16 Ad Execs Predict Super Bowl Marketing Trends

The Super Bowl isn’t just the biggest day for football—it’s also the biggest stage for marketers. This year, beyond entertaining viewers, ads will reflect how brands are evolving with changes in technology, culture, and consumer behaviour.

AI is helping brands create more personalised, interactive, and engaging content. From unique storytelling to immersive tools like augmented reality, expect brands to use tech in creative ways to make their ads stand out.

Celebrity appearances are a Super Bowl staple, but this year we might see more influencers and content creators in the mix. With 37% of gen Z buying products based on influencer recommendations in the last three months, it goes to show just how powerful the creator economy has become. 

The lines between entertainment and shopping are starting to blur, and the Super Bowl could be a great place to see that play out. We can expect to see some commercials that include shoppable features like QR codes, so people can buy products right away while watching. 

Gen z loves social shopping – and they’re using social platforms to discover products and seek out recommendations. With one in four people preferring social media over other channels to find new products, we can expect Super Bowl campaigns to go beyond TV and engage audiences where they’re most active.

Of course, authenticity will remain at the heart of it all. It’ll be exciting to see how brands balance staying true to their brand’s voice and values while finding ways to push creative boundaries this year.

Every Super Bowl brings new marketing innovations, and this year promises to push boundaries even further. Expect a shift from passive viewing to real-time engagement, with ads designed to adapt to live data and fan interaction, turning audiences into active participants.

 

One big trend we’re expecting is the blending of traditional TV commercials with real-time social activations. Interactive storytelling is set to take centre stage, with, “choose your own adventure” ads allowing audiences to shape narratives in real time. For example, a QR code might let viewers vote on an ad’s ending, fostering deeper connections. Gamification will also play a key role as brands leverage social tech to unlock immersive experiences or interactive competitions that engage fans directly. Doritos’ Super Bowl spot competition exemplifies this trend, empowering creators and fans to drive brand storytelling on advertising’s biggest stage.

Artificial intelligence will also play a defining role. Brands could deploy AI-powered personalisation to deliver custom-tailored ads to viewers or introduce AI characters that become integral to the campaign’s narrative. We may also see AI used as a stunt vehicle, such as generating live content or personalising product offers during the broadcast.

Influencer marketing will remain prominent but with a strategic shift. While A-list celebrities will continue to dominate screens, brands are likely to collaborate more with niche creators who have deep ties to specific communities. This approach ensures precision and authenticity, especially when targeting younger audiences.

Platform strategy is evolving. With TikTok’s uncertain future, brands might pivot to YouTube Shorts for cross-channel amplification, signaling a potential shift in focus. This could reshape the digital engagement strategies we see around the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl LIX won’t just entertain; it will redefine audience engagement. From personalised storytelling to immersive technologies, brands will seize the moment to create unforgettable experiences that resonate long after the game ends.

Super Bowl LIX feels like the perfect time to re-write the ad playbook. Last year, too many brands settled for a formula: slap a celebrity in a TV spot and hope for the best, with forgettable results. We took a different approach with VW, making the brand itself the hero—and it paid off big.

This year, the smarter brands will make participation the point. They’ll move beyond ads that carry ‘messaging’ and instead build creative ecosystems that invite fans to engage, share, and even create on behalf of the brand. Expect activations powered by automation and tech that turn passive viewers into active participants—sparking exploration, conversations, and maybe even conversions. Even if not every activation hits, aiming higher always delivers better results.

The second screen landscape will be fascinating this year. With uncertainty about platforms, we’re likely to see more fragmentation. Some conversations will shift to private chats like iMessage or WhatsApp, while video creation spreads across Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Yes, TikTok and Twitter (or X) could still dominate, but that could change fast depending on external forces, like public sentiment or government action.

Culturally, expect brands to focus more on their business than big-picture issues, now that the election is behind us. But here’s the thing: more than two-thirds of consumers still want brands that share their values. Taking the biggest stage means having a big point of view—and something meaningful to say. Brands that lean into the moment, with a bold message and an invitation for people to join in, will be the big winners.

We're seeing a notable shift in how brands are approaching AI in their Super Bowl campaigns for 2025. Unlike last year's 'AI showcase' commercials that put artificial intelligence front and centre, brands are now taking a more nuanced approach. Instead of making AI the spectacle itself (like last year's Apple Vision Pro campaign) it's becoming more of a behind-the-scenes tool that enables better storytelling and customer experiences.

This pivot appears to be a response to mixed reception from previous AI-focused ads. With the steep $7 million price tag for a 30-second spot, brands are prioritising broad appeal and clear messaging over technological showmanship. The emphasis is returning to Super Bowl advertising's bread and butter: celebrity appearances, humour, and emotional storytelling – but now with AI enhancing the creative process rather than being the star of the show.

When AI does appear in ads, it's likely to be presented through the lens of practical benefits rather than abstract capabilities. Think less 'look at this amazing AI technology' and more 'here's how we're using AI to make your life better.' This approach is already evident in announced ads from tech companies like GoDaddy, which is focusing on tangible customer benefits rather than the technology itself.

However, with all that said, AI will be the major transformation hitting advertising in 2025. The technology's economics are irresistibly compelling for major brands, who can now produce ads for 10 to 20% of the traditional total cost. The ability to almost instantly customise content for any consumer segment or regional market represents a fundamental shift. So while AI may not be the headline act of the Super Bowl show, it will be working behind the scenes, fundamentally changing the economics of advertising and marketing forever.

This shift suggests a maturing in how brands view and present AI – moving from novelty to utility, from spectacle to tool.

What crypto was to the 2022 Super Bowl, AI will be just as inescapable during the 2025 Big Game. AI is set to dominate airtime — appearing as a subject matter, a punchline, a perceived threat, and, naturally, a production tool behind the scenes.

However, much like the ‘Crypto Bowl’ of 2022, the big question will be how these ads will age. The now-infamous FTX spot featuring Larry David serves as a cautionary tale: both a prophetic nod to the risks of new technology and a reminder of how brands can stumble when they rush to ride the wave of innovation.

The true winners of the 2025 Super Bowl will be those who go beyond the AI hype and deliver creative work that resonates — no matter how trends evolve.

Hack the Super Bowl.

That’s my prediction for this year. With the success of Doordash last year and Tubi the year before, I think the notion of hacking the Super Bowl is going to be in the client zeitgeist this year, aka they are going to ask their agencies for it and we’re going to see a lot more of it.

Sure, we’re still going to see a lot of tried and true Super Bowl tropes. Comedy. Celebs. Puppies. Clydesdales. But brave clients are going to want to see if their $10 million investment can go even further and have a life beyond the game. 

But here’s the thing, hacking the Super Bowl is not easy. If it were we’d have seen a lot more of it over the years. It requires more, not just of clients, but also of viewers. More attention, more engagement and more critical thinking. Not necessarily the stuff the average Super Bowl viewer has been conditioned to do on that fateful Sunday in February. So, it’s got to be worth it to pull their attention from the seven-layer dip.

I expect we’re going to see three or four honest attempts this year to mess with the whole convention of the ‘Big Game spot’. I don’t imagine they’ll all be home runs. We’ll see. Either way, I applaud the bravery and audacity of both clients and agencies who are thinking about it differently. It’s not easy to go into the single biggest advertising day of the year, with such a massive investment, and give people exactly what they aren’t expecting. But then again, if history is any judge, that’s usually when the magic happens.

What we should expect from Super Bowl 59 and what I hope to see are two entirely different things. We can anticipate the tried and true: a mix of comedy, star power, and nostalgia to deliver across generations. Millennials will thrive on a nostalgic tale, while gen Z, with their growing influence and purchasing power, might be more drawn to campaigns featuring the who's who of celebrity and social media icons. Gen X and boomers will connect with messages rooted in brand identity and authenticity (a la iconography like Clydesdale for Budweiser).  

What I'd like to see, however, is a bolder approach: creative campaigns that engage with the current cultural zeitgeist and reflect on the aspirations of our times. Brands making bold statements with a little controversy or a strong enough view point that it takes the discourse into the week and beyond just Sunday!

A couple years ago, there seemed to be a backlash against expensive celebrities. The industry was questioning whether it had all gotten a bit excessive. But I anticipate that, once again, celebs will be everywhere. They are still a powerful way to get America’s attention. The key is to use them for a reason. Ogilvy’s CeraVe effort from last year was a perfect example. It could only have been done with Michael Cera. 

The other thing we’ll definitely see are efforts to break the traditional story-telling format. Every creative in the industry was inspired by Doordash’s ‘All the ads’. Like ‘Superb Owl’ and ‘It’s a Tide Ad’ before it, it approached the format completely differently. Anyone lucky enough to get a Super Bowl brief this year was thinking, ‘how do we do that, but in our own way?’ 

It’s a pretty safe bet that we will see big brands trot out the usual suspects: A-list celebs with their cameo appearances, snappy one-liners that worm their way into your brain, and of course, animals—because who doesn’t love a fluffy, four-legged brand ambassador? The odds? 

A solid -475.

But here’s where the fun really kicks in: the disruptors. The sneaky Easter eggs that pop up before, during, and after the game. 

Will Christen Harper crack open a can of Liquid Death after a Detroit Lions touchdown? Who knows?! But I wouldn’t put it past them. 

Agencies are going to get creative, skirting the predictable multimillion-dollar 30-second ad slots for something that doesn’t scream "Another Super Bowl Ad", and instead whispers, "hey, pay attention! We are here!"

Odds of this happening and landing on a top 10 list? 

I say +105.

That’s the real magic of the game—keeping your eyes peeled for those surprise moments. Because, let’s face it, that’s where the disruptors play. 

 

With a lot of new advertisers entering the fold this year (shout out to Bosch with Droga5), I’d expect to see some truly off-the-wall creative to break through. Don’t get me wrong, we’re bound to get the classics - heavy on the comedy, heavy on the heartstrings and heavy on the celebrities. But knowing these brands are new to the game and want to stand out, big swings are inbound.

2024 saw more linear CTAs to the phone than ever and that’ll only continue to grow. Whether it's more betting or ecommerce apps vying for taps and swipes, brands will be begging people to hop onto their platform and use their spot in-game to make sure that action they want is known (but, in a fun way.) 

While it may be too recent of an event for a full production, the death and resurrection of TikTok offers some pretty compelling social activation context to work against for brands (especially those in tech).

My (real) personal take: since Kendrick is performing and has been steering culture all year, I wouldn’t be surprised if a brand leans into the Drake beef or Kendrick’s music for relevance. If I were a big brand, especially on social where you know fans are ready to take sides at a moment’s notice, that’d be my first stop. ‘Not Like Us’ is ripe for a competitive spot message.

One way to get attention during such a crowded cultural moment is to embrace backlash in a comical way. Seemingly, there has been backlash to AI messaging. Not that people don't believe AI will impact us, but just that the message gets monotonous or can seem forced. So I’m guessing we’ll see work that makes fun of that, or maybe uses AI to do something really stupid or inconsequential on purpose. I am looking forward to seeing brands play with that in ridiculous ways because I can’t stand another serious commercial about AI ‘reinventing the future of x’ (though I imagine we’ll see that too). 

Some of my favourite Super Bowl work has been very self-aware, almost a commentary on advertising itself. From ‘It’s a Tide Ad’ to ‘Michael CeraVe’ to DoorDash’s ‘All the Ads’ activation last year. And I think now is the perfect time for a brand to comment on the sameness of messaging around AI adoption. 

For this year’s Super Bowl, I anticipate we’re going to see even more social media influencers jumping from phone screens to the big screen than we did last year. This will continue the trend of brands making efforts to close the generational gap and make themselves more relatable. I also think AI will show up in a bigger way, either through fully crafted spots or through minimal details that may or may not be obvious to the untrained eye. But the integration of AI we’ve been seeing in our daily lives as creatives will become more evident. And last but not least, there hopefully will be some heart-warming ‘aw’ moments with some furry friends, because it’s not a Super Bowl if there isn’t a cute dog in an ad.

Ah, the proverbial question every single American asks themselves each year, "Who will win the USA Today AdMeter and will there be consistency between BusinessWires’s Ad Meter and Yahoo News Ad Meter and if not who’s the real winner?" Maybe we’re asking ourselves the wrong question? Do you want to win the day? Then you’ll have to use gimmicks and puns and AI and sweepstakes and QR codes and hijacks and clever use of Bill Murray. Or maybe there’s something else at play. When we’ve never spent more money to NOT view the things we spend every waking hour meticulously crafting, this day is different. We have a sliver of a chance where people might actually pay attention; our bar should be much higher. Instead of ‘did it win?’, how about, ‘will it be remembered 20 years from now outside of the advertising bubble? Does it move you? Does it matter?’ That’s the incredible opportunity here and it should not be wasted.

This year, I expect brands to go all in on comedy. There’s been an industry shift away from heavy emotional narratives, embracing pure, unapologetic fun instead. And it’s no wonder—in a world full of constant seriousness, people are craving laughter. I’d honestly be surprised if we saw many emotionally heavy ads if any at all this year.

I'm particularly impressed by brands who have the discipline to hold their creative cards close to the chest before the game. There's something special about preserving that element of surprise and delight for the Big Game. On the other hand, the endless teasers often fall flat and it can feel like the brand is the only one in on the joke - leaving consumers uninterested or, worse yet, confused.

That said, I expect many brands will try to replicate the success of campaigns like DoorDash or CeraVe, but they’ll likely miss the mark. Those campaigns worked because they didn’t rely on humour alone—they nailed cultural nuance and felt authentic in their social engagement. CeraVe, in particular, created buzz by integrating naturally into conversations in a way that didn’t feel forced.

Ultimately, the brands that will truly stand out are those who can create a moment of genuine connection with pure unbridled humour—not just another celebrity-driven gag or recycled concept.

Of course, celebrities, horses, and dogs will always be staples of the Super Bowl. But hacking the Super Bowl has become commonplace since the classic Volvo idea and I’m curious which version of that idea will break through this year. Another similar technique is stealing equity from other brands or the game itself - think of Tide and DoorDash. I predict some brands will try to do the same. As for emotions and feelings, I’m expecting humour to make a strong comeback during the breaks, and nostalgia has grown lately and will probably get some space during the big game. Oh, don’t forget about the QR codes, they will be there.

‘Why fix it if it ain’t broke?’ That’s the philosophy that will be driving Super Bowl 2025. After last year's Grand Prix-winning, audience-adoring Doordash ‘All The Ads ‘we will see the bits between the game become a bigger game than the Big Game itself. 

The 'Even Bigger than the Big Game Game' will see true interactivity at play with second and third screens connecting with goggles and interactive fridges to create a fully connected live gaming experience.

I’m crossing fingers and legs (no time for bathroom breaks here) for ads/games like:

Amazon’s ‘Alexa Guess the Ads’: Shout brand names during commercials. Alexa rates your enthusiasm.

Nike’s ‘Run the Ads’: A race synced to an AR game with competitors racing brand mascots.

Skittles’ ‘Ad the Rainbow’: Sort Skittles by brand colour (red for Coca-Cola, green for Heineken, etc.) predict the right media plan and win a vacation with the ghost of Volney B. Palmer.

Tesla’s ‘Tesla the Ads’: Guess which part of the Cybertruck will fall off during the ad break. 

And Old Spice will probably remix the whole thing by revisiting a classic with ‘The Ads Your Ads Could Smell Like’ where an ad spokesperson tells the audience that the ad they’re watching could smell more like the ad they wish they were watching. 

Keep it fun. Keep it irreverent. Let's give 2025 a tickle.

---

Stay on top of all of our Super Bowl LIX coverage here.