Breaking Down the Super Bowl Ad Playbook

The Super Bowl isn’t just the pinnacle of American football—it’s also arguably the most coveted advertising platform in the world. With last year’s game drawing a record 123.7 million viewers, brands are willing to invest millions to make a lasting impression. But what makes a Super Bowl ad truly stand out? Darden Professor Kim Whitler spent a year working with research assistants Jeremy Grossman and Zhen Ye to conduct a comprehensive trends analysis of more than 500 Super Bowl commercials from the past decade.

Using publicly available consumer sentiment data, Whitler’s team identified 34 key attributes—ranging from humor and celebrity endorsements to sociopolitical messaging and the use of animals—to determine what resonates most with viewers.

Star Power

Celebrity spokespeople have always been a staple of advertising, and brands are leaning more and more heavily into this tried-and-true strategy. In 2015, around 34% of Super Bowl ads featured a celebrity, but by 2024, that figure had soared past 60%. In addition to recruiting household names, Whitler identified a couple of twists on the celebrity formula that are rising in popularity:

Generational Mash-Ups – A rising trend since 2020, this approach pairs stars from different eras to appeal across age groups. The Uber Eats ad featuring Martha Stewart and Charli XCX is a prime example. “This strategy is interesting because it is an effort to drive relevance across different generations – all in one ad,” said Whitler.

Niche Celebrities – Brands are increasingly using celebrities with smaller but highly engaged followings, such as Timothy Simons from Veep for Coors Light

Animals Deliver the Warm Fuzzies

People love cute animals! Ads that have animals in them tend to receive higher consumer ratings, and ads where animals are the protagonist (versus just a feature in ads), outperform all other ads. Even so, going into Super Bowl weekend, this year’s use of animals appears to be lower than last year other than classics like the Budweiser Clydesdales.

Teasers and Extended Cuts

As digital media reshapes consumer engagement, brands are stretching the impact of their Super Bowl campaigns beyond game day. Whitler’s research highlights two major strategies:

Teasers: More than 15 brands released teaser ads this year to build anticipation for the game day ad, a game day event or new products that will are launching around the game.

Extended Cuts: Companies like Budweiser are producing longer versions of their commercials for online release, maximizing pre-game buzz. Last year, Drumstick ice cream even created a 5-minute short film to complement their game day ad. “It is a smart way to take all the earned media that exists two weeks before the big game and drive deeper, longer engagement,” said Whitler.

Monocultural Moments Garner Broader Audiences

In an increasingly fractured information and entertainment environment, monocultural events like the Super Bowl are rare opportunities. Brands are increasingly tailoring their Super Bowl messages to appeal to more diverse audiences. Whitler’s study found a 79% increase in ads featuring both male and female celebrities and a significant rise in generational mash-up ads.

Additionally, the range of industries advertising during the Super Bowl has expanded. In 2015, just 11 different product categories were represented; in 2024, that number grew to 13, with notable increases in real estate, entertainment and transportation brands.

Nostalgia

Whitler’s research also tracked the growing use of nostalgia. In 2015, just 28% of Super Bowl ads incorporated nostalgic elements; by 2023, that number had jumped to over 45%%. This year’s ads continue the trend, with Instacart featuring classic brand mascots like Mr. Clean and the Pillsbury Doughboy, and Hellmann’s channeling “When Harry Met Sally.”

“There appears to be a desire to derisk the Super Bowl by leaning more into celebrities, animals, popular music, and nostalgia,” said Whitler. “What is so interesting is the growing trend to create ads that have multiple layers of meaning for different generations in the audience. Ads like Hellman’s mayo ad that recreated a scene from ‘When Harry Met Sally,’ or Bud Light’s teasers referencing their 1999 ‘wassup’ ad aim to be entertaining at face value for younger generations while delivering some extra delight for viewers who remember the original pop culture moments. The power of connecting today’s ads to cherished moments in the past can help elevate the ads.”