With an in-game spot costing up to $7 million, brands are finding creative ways to be at the Super Bowl without paying to be in it.
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As hundreds of millions of people tune into Super Bowl LVIII, brands advertising during the game can get in front of more eyes than at most other forums, especially as many viewers begrudgingly watch the game, then perk up for the ads, of course.
Getting in front of all those eyes doesn’t come cheap, however, as just 30 precious seconds of advertising costs up to $7 million.
To capture people’s attention without emptying the bank, many brands are opting to advertise around the Super Bowl on social media or on the ground in Las Vegas. Read some of the highlights below:
Truly
Truly is seizing the buzz around the big game by leaning into social media to promote its hot-wing-sauce flavored hard seltzer designed to accompany game-day snacks. The brews, which have sold out, will start reaching influencers this week so they can share their impressions on game day.
According to Matt Withington, senior director of marketing at Truly, the brand opted for an earned media play rather than spending millions of dollars on an in-game spot after recognizing the savings opportunity.“There are brands spending almost a hundredfold [what we are],” said Matt Withington, senior director of marketing at Truly.
Truly has been monitoring early conversations about the new seltzers on Instagram, Facebook and Reddit and will work with partners to keep the conversation going through Sunday. It will expand its focus to other major platforms on game day.
“What we’re talking about is Super Bowl marketing 101,” said Logan Williams, executive director at Golin New York. “It’s got big social media and real-time conversations and that really starts with earned media.”
To track its success, Truly will monitor social media engagement with a particular interest in seeing how many users make content about the seltzers in the form of unboxing videos and product reviews on TikTok.
Doritos
All eyes are on the Sphere as Vegas’ premier out-of-home advertising canvas as brands look to activate on the ground near Allegiant Stadium.
Doritos, however, didn’t try to fit a triangle peg into a spherical hole. Instead, it turned the pyramid-shaped Luxor hotel into a giant chip.
The billboard buy is a play on the brand’s Triangle Tracker Snapchat lens that rewards users for finding triangles out in the world. Using the lens on the Luxor will turn it into one of Dorito’s new Dinamita chips — the focus on its seventh consecutive in-game ad — this time starring Jenna Ortega.
Using the lens on the Luxor will also net users a chance to win free tickets to the game.
“Our goal with the Luxor activation was to drum up excitement and engage with our fans as the brand premieres its 24th Super Bowl ad and to help fans see Doritos in the triangles all around us,” said Amanda Corral, senior director of media for PepsiCo Foods North America, in an emailed statement to Campaign US. “We are seeing that excitement come through with fans already posting images and videos interacting with the unit itself and with the Snapchat lens activated we will be tracking lens engagements as well.”
Doritos also installed a custom oversized slot machine on Fremont Street in Vegas where visitors can score free Dinamita chips and merch.
On game day, the brand will push out on Instagram, X and TikTok. Characters Dina and Mita plan to crash creators' videos on TikTok.
FedEx
Speaking of the Sphere, FedEx is one of seven brands advertising on it this week and during the big game. Its 90-second ad, which cost between $1 and $2 million, will run every hour between February 5 and February 11.
On a typical day, the Sphere estimates that brands will get 300,000 in-person impressions and another 4.4 million on social media, according to a pitch deck that leaked in October. Advertisers have yet to confirm how many impressions the Sphere estimates brands will earn during Super Bowl week, but it is expected to be higher than usual as football fans flock to the city and monitor social media.
The Sphere will also be featured in coverage of Super Bowl LVIII on CBS and Paramount+, providing an additional source of impressions for broadcast viewers. FedEx is also pushing the activation on Instagram and Facebook.
“The shape of the Sphere lends itself well to highlight our global capabilities, which includes our aircraft, sorting facilities and team members,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
FedEx is additionally an official NFL sponsor and has delivered the Lombardi trophy to Super Bowl host cities since 2000.
In October, it launched a sweepstakes with rewards ranging from a $2,500 cash prize to a paid three-day trip to the game. It will post about the winner on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X during the game.
Lastly, the delivery company will release the third episode of its Tall Tales of True Deliveries campaign on Sunday before kick off. FedEx team member Makail Farrar will appear as the courier making the delivery in the animated episode.
NFL and Paramount
To complement Super Bowl LVIII’s alternate broadcast on Nickelodeon hosted by SpongeBob SquarePants, the NFL and Paramount partnered with game developer Gamefam to release a series of content across various Roblox titles.
Launched in the first week of February, SpongeBob Simulator is already hosting a virtual Super Bowl takeover, but in Bikini Bottom instead of Las Vegas. Players can find the cartoonish cast of characters decked out in football gear inviting them to answer pre-game prediction questions and complete a series of tasks to get the virtual underwater town ready for the game.
The Super Bowl x SpongeBob content is also bleeding over into other Gamefam titles such as Super NFL Tycoon, TMNT Battle Tycoon, Twilight Daycare and Easy Obby.
“Today’s younger generations consume media and sports completely differently than past generations,” said Ricardo Briceno, chief business officer at Gamefam. “Drawing them into the phenomenon of the NFL takes a deep understanding of where they’re spending time each and every day. That’s where Roblox comes in…This is all about bringing a different flavor of the NFL and Super Bowl to audiences that otherwise might not engage.”
Gamefam will monitor the success of the games by measuring total visits, engagement with Super Bowl-specific content and social media sentiment.
“We’ll see this activation featured in multiple places from social media to TV screens in Allegiant Stadium,” Briceno said.
Editor's note: This story was updated on February 8 with comments from Doritos.
Cre: by Brandon Doerrer
