Why Creators Are Poised to Take Over Super Bowl Advertising

Super Bowl advertising is its own red carpet, with celebrities from Melissa McCarthy to Serena Williams to Pete Davidson appearing in this year’s commercials. But lately, that carpet has grown wider. In addition to traditional celebs, brands are increasingly turning to creators and influencers to broaden the reach of their campaigns. To name just a few: Doritos has teamed up with TikTok star Tay Bloomer (vibin.wit.tay) for a dance-off. The NFL has asked Emmanuel Duverneau (known as the dancing chef on TikTok) to cook players’ favorite meals. And State Farm has skipped a Super Bowl commercial altogether in favor of a campaign featuring TikToker Khaby Lame alongside brand spokesman Jake. These and other influencer activations are evidence of the creator economy going mainstream and changing how marketers approach the Big Game. More brands are evolving their strategies to stretch beyond a star-studded TV ad and incorporate the creator universe. As this trend continues, industry leaders say it is only a matter of time before influencers and creators take the lead role in Super Bowl campaigns. “We’re seeing creators become more central to advertising in general,” said Harry Hugo, co-founder of the agency Goat. “We’re probably 12 to 24 months away from the biggest TikTokers being the face of Super Bowl ads.” Last year, Super Bowl influencer marketing spend increased by five times from 2021, according to influencer marketing platform Captiv8. Industry leaders expect that growth to continue among Big Game advertisers, since 67% of overall marketers intend to increase their influencer marketing budget this year, according to the Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2023. The same report forecast that the value of the influencer marketing industry will grow by 29% this year to an estimated $21.1 billion. https://www.tiktok.com/@vibin.wit.tay/video/7186447686202314030 Bigger than game day A-list celebrities still dominate the Super Bowl ad game, with many marketers betting on such household names to attract attention. Market research firm System1 found that nearly 65% of Super Bowl commercials from the past three years featured a celebrity appearance or voiceover. “Super Bowl advertisers will continue to rely on established actors, musicians and athletes to entertain audiences,” said System1 chief customer officer Jon Evans. “The simple presence of a celebrity is not enough to create a winning ad and long-lasting brand impact.” In recent years, Super Bowl advertising has exploded beyond game day, with brands releasing teasers in advance to create buzz online. As Evans said, it’s a question of impact: when advertisers are spending around $7 million on a 30-second spot in the game, that level of investment has to pay off beyond a fleeting moment. That’s where more brands are recognizing the value in creators, said Jas Dhami, vice president of sports and streaming at We Are Social U.S. “It’s about tactics that make campaigns resonate beyond the TV screen,” Dhami said.“Creators will be leveraged by brands to amplify these conversations across social channels.” https://www.tiktok.com/@khaby.lame/video/7196717890106658054 In some cases, an individual creator may draw an audience even bigger than that of the Super Bowl. Goat’s Hugo pointed to the example of YouTube personality MrBeast, whose videos often get upwards of 120 million views. In comparison, NBCUniversal’s telecast of Super Bowl 56 last year averaged 112.3 million viewers across all linear and streaming platforms. 2023 Is the Year Marketers Will Understand, Measure and Buy Into the Creator Economy The perks of going niche Of course, not all creators have the same kind of reach as MrBeast. According to Whalar talent manager Megan Frantz, most have “really segmented audiences without the broad, mass appeal” that Super Bowl advertisers are seeking—which is why brands’ influencer partnerships still tend to be complementary to the main commercial. The creator economy is in hyper-growth.—Rahul Titus, globl head of influence, Ogilvy However, what is changing is how some marketers are collaborating with creators more organically and recognizing the benefits of tapping into niche communities. Before, “brands saw ways to insert creators into what they were already doing,” Frantz said. “Now brands are meeting creators where they are … asking them to create the content they’re known for.” One example is the NFL’s Super Bowl activation with Duverneau (which Whalar facilitated). Duverneau creates cooking videos, and his viewers “skew heavily female or are not outwardly the most obvious football fans,” Frantz said. But with that unexpected collaboration, the NFL may be “able to get in front of people who might not know the Super Bowl is happening this weekend,” she continued. “They’re identifying a new and younger audience.” A cultural shift Even if creators have so far played a secondary role to traditional celebrities in Super Bowl campaigns, they are starting to influence the kind of advertising that is produced. Brands are meeting creators where they are—Megan Frantz, talent manager, Whalar “The DNA of creators is creeping into how people are doing Super Bowl ads,” said Rahul Titus, global head of influence at Ogilvy. “With TikTok, the whole social landscape is changing anyway: it’s no longer aspirational; it’s very personal and relatable.” As evidence of this, take Pringles’ latest Super Bowl commercial, which is about the relatable and sometimes embarrassing moment when a snacker gets their hand stuck down the chip brand’s cylindrical tin. Meghan Trainor is the star, but not in her usual guise beneath bright stage lights: she too is lounging on the couch with her hand trapped in a Pringles can. To take the joke further, Pringles teamed Trainor with dance creators @brookieandjessie to host a TikTok dance challenge based on the notorious container. https://www.tiktok.com/@brookieandjessie/video/7197444185014783238 This movement towards more relatable and self-deprecating Super Bowl ads reflects a wider cultural shift, Titus said. “The whole industry is preparing to be more realistic, authentic and less aspirational.” It also shows how the definition of celebrity–and the kind of talent that brands are starting to recruit–is widening. “Social is the new celebrity,” Titus said. “There’s a generational shift in how people view influencers.” More Alcohol Brands Are in the Super Bowl—But Consumers Might Not Care So not long from now, Titus and others agree it is likely that the stars who take the main stage in Super Bowl commercials won’t come from the usual gated establishments like Hollywood. Already this year, Prime Hydration–the beverage brand founded by social media personalities Logan Paul and KSI–will be the first creator-led company to air a spot during the Big Game. The brand hasn’t yet revealed whether its founders will also appear in it. “The creator economy is in hyper growth, and it will soon take over the mainstream,” Titus said.

Super Bowl Commercials

Why Creators Are Poised to Take Over Super Bowl Advertising

Marketers are increasingly incorporating the creator economy in their Big Game plans

Brittaney Kiefer

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Brittaney Kiefer