F​rom ads to experience - the evolution of Super Bowl marketing

The Super Bowl is known as the Big Game for a reason. Whether you’re a die-hard football fan or a die-hard diva fan, we tune into that February Sunday for the game, the half-time show, the snacks, parties, and, yes, the ads. 

Ads have been synonymous with the game for decades and each generation seemingly has a handful that they remember the most – Apple’s 1984, Volkswagen's The Force in 2011, the ongoing saga of the Clydesdales, the Super Bowl blackout in 2013 and even the Coinbase QR code in 2022. Since then, the big game has exploded into a cultural phenomenon where it’s less about one singular moment and more about the surrounding conversations and the collective experiences around the game. 

Why watch the game now when someone can condense hours of play – and ads – into less than five minutes?

As the Super Bowl weekend brings together family, friends and football foes, do we still experience the same togetherness during commercial breaks as when watching the game? Are we sharing the next round of ads in the way that we used to, or do we just wait for the Monday morning recap of advertising’s winners and losers?”

Above: VW's The Force, directed by Lance Acord, is an all-time favourite Super Bowl ad.

Advertisers talk about this being an opportunity because, in these days of fragmented media, brands have a unique opportunity for a shared viewing experience. But with so much pre-buzz, social media is creating an immediacy and always-on-ness. Why watch the game in real time when someone can condense hours of play – and ads – into less than five minutes? 

To see all of this year's Super Bowl spots with full credits and in one place, click here.

Also, as younger generations, such as Gen Z, are showing a decreased interest in football, with entertainment like anime becoming more popular than sport, are advertisers doing enough to truly make this moment a collective experience? 

As we enter a post-second-screen era, will brands start to tap into a third element of shared experiences – there is such power in the fact that not only are we viewing the game on one screen, or multiple – but that we are sharing space, and community with one another. 

This year, DoorDash is utilising the first and second screen, plus shared experience.

This year, will we witness brands bringing broadcast and digital elements together in order to be a part of our collective experiences. There is beauty in a brand’s ability to join in on real-time conversations and engage with people beyond a prefabricated commercial — while creating memorable experiences for consumers. 

DoorDash's campaign is a great example of this approach. This year, the brand is utilising the first and second screen, plus shared experience, as they attempt to DoorDash items from  Super Bowl commercials to one lucky winner – showing the increasing trend towards more interactivity with ads, even with the highly touted Super Bowl ones. But can brands go further?