The Kansas City Chiefs becoming the NFL’s first-ever three-peat champions, the breakout song of Kendrick Lamar on stage, Serena Williams making a cameo, the US President Donald Trump in the stands — the biggest night in American football may have happened a month ago, but fans and brands are still heady with the behemoth of the sports spectacle that is Super Bowl.
Rightfully, it’s the annual event that sets the tone for the year. Notching up the stakes at the Super Bowl LIX, marketers doubled down on digital-first strategies, emotional storytelling, and immersive engagement. Artificial intelligence (AI) companies took over prime-time slots, automakers took the back seat, and social media became the MVP (most valuable player) in extending campaign reach in the make-or-break moment where ad prices hit a record $8 million for a 30-second slot.
The action on the sidelines clearly towers over the game on the field. LatentView takes a deep dive into the data to track shifting market dynamics, how companies try to catch the open purse strings, and, at the heart of it, the evolving consumer behavior.
Consumer at the Center of Action
The game, artists, and brands all line up for the eyeballs. This time, the viewership hit 127.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched edition ever. As has become tradition, more people tuned in to catch the half-time show, setting a record high of 133.5 million viewers for Kendrick Lamar’s 13-minute halftime performance in 2025. This milestone underscores the cultural significance of the Super Bowl beyond the sporting event itself.
Source: Nielsen, Forbes
What has changed, though, is how people watch the game. The essentially family affair, when not visiting the stadium, has turned into a night-out at local restaurants on giant television screens. However, with mobile devices and streaming services, traditional TV viewership has been on the decline, and a growing number of consumers are opting to stream the game. This trend is particularly pronounced among younger audiences, prompting advertisers to allocate more resources to digital-first strategies.
The action shifted to social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, which exponentially extended the reach of Super Bowl ad campaigns. Analysis revealed that brands incorporating social media engagement before and after the game experienced higher returns on investment compared to those relying solely on television ads. In the past nine years, ad costs have gone up by 67%.
Source: Statista, Axios, Visual Capitalist, Forbes
In 2025, brands amplified their digital presence leading up to the Super Bowl, with a 45% surge in spending on digital channels compared to 2024. This trend underscores the growing importance of social media, influencer partnerships, and interactive campaigns designed to engage audiences beyond the game.
It’s Still Storytelling that Clicks
Not everything that is out there clicks, but brands that prioritized inclusivity, diversity, and personalized content — exemplified by Nike’s campaigns reflecting cultural shifts — achieved notable success in 2025. The learning: In the age of digital disconnect, consumers still expect advertisements to resonate with their social values, moving beyond mere entertainment and some good ‘ol memorable connections.
While campaigns like Google’s “Dream Job” resonated deeply, striking an emotional chord with the audience, Dunkin’s “DunKings 2” failed to make a lasting impression. The takeaway from 2025 was that authenticity, inclusivity, and humor are key drivers of audience engagement, whereas ambiguous or lackluster messages can detract from brand perception.
The Super Bowl stage also welcomed newcomers such as NerdWallet, Instacart, and Coffee Mate, while established brands like GoDaddy, Pringles, and Jeep refined their advertising approaches. AI emerged as a central theme, with companies like OpenAI, Google, and Meta investing heavily in Super Bowl ad slots. This focus indicated the tech industry’s priorities and the increasing public interest in AI advancements.
Source: NY Post
Once dominant, now the automotive sector’s representation in Super Bowl advertising saw a significant decline. In 2025, only Stellantis-owned brands Jeep and Ram participated, a sharp contrast to a decade ago when automotive ads comprised 35% of Super Bowl commercials. Now, they account for just 8%.
Shifts in Advertisers
Notably absent in 2025 were cryptocurrency-related ads, a departure from previous years. This change reflects the industry’s pivot towards institutional integration over mass consumer marketing, as major crypto firms focus on embedding within traditional financial systems.
However, bitcoin (BTC) trading activity tends to increase during the Super Bowl. In 2022, BTC rose 22% from late January until the Super Bowl and then declined 17% afterward. In 2023, an 18% rise was noted before the event and a 17% drop after the event, while a 43.8% increase was recorded in February 2024.
Source: The Guardian, WSJ, Ipsos
The Super Bowl has long been a battleground for high-profile marketing campaigns, and in 2022, crypto giants like Coinbase and Crypto.com went all in, spending millions on ads that captured mainstream attention. However, the landscape shifted dramatically after FTX’s collapse, leading to a significant drop in crypto-related commercials in 2023 and 2024. Despite this decline in traditional advertising, institutional support for cryptocurrencies has been growing, potentially paving the way for a resurgence in marketing efforts. Meanwhile, crypto gambling transactions have surged by a staggering 2200% in 2024 compared to previous years, highlighting the evolving dynamics of digital assets in entertainment and sports betting.
Source: The Guardian, WSJ, Ipsos
Set for a Bigger Play
The 2025 Super Bowl marked a transformative period, with a pronounced shift towards digital engagement, enriched storytelling, and deeper market integration. The advertising landscape is rapidly evolving, with brands focusing on sustained engagement rather than transient visibility. As consumer habits continue to be shaped by digital experiences and interactive content, the Super Bowl remains a critical platform for brands to connect with diverse audiences. Looking ahead to 2026, we anticipate even more data-driven, personalized, and immersive brand experiences that will redefine the intersection of sports, entertainment, and marketing.
Sources:
https://sensortower.com/blog/super-bowl-digital-investment
https://www.statista.com/statistics/217134/total-advertisement-revenue-of-super-bowls
https://www.emarketer.com/content/super-bowl-lix-ads-trends-tech-absent-brands
https://www.northbeam.io/post/super-bowl-2025-advertising-trends-performance-analysis
