The Scoop: The biggest PR storylines from the Super Bowl

Welcome to the Scooper Bowl! 

That Big Game is coming up Sunday, and while it’s known as the biggest day in advertising, the PR implications are vast as well. Now there are teaser campaigns to drum up interest, influencer partnerships, social campaigns to keep hype stoked long after an ad’s premiere.  

While we won’t have a full picture until game day, there are several major trends emerging this year worth keeping an eye on. 

One of the biggest is stuffing as many celebrities into an ad as possible in a way to ensure everyone watching gets to lay eyes on someone they like. Adweek notes that a single Paramont+ ad crams a whopping 11 celebrities, ranging from Sir Patrick Stewart to Peppa Pig, into a 2-minute spot. 

Why it matters: There’s a logic to this, to be sure. “For the past three years, our data has shown consumers are 25% more likely to engage with a brand online during the Super Bowl when there’s a featured celebrity,” Kevin Krim, president and CEO of impact measurement platform EDO, told Adweek.  

And there are social media benefits as well. Nyx Cosmetics is one of the most buzzed-about brands ahead of the game thanks to a teaser that sees rapper, singer and online sensation Cardi B recreating her famous “that’s suspicious. That’s weird” meme. While we haven’t seen the full gameday ad yet, using Cardi B gives not only a celebrity boost, but a supercharged online conversation starter. 

Still, is there a point where it gets to be too much? Will Paramount expect to see its brand recall increase 11-fold thanks to its glut of celebs, both animated and real? 

In the end, quality matters more than star power. “Unless you have a good idea, a celebrity isn’t going to make a bad idea good,” Aloysius Butler & Clark CCO Steve Merino told Adweek.  

Editor’s Top Reads: 

• Donald Trump has done an about-face on Bud Light. The brand, which has been a target of right-wing ire since it employed trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a promo in 2023, should be forgiven, the former president said. In a social media post, Trump cited the company’s support of farmers and veterans, the Wall Street Journal reported. “Anheuser-Busch is a Great American Brand that perhaps deserves a Second Chance? What do you think?” Trump wrote. Shares of Bud Light’s parent company bounced in the wake of the post. Trump’s messaging echoed Bud Light’s talking points shared with other parties, but the Wall Street Journal reported that Anheuser-Busch did not request the post, nor was it involved in its drafting. Either way, Trump’s blessing is significant as the brand is poised to make a Super Bowl comeback. The market certainly seems to think it will make a difference — but will it matter to consumers who may have already switched to other beers? 
• But Bud Light’s miscalculation with its influencer selection may have led to another trend in this year’s Super Bowl: a lack of ads that reaffirm a brand’s values. “I don’t think you’ll see many value-driven ads this year,” Marcus Collins, marketing professor at the University of Michigan, told Axios. “People saw the Bud Light debacle and said I don’t want any of that smoke. Because of that, we should expect to see less of those manifestos about world views and ideals. Instead, expect a very humor-driven Super Bowl.” 
• The ads shown during the Super Bowl this year are designed to make you hungry. A Wall Street Journal analysis revealed that the most prevalent category this year will be candy and snacks. Think Oreos, Drumsticks (ice cream, not poultry), Reese’s, Nerds and more. Hey, that’s an improvement over the cryptocurrency ads that took over the Big Game in 2022 and are now leading to lawsuits.  
• While the 49ers are favored to win the actual game, the Chiefs have already run away with victory in the advertising world. Patrick Mahomes,Travis Kelce and Coach Andy Reid have been inescapable presences in advertising all year. Mahomes alone was featured in a whopping 19 spots. The reasons for their popularity as pitchmen is simple, according to the New York Times: They’re good and one of them is dating Taylor Swift. The real winner here is Campbell Soup, which secured an ad with Kelce, his brother Jason and their mother before the Swift news broke. “There was a little good fortune in the selection of this family,” Linda Lee, chief marketing officer of the meals and beverages division at Campbell’s, told the Times. 
• And let’s talk about Swift’s impact on the Super Bowl. Through the choice of her boyfriend, she’s bringing new, young female fans to the league. Interest in the game is up 169% over last year, according to data from Zeta Global, and there’s a 903% jump in people interested primarily in the commercials. At least some portion of that is attributed to the Swiftie army of new fans who may not love football but are absolutely tuning in on Sunday for a glimpse of their idol. These demographic shifts will result in an audience for the game that’s nearly 50% female, and advertisers are taking notice: more and more ads are aimed at women, including cosmetics. Expect for Swift’s every move to be analyzed and memed during the game, causing even more of a ripple effect for PR pros and marketers in weeks to come. 

Join us Monday morning for a full recap of the game — and what you need to know for your PR practice. In the meantime, enjoy! 

Allison Carter is editor-in-chief of PR Daily. Follow her on X or LinkedIn.