in a period now with live sports, where people and families come together to watch, and there’s an escalation in price and interest in the demand, but we’re not at the peak. We’ve still got runway from here.”

Drink it all in

Beer will always be a major draw for the audience and brands such as: Busch Light, Bud Light, Budweiser, Coors Light, Michelob Ultra and Stella Artois are known to be featuring.

Indeed, Stella Artois will be introducing their brand ambassador David Beckham and following the sports theme, Michelob Ultra pits actors Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara on the senior side of middle age against prime of life NFL star Randy Moss, Olympic gold winner Ryan Crouser, and WNBA Champion Sabrina Ionescu in a pick-up game of pickleball.

Bud Light will bring back country musician Post Malone, who along with comedian Shane Gillis and superstar quarterback Peyton Manning, will host a neighbourhood grilling party where they get up to all kinds of mischief.

Driving up the sales

Snacks are obviously massive during the hours of watching the game and brands are quick to recognise this and some big players are very much at the party, with the likes of Doritos, Häagen-Dazs, Lay’s, Nerds Candy, Pringles, Reese’s, Ritz Crackers and Totino Pizza Rolls all stamping their mark.

Häagen-Dazs ice cream will be making its first Super Bowl appearance taking viewers on a ride in a classic Chevrolet SS car.

In the candy aisle, there will be Ferrara’s Nerds Candy featuring country music star Shaboozey snacking on Nerds Gummy Clusters and Hershey will shine the spotlight on Reese’s Chocolate Lava Big Cup candy.

Pringles will take Adam Brody, Nick Offerman, James Harden and an as yet-to-be-named celebrity to the Super Bowl for a Pringles Party.

Book a break… in the break!

Talk of vacations always crop up whilst viewing sporting events and Booking.com runs with assistance from the Muppets. They’ll be showing how easy it is to book any holiday experience with its AI Trip Planner as Kermit the Frog and Animal choose a beach front trip, while Miss Piggy goes ultra-luxury in a boutique hotel.

MSC Cruises, the third largest cruise line, will run its first Super Bowl ad with Drew Barrymore and Orlando Bloom showcasing the MSC World America ship, which makes its first voyage from Miami in April.

Online with the tech guys

Tech brands are on very much onboard. Website developer Square-space will feature Irish actor Barry Keoghan showing him how easy it is to design a website; whilst GoDaddy will be there too featuring actor Walton Goggins as a website novice who uses GoDaddy’s Airo AI tool to design his first website.

Chris Pratt and Chris Hemsworth feature in a Meta promotion of their own AI-Powered Ray-Ban smart glasses.

Big time no-shows

For all the big names on show during Super Bowl 59, there are also some notable absentees with the likes of Google, Microsoft and Snapchat not participating, and major phone companies have made the call not to take part.