The Taylor Swift Effect on Super Bowl Ads

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The results are in, and it appears that the?Taylor Swift?effect?did indeed help make this year’s Super Bowl the most-viewed ever,?with nearly as many people watching the NFL final as had tuned in to see the 1969 Moon landing.?Numerator, the consumer research firm, concluded via a flash poll that 20% of the?2024 Super Bowl’s?viewers?were rooting for the Chiefs because of Travis Kelce’s relationship with Swift.??And yet, while there was much hype around Taylor Swift–themed Super Bowl parties, this is hardly the first time women have watched the big game—women?make up 47% of NFL fans, according to 2020 data. This year, Nielsen reported that a record 202.4 million women watched at least part of the game across all networks, a 10% jump over last year’s figure of 183.6 million. In other words, Sunday was a historic evening, and not just because of?the live broadcast from Bikini Bottom.

?Of course, with months of pregame attention and commentary on the trend (that?has been noted?in?other ways?well before Swift and Kelce’s relationship became public), there were plenty of?ads for products popular with young women, from brands like e.l.f. Beauty and the female-founded soda brand Poppi.?However, the general consensus?from critics?is that?the line-up of ads?fell flat, even while consumers took the time?to share their favorites?across social platforms. Based on online sentiment, Arnold Schwarzenegger with Danny DeVito?for State Farm?was a crowd favorite, followed by JLo’s inclusion in?a commercial for Dunkin’?alongside Ben Affleck and a few other big names. Honorable mentions include Tom Brady, who managed to squeeze himself into the Dunkin’ commercial as well as?an ad for BetMGM?with Vince Vaughn, and?DoorDash’s lavish giveaway?of every item featured in the commercials to one lucky viewer.?

One brand that generated quite a bit of buzz for different reasons is?Temu, an affordable online marketplace for everything you could possibly need that has taken the e-commerce industry by storm.?The shopping giant paid for?three ads during the Super Bowl and two more post-game. (While a spokesperson did not disclose the cost, one could arrive at the final tally?based on the average prices?to run an ad during the game.) The shock of how Temu is actually pronounced aside (Teh-mu, not Tea-mu), most are surprised at the market’s enormous ad presence in spite of its controversies as a fast-fashion brand and?concerns?over?credit card theft.

Why it matters: Fear of backlash has pushed brands?into playing it safe?with their commercials, opting for an oversaturation of celebrity cameos, slapstick humor, or inflated production values rather than communicating culturally relevant ideas derived from sweet-spot insights that clearly drive a brand’s purpose. While some commercials resonated with consumers, the overarching sentiment was fairly neutral for the majority of ads, leaving no lasting impression in an over-crowded market. The evening proves, once again, that conflating controversy with taking risks only hurts brandsin the long run. As always, the smartest and most successful marketers prioritize being memorable and actively engaging in brand-relevant consumer conversations to positively move the needle for brand equity and value.?

?Other news and trends

• The?Las Vegas?Pepsi Sphere:?Pepsi’s Sphere activation goes viral on TikTok. Pepsi, which?recently announced a partnership with Sphere, promoted its Wild Cherry flavor ahead of the Super Bowl by tapping?magician and influencer Zach King?to create a video that makes it look like King is drinking Pepsi directly from the Sphere. It has since?gone viral on TikTok, with 24.4 million views?as of writing, showing there’s a big chance for OOH to expand its reach with social. Pepsi CMO Todd Kaplan said, “While the Sphere presents itself as an out-of-home opportunity in the local Las Vegas market…We can engage with consumers on a national scale, knowing how much it has been popping up in people’s social feeds.”?
• Valentine’s Day breakups:?Pizza Hut launches Goodbye Pies for Valentine’s Day breakups. Tapping into the consumer insight that the Tuesday before Valentine’s Day sees the most breakups in the year, Pizza Hut wants to help consumers deliver the news?and skip the awkward breakup conversation.?Those on the relationship fence can visit the microsite for a chance to have a free Goodbye Pie sent to a future ex, as well as breakup texts and an excuse generator. The Goodbye Pies promotion joins a slew of other mobile-focused efforts from Pizza Hut as it attempts to form a stronger, more authentic connection with consumers.

Contributors: Head of Social Content and Engagement Strategy Cristina Lawrence, Senior Vice President Jerry Lawrence, Group Vice President Andrew McKernan, and Senior Vice President Tammy Pepito.

At Razorfish, we help brands define their higher purpose—the emotional reason why they belong in people’s lives. Ready to find your purpose? Learn more here.