The Super Bowl isn't just about the football and the halftime show anymore; it has become the biggest stage for brands to show off their creative flair, according to Mikayla Hopkins, head of marketing at brand health startup Tracksuit.
“While the Big Game failed to be competitive this year, the commercials lived up to expectations, as the likes of Pringles, DoorDash, and Squarespace took centre stage,” she told AdNews.
“With ad slots at this year's game costing almost $13M dollars, making a splash and resonating with consumers was a need, not a want for the brands participating. To achieve this, most opted to create pop-culture inspired advertisements.
“With DoorDash playing on the rise of ‘girl math’, Ram leveraging the popularity of Glen Powell, Barry Keoghan becoming the face of Squarespace, and the Nobody Wants This star, Adam Brody starring in Pringles’ ad - viral faces and cultural moments from 2024 were the real stars of the Super Bowl in 2025.”
Hopkins said brands can authentically connect with consumers and spark conversations that extend past the marketing campaign itself by incorporating what’s hot in pop culture.
“If Australian brands want to replicate this strategy, they need to tune into what’s emotionally resonating the most with consumers,” she said.
“Whether it’s the latest TV series that’s gone viral, or a major event like the Olympics that’s got everyone talking at their desks, brands should look to leverage cultural movements that consumers will relate to.
“Speed is essential once a cultural moment or trend has been identified. These moments can be fleeting, meaning successful pop-culture inspired marketing campaigns should be executed while a moment is most relevant. If it’s left too late, brands run the risk of coming across as out of touch or irrelevant.”
The Super Bowl, with an audience of more then 120 million, is one of the only mass audience advertising events.
This pushes advertisers to deliver their most innovative and impactful creative work, which often generates as much buzz as the game itself.
Market researcher Ipsos measures the effectiveness of the Super Bowl commercials based on responses from American audiences and online social conversation leading up to and during the game.
Viewers thought the positive use of celebrities and general entertainment were in line with previous years, according to Ipsos’ FastFacts study.
Audiences noticed a decreased emphasis on diversity and inclusion, with 17% feeling this year’s ads provided less diversity than previous years. One in three found the ads more humorous than last year.
Little Caesars, Pringles, and eight other brands took home the win for Best Super Bowl ads of 2025.
Pedr Howard, head of creative excellence at Ipsos, said this year was a triumph for creativity.
“Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the climate, brands either ‘played it safe’ or ‘stayed in their lane’ strategically, depending on how you see it,” he said.
“But that meant that visual metaphors, storytelling, and a disturbing amount of body parts were used in a way that delivered some of the most memorable ads in years. There was also a welcome shift towards ads with a long-term focus on brand-building.”
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