Every year, the Super Bowl sets the stage for advertising’s most ambitious, creative, and talked-about campaigns, making it a must-watch event far beyond football fans.
With over 100 million viewers tuning in each year, brands pull out all the stops to create unforgettable campaigns that drive engagement, conversation, and, most importantly, results.
Whether you're in it for the game, the halftime show, or just the ads, the Super Bowl remains the ultimate moment where brands showcase their best and boldest work.
You’re not a football fan? doesn’t matter…
Simply put, Super Bowl ads represent cultural moments. The sheer scale of the event means brands have the rare opportunity to reach a massive, engaged audience.
Whether it’s a tearjerking narrative, a star-studded spectacle, or a laugh-out-loud moment, Super Bowl ads have the power to shape brand identity and consumer perception for years to come.
The most talked-about campaigns so far
This year’s Super Bowl commercials have already delivered plenty of buzz-worthy moments. Brands are tapping into humor, nostalgia, and pop culture references to capture audience attention. Some of the standout campaigns so far include:
- Bud Light featured Post Malone and Shane Gillis, turning a casual hangout into an engaging brand moment.
- Michelob Ultra brought together Willem Dafoe, Catherine O’Hara, and other stars for a pickleball-themed ad.
- Doritos revived its “Crash the Super Bowl” contest, allowing user-generated content to take center stage.
- Uber Eats enlisted Charli XCX to explain football in a quirky and relatable way.
- FanDuel featured Eli and Peyton Manning in a field-goal showdown.
These campaigns reflect a mix of humor, celebrity endorsements, and audience interactivity—staples of effective Super Bowl advertising.
Trends we’ve seen so far in 2025 Super Bowl commercials
The Super Bowl is where advertising history is made as brands unveil high-stakes, high-impact campaigns that set the tone for marketing trends all year long. As brands continue to roll out their Super Bowl LIX campaigns, a few key trends have emerged:
Community-Driven
Brands are making audiences a core part of their campaigns by embracing user-generated content, interactive voting, and real-time engagement. Instead of just broadcasting commercials, advertisers are crafting storytelling that feels organic and community-driven, keeping viewers engaged long after the ad airs.
Creator-Driven
Brands are increasingly collaborating with influencers, YouTubers, and digital creators to shape their Super Bowl ads with trend-driven storytelling. This approach adds authenticity, taps into built-in audiences, and makes campaigns more shareable. This shift extends reach and ensures ads feel fresh, engaging, and in sync with digital culture.
Cross-Industry Collabs
Think Gordon Ramsay and Pete Davidson teaming up for HexClad—it’s the kind of surprise partnership we didn’t see coming, but we love. Brands are mixing it up, bringing together personalities from totally different worlds to spark conversations and attract new fans.
Bold Consumer Participation
It’s not just about the big game moment anymore, brands are building year-round connections with their audiences. Contests like Crash the Super Bowl keep the creative juices flowing, making fans a part of the story all year long.
Humor with a Viral Edge
Whether it’s Post Malone cracking us up for Bud Light or Marshawn Lynch’s wild Dove Men ad, humor is ruling the day. Ads are designed to get people laughing, sharing, and turning into memes we can’t stop talking about.
Extended Storytelling Across Platforms
Super Bowl ads are no longer a one-time thing. Brands are taking the opportunity to build a story across platforms with sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes content, and interactive teasers that keep us engaged long after the game ends.
These trends highlight the evolving landscape of Super Bowl advertising, where creativity, technology, and audience engagement are more intertwined than ever.
Super Bowl campaigns that won big at the Shorty Awards
Some of the most iconic ad campaigns in history have debuted during the Super Bowl. Let’s look at two past Shorty Award winners who made waves on game day:
Bringing Patrick Mahomes to The Sphere (2023)
Winner: 16th Annual Shorty Awards
When the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes appeared on the Las Vegas Sphere, it was more than just a sponsorship. This campaign exemplified innovation by integrating a superstar athlete with cutting-edge digital storytelling, creating an immersive brand experience fans couldn’t ignore.
Bubly’s 2019 Super Bowl Campaign
Winner: 12th Annual Shorty Awards
Bubly turned a simple mispronunciation into an unforgettable Super Bowl moment. With Michael Bublé humorously insisting the drink was named after him, the brand capitalized on humor and celebrity power to create a lighthearted yet effective campaign that resonated far beyond the game.
Get Your Super Bowl Campaign Recognized
If you’ve worked on a Super Bowl campaign from January 2024 to December 2024, now’s your chance to showcase your work!
As you refine your entry, here are some categories to consider: Sports, CTV/OTT, Event & Experiential, Long-Form Video, Contests or Promotions, and Humor. Consider where your work shines brightest and let it take the spotlight!
Enter by February 20th and let your campaign take center stage.
