Super Bowl ads are some of the most exclusive TV ad spots of the year, costing $7 million per 30 seconds of airtime. With such a high price tag, brands need to get the most out of their commercials, which have become an integral part of the Super Bowl spectacle, and social media buzz boosts talkability and maximises return on investment beyond a flash-in-the-pan TV ad.
Data from WeArisma has revealed that celebrity involvement is critical to gaining hype on social platforms – this is something that nine of the top 10-earning advertisers in media value from social content around their Super Bowl ads in the month leading up to the big game had in common.
Chinese discount marketplace, Temu, was the only Super Bowl advertiser in the top 10 to not feature celebrities in its ad, however, it did involve paid social partnerships with celebrities and influencers such as JoJo Siwa in the build-up to the game, which drove its brand media value.
The Halftime Show
The most talked about advertiser on social media was Apple Music, with 55 pieces of content by influential sources earning $6,258,699 in media value, boosted by the company’s sponsorship of the halftime show. The teaser video, Where’s Usher, released earlier this month, features Ludacris, Lil Jon and Taraji P Henson telling Apple CEO Tim Cook they’ve lost Usher, before encountering various other celebrities around Vegas while trying to find him.
The full video was shared widely on social media including by Taraji P Henson and J Balvin, who generated $546,500 and $871,700 for Apple Music in media value respectively.
Football Stars
While many commercials star A-list actors and singers, savvy brands appealed to the Super Bowl fan base by working with NFL legends.
FanDuel’s Super Bowl ads have historically involved Rob Gronkowski and the late Carl Weathers. This year’s advert shows Gronk’s ‘Kick of Destiny 2’ and pays respect to Weathers who passed away in January. The total media value of $1,391,762 from content around the advert has made it the fifth most talked about ad.
Gronk also appears in the Frito-Lay ad along with fellow ex-players, Marshawn Lynch and Troy Polamalu, while BetMGM continued its iconic “Everyone But Tom Brady” ad, featuring the seven-time Super Bowl winner alongside hockey player Wayne Gretzky and actor Vince Vaughan.
Celebrity Collectives
Working with a clutch of iconic celebrities has proved valuable for some brands, including Paramount+ and UberEATS.
UberEATS’ teaser videos featuring the Beckhams, Jennifer Anniston, David Schwimmer, JellyRoll and Usher went viral and content from the celebrities themselves, as well as Elle, the Daily Mail and Entertainment Tonight put the food delivery service in the top five most talked about advertisers of the Super Bowl. Content around the UberEATS ad generated $2,256,414 in media value.
Paramount+’s ad featuring Patrick Stewart, Drew Barrymore, Jeff Probst and iconic Nickelodeon cartoon characters led it to being the seventh most talked about advertiser on social media, with a media value of $913,474. This was driven by content from notable media sources such as Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition.
The Swift Effect
Despite successful efforts to get people talking with major celebrities for State Farm with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Doritos with Jenna Ortega, one celebrity superseded them all in terms of talkability – Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift’s alignment with the NFL since September has brought a new allegiance of fans to the game – sales of Kelce’s replica Chiefs jersey reportedly spiked by 400% after she was first seen attending one of his games.
Since January 11th 2024, there have been 1,258 pieces of content relating to Taylor Swift and the Super Bowl shared on social media, amassing a total media value of $72,312,309. This makes her more talked about on social media than the halftime performer, Usher, who generated a total media value of $42,230,243.
Jenny Tsai, founder and CEO of WeArisma, said: “The value of social media content from influential sources relating to Super Bowl advertisers shows just how beneficial working with celebrities can be to make maximum impact on TV ads.
“Social media buzz helps to increase the longevity of a commercial and brands know this as they start teasing their Super Bowl ads online weeks before the game. Celebrities certainly help to propel these teasers and get people talking and speculating about the advert to come.”
Most talked about Super Bowl advertisers on social media by media value
- Apple Music – $6,258,699
- State Farm – $3,443,663
- Doritos – $2,534,997
- UberEATS – $2,256,414
- FanDuel – $1,391,762
- Popeyes – $952,895
- Paramount+ – $913,474
- Temu – $817,442
- BetMGM – $745,033
- Verizon – $437,082
