Can we talk about the Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl is the ultimate marketing battleground, where brands, artists, and businesses fight for attention, cultural relevance, and dollars.
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Hi guys, I know I said we’d talk about using word-of-mouth for marketing, but then the Super Bowl happened—and we couldn’t ignore it. Too many marketing masterstrokes to unpack.
If you still think the Super Bowl is just about football, you’re missing the real game. It’s the ultimate marketing battleground, where brands, artists, and businesses fight for attention, cultural relevance, and dollars.
With businesses spending upwards of $8 million for a single 30-second ad, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Some slots went for over $8 million this year, and that’s before factoring in production costs, which can add another $1 million to $5 million or more depending on the creative strategy.
Total ad revenue from the Super Bowl is already in the hundreds of millions, and at this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if it hits a billion in the coming years.
So, what can your business learn from all this? Here are 6 crucial marketing tips you don’t want to miss.
1. Dominate the Narrative
If you’ve followed pop culture, you already know about the Kendrick-Drake beef. And well… Kendrick won, securing five Grammys from that feud. But he didn’t just sit back and let the conversation play out—he controlled it. Then, he took it a step further by using the biggest stage in the world, the Super Bowl, to cement his dominance.
As a business owner, you can’t afford to let the market define your story. You can’t be just another name in the crowd. You need to shape your brand’s narrative, control the messaging, and dictate the conversation. That’s how you create buzz, engagement, and authority.
2. Leverage Cultural Moments
The Super Bowl is a cultural moment. Every brand that aligns with it gets amplified, which is why companies like make massive plays around it every year.
Take Yahoo, for example. They grabbed a 15-second Super Bowl spot featuring actor Bill Murray setting up an email address for help. The result? Nearly 150,000 messages flooded in within the first two hours after the ad aired.
As a business owner, you must position yourself within major trends and viral moments. Align your brand with events, discussions, and cultural conversations that matter. Create marketing campaigns that are timely, relevant, and strategic. When the world is watching, make sure your brand is in the frame.
3. Build Strategic Partnerships
Roc Nation, founded by Jay-Z in 2008, is a full-service entertainment agency that manages artists, athletes, and brands, handling everything from music production to sports representation. In 2019, Roc Nation partnered with the NFL to co-produce the Super Bowl halftime shows, bringing their expertise to one of the most-watched musical performances of the year.
Roc Nation doesn’t just produce halftime shows; they use them as a power move to keep themselves at the center of sports, entertainment, and culture. That’s strategic partnership at its finest.
Your business needs the same approach. If you sell clothes, partner with a makeup brand, a photographer, and a stylist to create a viral fashion campaign. If you run a restaurant, collaborate with food influencers to drive traffic. Smart partnerships amplify your reach, credibility, and revenue, often faster than any paid ad campaign.
4. Emotion Wins Over Everything
Great marketing isn’t about selling a product; it’s about selling a feeling.
The best Super Bowl ads tapped into nostalgia, empowerment, humor, or deep emotions, because that’s what makes people engage, share, and remember.
Your business needs to do the same. Don’t just market a product; market the experience, transformation, or emotion your customers will get from using it. Facts tell, but emotions sell.
5. Buzz is a Currency
From Kendrick’s performance to Nike’s “So Win” campaign, the Super Bowl proves that buzz equals influence.
If no one is talking about your brand, your business is invisible.
Invest in PR, viral moments, and unique storytelling that get people talking. Silence is a death sentence in marketing. Create conversations that keep your brand top of mind, top of feeds, and top of culture.
6. Execution Beats Intention
Everyone has big ideas, but only the ones who execute well win.
Many brands had Super Bowl-sized budgets for their ads, yet only a few made an impact. Why? Because execution > intention.
Too many Nigerian businesses spend months “planning” but never execute. The market doesn’t reward intentions, it rewards results. Stop overthinking. Start implementing. Test, refine, and execute aggressively.
Bottom Line:
The Super Bowl is the ultimate marketing case study. The real winners aren’t just those lifting trophies; they’re the ones owning the conversation, shaping culture, and driving impact.
Watch. Learn. Execute. That’s how you win the real game.
Ps: If you haven’t already, subscribe to Ayo Bankole’s YouTube channel. It is a great resource for insights on business growth, networking, and making your brand stand out. Click here to subscribe:https://youtube.com/@theayobankole?si=4XIXMDQsGVYNaXmN