The Super Bowl is more than a game—it’s a cultural phenomenon and a marketing arena where brands fight for attention long after the final whistle.
For Super Bowl 59, the stakes were higher than ever: 128 million viewers tuned in, while 70% of audiences used multiple screens, creating a dual-screen playground for brands to dominate.
But the real story isn’t just viewership—it’s how the smartest marketers turned fleeting ads into year-long conversations.
Why Super Bowl Advertising Alone Doesn’t Work Anymore
There were a few marketing truths that came out of this year’s Super Bowl: absurdism works, celebrities are optional, and diversity still needs work. But the biggest takeaway? A Super Bowl splash is just the first step. The brands that thrive are the ones that keep the waves rippling before, during, and after the event.
And at $7–8 million per 30-second spot, the ROI of standalone TV ads is increasingly questioned. Therefore, Super Bowl 59 wasn’t won by the loudest ad—it was won by brands that turned viewers into participants. Brands that succeed in the Super Bowl no longer rely on TV ads alone. Instead, they adopt social-first marketing strategies, utilizing creators to turn ads into cultural moments.
Pre-Game Hype
Uber Eats and Dunkin’ teased their ads weeks in advance, leveraging TikTok trends and influencer partnerships to build anticipation. Brands tease their ads with sneak peeks, influencer collaborations, and social media activations. For example, Uber Eats dropped three teasers ahead of its in-game spot, two of which featured Martha Stewart and Charli XCX playing into viral TikTok trends.
Perplexity, an AI-powered search engine, opted for a social-led approach as well, partnering with 20 influencers—including Xandra Pohl and Hallie Batchelder—to create content shot in a branded Cybertruck.
Real-Time Engagement
During the game, 68% of viewers use social media, creating opportunities for real-time memes, polls, and influencer reactions. Duolingo capitalized on Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show with witty posts, driving significant engagement. This second-screening behavior is at an all-time high, making it a prime moment for interactive engagement.
Dunkin’ extended its Super Bowl campaign beyond TV by enlisting comedian and influencer Druski for post-game social content, where he humorously mimicked Ben Affleck’s Boston accent.
@dunkin coulda been a DunKing
Post-Game Amplification
Successful campaigns extend beyond the game. Nike’s “So Win” campaign continues to resonate on social media, turning a 90-second ad into a year-long conversation. The best campaigns don’t stop when the game does—brands that create shareable, culturally relevant, and creator-led content keep the momentum going through viral challenges, behind-the-scenes content, and creator partnerships.
Verizon hosted a four-day experiential activation, “House of Verizon,” featuring creators like chef Tini Younger, designer Kristin Juszczyk, and luxury streetwear entrepreneur Rhuigi Villaseñor to generate content that lived well beyond game day. Meanwhile, Ulta Beauty tapped into the cultural moment by partnering with influencer Chanen Johnson, who hosted an in-person event celebrating women in sports. The brand also worked with SZA’s makeup artist to transform her pre-halftime routine into a social media moment.
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Madison Gaudry-Routledge, Vice President of Strategy & Community at Viral Nation, emphasizes the shift in how brands need to approach big tentpole events: “The Super Bowl is no longer just about the ad—it’s about the entire ecosystem of engagement before, during, and after the game. The brands that win not only show up on TV; they dominate social feeds, leverage real-time content, and activate influencers to turn a single moment into a sustained movement.”
You could say that influencers are the real MVPs of engagement. Instead of relying solely on a single (expensive) Super Bowl moment, brands are tapping into influencers to extend their reach and give them cultural relevance. And with $18.6 billion in retail spending, up from $17.3 billion, the opportunity is clear: meet audiences on their screens, in their feeds, and in their cultural conversations.
Madison concluded, “Yes, the best campaigns aim for virality. But they also aim to create lasting brand affinity by making audiences feel like active participants in the experience, not just passive viewers.”
Applying Super Bowl Marketing Strategies to Your Next Campaign
The most successful brands don’t lead with TV ads—they lead with social. By prioritizing culturally relevant, social-first moments amplified by influencers, social-first brands create an impact that lasts beyond game day, shaping consumer behavior long after the final whistle.
These strategies, which combine real-time engagement, omnichannel integration, and creative storytelling, aren’t exclusive to big-budget advertisers—they’re essential playbooks for any brand looking to make a cultural moment their own.
Creative Trends
Super Bowl 2025 proved that humor and absurdity still reign supreme, with 85% of ads leaning into comedic storytelling—up from 71% the previous year. Meta’s ad masterfully blends celebrity chaos with sly product placement—turning even a $6 million banana into a punchline. Uber Eats’ “Century of Cravings” took an over-the-top approach, weaving Matthew McConaughey and Kevin Bacon into a bizarre conspiracy theory about irresistible cravings. Meanwhile, Mountain Dew’s singing seal (voiced by Seal) landed in the top 5% of Ipsos’ Creative|Spark database for social virality, proving that unexpected, offbeat humor remains one of the most effective ways to capture attention in a crowded media landscape.
However, brands took a more strategic approach to celebrity integration, shifting away from star-studded casts in favor of substance-driven storytelling. Only 54% of Super Bowl ads featured celebrities this year (down from 77% in 2023), yet the campaigns that used them effectively drove significant impact. The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism’s 15-second spot, “No Reason to Hate,” featuring Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady, scored the highest Attention Index of 130.3, proving that when paired with strong messaging, celebrity endorsements can enhance emotional resonance rather than overshadow it. The lesson for marketers? Storytelling and strategic alignment matter more than sheer star power.
Real-Time Marketing
Real-time marketing has long been a Super Bowl staple, with brands jumping into the conversation as major moments unfold. But with audience behaviors shifting and platforms like X losing advertiser trust, brands must take a multi-platform approach to live engagement rather than relying on a single social channel. This year, brands like Totino’s reactivated their dormant X accounts just in time for the game, while others, like Little Caesars, focused on TikTok’s high-engagement environment.
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Super Bowl marketers also recognize that real-time doesn’t just mean reacting—it means creating engagement loops that encourage active participation. Fetch’s $1.2 million live money drop wasn’t just an ad; it was an event that drove users to its app in real time, blending a traditional TV buy with a social-driven digital experience. Brands that build interactive, second-screen experiences rather than relying on passive social engagement are the ones that break through.
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Year-Round Engagement
Kia’s “game within the game” giveaway, which launched ahead of the Super Bowl and was driven by TikTok and Instagram, proves that major marketing moments need pre-game awareness and post-game continuity to drive sustained engagement. Successful campaigns leverage teaser content, influencer activations, and social storytelling well before the event, ensuring their audience is primed and ready to engage once the campaign officially launches.
Post-game strategies are just as crucial, ensuring that high-interest moments continue to generate value. Heinz, for example, extended its Super Bowl relevance beyond the night itself by tying its campaign to the Grammys, using cultural moments to extend its brand presence far beyond its initial ad buy. Similarly, Fetch integrated QR codes into its campaign to drive app downloads, ensuring the engagement didn’t stop after its commercial aired.
@kiausa This Sunday, Kia is giving away a new car every quarter. Sign up to play #KiaSquares – link in bio.
Going Omni-Channel
Neuromarketing research suggests that blending traditional media with social amplification can generate up to three times the organic engagement compared to TV alone. The most successful brands use second-screen experiences, interactive activations, and platform-specific content to create a seamless, multi-touchpoint campaign. DoorDash’s award-winning ‘All-The-Ads’ campaign proved this by turning its TV spot into an interactive, gamified experience that spurred immediate consumer action and built long-term loyalty.
A winning omni-channel strategy ensures that each platform plays a distinct role in the consumer journey. Instagram and TikTok build pre-game anticipation, X fuels real-time conversation, YouTube extends storytelling, and brand-owned channels drive deeper engagement.
The Super Bowl 59 broke social media records and rewrote the traditional marketing playbook. Check out the biggest Super Bowl marketing moments and social media marketing campaigns in our post-game analysis feature.
Dominate Game Day—and Every Day After with Viral Nation
The best event campaigns aren’t just watched—they’re played, shared, and remembered. The Super Bowl isn’t won in a single play—it’s about strategy, precision, and turning moments into social movements.
Just like the brands that leveraged multi-screen audiences, influencer blitzes, and cultural conversations to own the 2025 game, Viral Nation’s social media marketing services can turn your next big event into a year-round victory lap.
- Dual-screen dominance: Target audiences scrolling TikTok while they watch the game.
- Influencer end zones: Partner with creators who turn ads into viral touchdowns.
- ROI that lasts: Build campaigns that ride the wave from kickoff to Q4.
Ready to turn your next tentpole event into a cultural touchdown?
