?? Super Bowl LIX: The Trends, Players, and Stats You Need to Know

Welcome to Deciphering Digital, our monthly exploration of the social, political and economic trends with high potential for business impact. ? By Senior Strategist Abby Reynolds ? Subscribe here

What’s Happening?

• The 59th Super Bowl—a rematch of the 2023 final— features the defending champion Kansas Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles. This epic clashtakes place at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday, February 9th.?
• With the Chiefs aiming to make history as the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Adding to the excitement, Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar will take to the stage for a much-anticipated halftime show with support from SZA.

Why It Matters:

• Last year, the Super Bowl became the most-watched American broadcast since the Moon Landing, with 123.4m people tuning in. Advertisers are capitalizing on this massive audience, with companies paying an average of $8m for a 30-second slot this year.?
• Americans planning to watch the game are expected to spend $142 on average—up 22% from $116 in 2024—mainly on food, beverages and fan apparel, according to the LendingTree.
• That spending may be pushed upwards by the “Taylor Swift effect,” with 20% of Americans saying she influences their football-related spending—especially Gen Z (39%) and millennial (21%) consumers. Expect even bigger viewership numbers among women, younger audiences and Swifties, as she supports her Chiefs star boyfriend Travis Kelce.
• Increasing fan interest in the lead-up to the game has been evident on social media; the official NFL account has gained 300k TikTok followers in the past 30 days, while the Chiefs and Eagles have increased their Instagram followings by 211k and 210k each.

Storyful Intelligence analyzed 2.4m data points across social media (X, Reddit, Facebook and Instagram) and digital news to bring you some key stats for game day!

1. Super Bowl…. or Swiftie Bowl?

Above: Visualization shows the frequency of mentions used in organic conversations about the upcoming Super Bowl from X, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, blogs, and forums (Jan. 20, 2025 – Feb. 3, 2025). The size of the bubble corresponds to the number of mentions, with Chiefs players (and famous fans!) in red and Eagles in green.

2. Records, Rivalries, and a Touch of “Swift Fatigue”

Above: Narrative analysis of conversations related to Super Bowl LIX. These semantic clusters represent 45k of the most engaged posts from X, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram and digital media (Jan. 20, 2025 – Feb. 3, 2025).

• NFL fans are buzzing with excitement (28.6%) for the upcoming game. While the Chiefs and Eagles may be in different conferences, this will be their fifth clash in five years, fueling a fierce rivalry that keeps fans engaged.?
• Taylor Swift’s influence on the Super Bowl has dipped, appearing in just 3% of the most engaged Super Bowl conversations—down from 9.9% last year—hinting at possible “Swift Fatigue.” While fans eagerly speculated about her game-day outfit and a potential live engagement, die-hard football fans voiced frustration over the attention surrounding her relationship with Travis Kelce.
• Meanwhile, star quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts commanded just under 12% of the conversation. Mahomes continues to be hailed as the greatest player of his generation as he prepares for his fifth Super Bowl before turning 30, while Hurts is gaining admiration for his leadership and standout stats.

3. Halftime Hype and Ad Anticipation: The Road to Super Bowl LIX

Above: A volume over time graph showing conversation about the Super Bowl halftime show and commercials on X (Jan. 20, 2025 – Feb. 3, 2025). Image credits from Kendrick Lamar’s Instagram and GRAMMY.com.

• Jan. 23: Apple Music releases a Super Bowl commercial revealing that SZA will be joining Kendrick Lamar as a special guest for his halftime performance.
• Jan. 27: Social media users react to Super Bowl ad teasers. Favorites include an Uber Eats ad featuring a Charli XCX and Martha Stewart pairing as well as a scene-stealingly cute Clydesdale foal for Budweiser.
• Jan. 31: Anticipation builds as Kendrick Lamar prepares to headline the halftime show, generating buzz about his performance. Fans eagerly discussed his setlist, with some speculating whether he would perform his “Drake diss track,” and some hopeful Swifties suggesting she might make an appearance.
• Feb. 3: Excitement grows as Kendrick Lamar sweeps the Grammys, winning five awards for “Not Like Us,” including Record of the Year.

4. Mahomes Takes the Lead in the (Online) Battle of the Quarterbacks!

Above: A bar chart showing mentions of the Chiefs’ and Eagles’ quarterbacks across X, Facebook, Instagram, digital media and Reddit (Jan. 20, 2025 – Feb. 3, 2025)

5. Eagles Fans Make Their Voices Heard

Above: A bar chart showing mentions of Chiefs’ and Eagles’ related hashtags across X and Reddit (Jan. 20, 2025 – Feb. 3, 2025).

What’s Next for Brands?

The data holds clear messages for brands and advertisers. With unmatched reach, the Super Bowl, like the Olympics, remains a key annual moment on marketing calendars across the board.

But, while Taylor Swift doesn’t get a “Blank Space” on this calendar, her influence is waning, suggesting potential fatigue. Positively, engagement on social media for teams and players is surging. Fan-driven content on underdogs, star players and team rivalries has delivered massive follower growth and engagement.?

Beyond sports, artistic performances by culturally relevant artists added extra points of excitement for viewers, creating even more touch points for brands looking to connect.

For next year, the lesson for brands is to act early, track trends, and get in front of what engages the audience.

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