It will be hard for this year to top last year’s Super Bowl, huh?
If you—unlike most online marketers—preserved your memory span, you’ll remember Usher’s halftime performance, Taylor Swift supporting Travis Kelce, and Chiefs triumph.
But that was last year. This year, it’s time to get ready for a new showdown. And if you’re a proactive marketer—you might want to capitalize on the accumulating buzz.
We won’t go into specific details like halftime shows and the match itself—we’ll just look at the data that might help you construct effective campaigns around the event.
…without spending a few million bucks on a 30-second ad, hopefully.
1) Super Bowl spending is rising—as is the number of shoppers
Let’s start with the key stuff.
Super Bowl spending has risen a lot from 2008—when it was still below $10B, to a new record last year—$17.4B.
Here’s how it looks like:
The important detail: While consumer spending has risen by 0.8B, the spend per person has remained relatively the same.
This could mean that more people are spending during the Super Bowl—which would align with the rise in viewership we’ll cover later in the story.
All in all, the Super Bowl audience is rising—and spending per viewer remains relatively the same.
Good news is that there is a bigger pool of spenders to target prior to the event with tailored strategies that we’ll talk about later in the story.
🏈Interested in how Super Bowl went last year? We got you covered. We’ve covered key data from last year—including a list of most popular ads in our Data Story.
2) Food and beverages sell a lot during the event
Selling snacks?
We have some good news:
According to the National Retail Federation, food and beverage products go like crazy during the Super Bowl—and probably in days or weeks prior to the event.
However, it makes sense that food (80%) will sell much more than high-ticket items like furniture (6%), or team-specific apparel and accessories (13%).
Why this is interesting: If you or your client are in D2C and promoting consumables—let’s say chocolate bars—the following weeks could be quite interesting. Strategy-wise.
…because you can position your product as something desirable during the big event.
For instance, using visual cues and ad copy that evoke game day excitement can help tie your product to the experience and drive impulse buys.
Of course, stay away from mentioning NFL, Super Bowl or other trademarked names—and instead try to be creative in your wording. And target the right audience.
3) Super Bowl’s ad revenue is growing—and will keep growing
Guess what grew 400% in two decades? Okay, you can already guess.
But see it outlined:
As you see. The Super Bowl ad revenue has skyrocketed.
It is estimated that it hit $650M last year. In 2003, it was “only” $130M—which shows how far the sports entertainment industry has come.
Which means… brands want to strut their stuff in-between the showdown. And every year since 2019, they are willing to pay a little bit more. So it has to work, right?
The answer is yes. And you’ll see why a bit later.
Why should you care: We know, we know… you can’t really spend millions of dollars on a 30-second Super Bowl Ad. But there is still a lot to take away from this.
You can still ride the Super Bowl wave: As we mentioned already, create campaigns timed around the event to capture the buzz. Think themed product bundles, sports-related creative and copy, and partnerships with influencers discussing game-day essentials.
Even though big spenders will dominate the TV screen, you can still capitalize on familiar channels with a creative approach, smart timing and even smarter targeting.
4) After hitting a slump, Super Bowl’s popularity is back on track
During the Covid years, Super Bowl’s attendance fell under 100M viewers.
And at one point, it didn’t feel like it would ever get back to its 2015 peak of 114M viewers. Until 2023—when the viewership hit an all time high.
And then again last year with 123.4M spectators:
What a resurgence, huh? Feels like the biggest comeback since Demi Moore in The Substance.
So there are more eyeballs on the Super Bowl than ever. And you know what that means? A big opportunity to piggyback on the hype—and reach a massive audience.
How? Here are just some of the ways:
- Play the nostalgia card: Highlight how you fit into long-standing Super Bowl rituals.
- Sync with dual-screen behavior: Viewers engage on social media while watching the game—you can craft interactive campaigns, contents, and hashtags to engage users and promote your brand organically.
- Plan a cross-platform blitz: Coordinate between multiple channels like ads, social media, and email to maintain visibility leading up to the game.
And speaking of popularity…
5) Super Bowl’s TV ratings are also up
The attendance is rising. And with it, another key metric of the media industry—TV ratings.
See how it aligns with the rising viewership:
Ups and downs again, with the event peaking in 2015 at a TV rating of 47.5. But it was a downhill struggle ever since, hitting rock bottom during Covid in 2022 with a rating of 36.9.
But the numbers are rebounding—and last year’s 42.1 signals that viewers are dialed in. Once again. And that the content provided is engaging and exciting—once again.
And as ratings go up, so does the opportunity to connect to a massive audience. In other words—whether it’s TV, social, or digital platforms—you can use this momentum to maximize visibility during the weeks leading up to the event.
6) Average 30-second Super Bowl ad costs… a lot
Super Bowl 30-second ad price hasn’t risen between 2023-2024.
But this year… it set a new record. $8M on average.
You probably can’t afford it.
However…
One thing to learn from this: Super Bowl commands a massive, live, and engaged audience—all scarce in the era of streaming. And this shows advertisers are ready to pay more for guaranteed attention.
It’s also why native ads—like the ones you see in our newsletter—are pretty on-demand. Because the majority of readers are engaged, and you know your ad is shown to a relevant audience.
If you’re like the majority—and can’t afford a 30-second Super Bowl ad—you can still learn a lot. For instance, your opportunities may lie in targeted micro events, where you can leverage similar emotional storytelling to capture the engaged audience.
And as mentioned in this report, you can play around the Super Bowl itself by being creative with your campaigns that lead up to the event.
7) Audience actually wants to watch Super Bowl ads
A year ago, we did a report showing that users find ads annoying. Yeah, surprise.
But Super Bowl might be one of the exceptions:
Around a third of respondents say the game itself is their favorite part of the Super Bowl.
And 14% say that they watch the game for the commercials. Not a huge percentage in itself, but the halftime show, which is one of the biggest entertainment events of the year—is at 16% only. The two are almost equal in anticipation.
What does it mean? A few things. But first, the audience knows that a lot of effort goes into Super Bowl ads and most are, well… interesting. And not just salesy. So, there’s the appeal.
It also shows that audiences actually like to see ads. As long as they are well thought out, creative—and tell an interesting story.
8) Millennials are top Super Bowl watchers
Over half of all US adults might tune in for the Super Bowl.
But some are more likely to tune in than the others:
It seems like 36% of all respondents aged 30-44 will definitely watch the game, while 27% will probably follow it. That’s 63%, most in the millennial “bracket.” Not too shabby.
On the contrary, only 15% will definitely not watch the game.
But you shouldn’t neglect anyone up to 65 of age—as almost a third of them will definitely watch the showdown, while around 21% are likely to. That’s more than half.
The only ones who aren’t that sure of the big game are those aged 18-29. While 27% will definitely watch it, 30% are “probably.” Those might still tune in, but with a chunk of attention still on their phone or other activities.
Takeaway: Millennials could be a prime target for your campaigns—if you want to tailor them around the Super Bowl.
But with an older audience likely to watch the game, this can be a good opportunity to promote products that cater to stability, quality, or legacy values—such as home goods, financial planning, or healthcare. And tie them with the event in some ways.
📣 To effectively market to a specific generation, such as millennials—it’s good to align your messaging not only with the event, but with their values as well.
We wrote a little bit about each generation in our past Data Stories:
Grab your popcorn… and ads manager
For some, the Super Bowl is just a game. For many, it’s more than a game. But for you, it can be a golden opportunity to put your brand out there.
With spending, viewership, and engagement surging—a creative, well-timed campaign can score big.
And you don’t need a $7M ad; just ride the wave, capture the buzz, and align your messaging with game-day excitement. That can be enough.
