As Super Bowl Sunday approaches, the competition among advertisers to reach more than 120 million viewers will be as fierce off the field as it is among advertisers.New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.
Dozens of advertisers are pulling out all the stopsSuper Bowl 60, airing Sunday on NBC. They hope viewers will remember their brand name as they incorporate celebrities like Kendall Jenner (Fanatics Sportsbook) and George Clooney (Grubhub) into their ads, tried-and-true advertising icons like Budweiser Clydesdales, and nostalgia for famous film titles like “Jurassic Park.”Comcast X unlimited).
Each year’s Super Bowl ads offer a snapshot of America’s mood and which industries are flush with cash that year: From the 2000 Cyber Bowl toCrypto Bowl 2022.
This year’s trends include advertising for health and telemedicine companiesweight loss pillsand medical tests, tech companies show off their latest gadgets and apps, and advertisers showcase artificial intelligence in their ads.
Charles Taylor, a marketing professor at Villanova University, said that because of recent headlines—fromImmigration enforcement surgesArriving in Minnesotaconflicts abroad— he wants advertisers to stick to a light-hearted and silly tone.
“Due to the Super Bowl’s status as a pop culture event with a fun party atmosphere, the vast majority of brands will avoid any dark or divisive tone and instead provide consumers with a break from thinking about these difficult times,” he said.
record breaking price
Advertisers flock to the Super Bowl every year because so many people watch the big game.In 2025, a record 127.7 million people will watch the game in the United StatesAcross TV and streaming platforms.
Demand is higher than ever because live sports are one of the few places in a fragmented media landscape where advertisers can reach large audiences. NBC has sold out of ad space in September.
Peter Lazarus, executive vice president of sports and advertising, said the average price of a space film was $8 million per 30-second unit, but a handful of ads sold for more than $10 million, setting records. Olympic GamesNBCUniversal Advertising and Partnerships. He said he calls February a “legendary February” with the Super Bowl, Olympics and NBA All-Star Game.
Lazarus said 40% of advertisers purchased all of NBC’s major sports properties, and 70% of Super Bowl advertisers also purchased the Olympics.
Gathering of celebrities
Featuring celebrities is a proven way for advertisers to win over their audiences. This year, Fanatics Sportsbook asked Kendall Jenner to talk about “Kardashian Kurse,” in which bad things happened to the basketball player she dated.
George Clooney appears in a Grubhub ad promoting a deal the delivery app offers to “eat the money” on orders of $50 or more.
Several ads feature more than one celebrity or sports star. Michelob Ultra shows Kurt Russell training actor Lewis Pullman, with Olympic skier Chloe Kim and hockey player TJ Oshie watching on the slopes.
Xfinity has once again teamed up with Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum for a tongue-in-cheek reimagining of Jurassic Park, showcasing Xfinity technology bringing power back to the island so nothing goes wrong.
For the second year in a row, Uber Eats has hired Matthew McConaughey to convince celebrities (this year it’s Bradley Cooper and Parker Posey) that football is a conspiracy to make people hungry enough to order food.
Artificial intelligence takes the stage
For the second year in a row, artificial intelligence is making waves in Super Bowl ads.
oakley Yuan is promoting their AI glasses in two action-packed ads that show Spike Lee, Marshawn Lynch and others using the glasses to shoot videos and answer questions.
Wix Harmony has debuted an ad showcasing its web design software that uses artificial intelligence tools. Wix is also streaming additional content from artificial intelligence app builder Base44. OpenAI will release yet-to-be-announced ads during the competition.
Svedka Vodka hired artificial intelligence studio Silverside AI to help create their ad, which features their robot mascot FemBot and its male counterpart BroBot. Sazerac acquired the Svedka brand in 2025, and its chief marketing officer Sara Saunders said they took this approach because Svedka is positioned as “the vodka of the future.”
“We redesigned the robot with artificial intelligence,” Sanders said. “We spent many, many months rebuilding her, giving her functionality, giving her the human spirit that we wanted to represent the brand.”
Health and Telemedicine
Medical and telemedicine providers were everywhere during Super Bowl 60. Two pharmaceutical companies are promoting the test: Novartis Touted a blood test to screen for prostate cancer with the slogan “Relax Your Tight End,” which featured football tight ends relaxing. Boehringer Ingelheim’s ad stars Octavia Spencer and Sofia Vergara to encourage people to screen for kidney disease.
Liquid IV, a company that makes electrolyte drink mixes, released an ad about staying hydrated.
Telemedicine company Ro used Serena Williams in an ad for their GLP-1 weight loss drug. Novo NordiskThe company that makes Wegovy and Ozempic says it will also have a seat at the table.
Hims & Hers (another company that offers GLP-1 diet pills) has an ad that says the company gives people better access to health care that is usually only available to the wealthy.
“You could call it the GLP-1 Super Bowl,” said Tim Calkins, a clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University. “Normally you don’t see a lot of pharmaceutical companies at the Super Bowl, but this year we’re going to see quite a few.”
Tried and tested themes
Some advertisers insist on tried and true advertising. Budweiser’s heartwarming ad shows a Clydesdale pony growing up alongside a bald eagle to the tune of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.” The ad celebrates Budweiser’s 150th anniversary.
PepsiCo is trying to reignite the cola wars by featuring a polar bear in its ads – Coca-Cola’s famous mascot – by choosing Pepsi Zero Sugar over Coke Zero in a blind taste test. The ad ends with the bear being captured on a “kissing cam.”
surprise
While most Super Bowl advertisers release their ads early in an attempt to capitalize on the buzz, some wait until the day of the game to release their ads.
PepsiCo’s soft drink Poppi has teased that pop star Charli XCX and actress Rachel Sennott will star in their commercial.
Ben Affleck stars again in a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial. The trailer shows him alongside ’90s sitcom legends Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc from “Friends” and Jason Alexander from “Seinfeld.”
There are fewer car advertisers this year, but Cadillac has hinted it will feature its new Formula One car in ads.
This story was originally published on wealth network