5 Super Bowl LVIII Ads & What You Can Learn From Them

On February 11th, 100 million people are expected to tune into CBS for Super Bowl LVIII, making it one of the best opportunities for advertisers to reach a broad audience and expand brand awareness this year.

With so many people tuning in for a match up between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, one could say it’s the *Super Bowl of advertising. In fact, demand is at an all-time high — ad inventory sold out for the big game way back in November 2023.

With companies spending $6.5 million–$7 million for 30-second ads, advertising during the Super Bowl is likely out of the budget for most businesses. Still, business leaders can learn a lot about advertising trends and how to reach audiences more effectively by watching the ads in this year’s Super Bowl.

Here are how some of the biggest brands are appealing to consumers and how you can utilize their strategies in your own ad campaigns:

Need help creating an ad campaign for your business? Search for top ad agencies on Clutch.

Bud Light: Use Humor 

Bud Light is going back to the basics with a humorous ad created by the ad agency Anomaly. In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal,  Anheuser-Busch chief commercial officer, Kyle Norrington, promised that this year’s ad will “dial up the humor and introduce a new brand character.”

While we won’t see the full-length ad until gameday, Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch released a trailer to add to the anticipation.

The teaser shows a closeup of a man in sunglasses. Then, when a fan in a Denver Broncos jersey spots him, he says “are you…?” before cutting to the Bud Light logo while Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride” plays.  

Humorous ads can better capture the audience's attention in a crowded advertising space. People are naturally drawn to humor, and an amusing ad is likelier to stand out and be remembered.

In fact, several studies have confirmed that consumers prefer humorous advertisements.

The good news for advertisers is that humor can be applied to different types of campaigns and not just TV ads.

Whether you advertise on social media platforms, create radio commercials, or even invest in print ads, there are ways to incorporate humor into your advertising. 

e.l.f. Cosmetics: Connect with Influencers and Celebrities 

If you’ve paid attention to Super Bowl ads in the past, you have surely noticed A-list celebrities in nearly every commercial, and this year will be no different. Once again, you can expect to see your favorite influencers, from David and Victoria Beckham to Jason Sudeikis and Jenna Ortega, this year.

Companies often hire influencers and celebrities because it helps them build trust and drive engagement. Consumers are drawn to the aspirational qualities associated with celebrities. By using products endorsed by their favorite celebrities, consumers may seek to align themselves with those individuals' perceived lifestyle and values.

For the Super Bowl this year, e.l.f. Cosmetics is releasing an ad with not just one, but eight celebrities with ties to the courtroom, including Suits cast members Gina Torres, Rick Hoffman, and Sarah Rafferty, Meghan Trainer, Emmanuel Acho, Ronald Gladden from Jury Duty, comedian Benito Skinner, and RuPaul’s Drag Race star, HeidiNCLoset.

The 100-second teaser trailer for the ad showed each star getting a ‘summoned to serve’ by an e.l.f. Intern named Kooper. You’ll have to tune in on Super Bowl Sunday to find out what happens next, but one thing is clear: consumers are invested in this story and how the celebrities are involved.

While it can be expensive to collaborate with world-famous celebrities, micro-influencers, and local celebrities can still be a powerful way to boost sales and grow engagement.

Micro-influencers, in particular, are more affordable and have dedicated followers that are highly engaged.

In addition to starring in TV or radio ads, they can post social media content that promotes your products or services. They usually have a specific style and will use their own creativity to promote your business.

Finding an influencer or minor celebrity that will resonate with your target audience just takes a little time. Look at your existing followers, people who are getting buzz in your niche, and location to find potential collaborators. 

Learn more about how much it costs to hire an ad agency for your project in Clutch's Advertising Pricing Guide. 

Etsy: Highlight Your Value Proposition

This is the first year that Etsy will have an ad during the Super Bowl, which will inevitably help the online marketplace gain lots of exposure to a broader audience. Their fun and engaging ad shows what makes them different from other marketplaces: unique and personalized products.

Etsy stands out from other e-commerce websites thanks to its distinct focus on handmade, vintage, and unique goods. This specialization appeals to a niche market of buyers who seek one-of-a-kind items, setting Etsy apart from more generalist platforms like Amazon or eBay.

The ad shows the American response to France’s gift, The Statue of Liberty, arriving in New York City. One says, “Crap. That’s a really good gift,” and another responds, “Now we have to get France something.”

To get a better gift idea, they decide to use Etsy’s new Gift Mode to find a gift that France will truly love — a charcuterie board with “Mercí” inscribed.

In addition to focusing on how they are different from other marketplaces, they highlighted one of their newest features, Gift Mode, an AI-powered tool that helps users search and find products based on the recipient's interests.

Highlighting a helpful tool like Gift Mode can be a very effective way to appeal to audiences and generate interest.

When creating your ad, consider the value you provide customers and how you can help. This can drive the messaging of your campaign and make it more effective. 

Doritos: Lean Into Your Brand Identity

In a crowded marketplace, a distinctive brand identity sets a brand apart from competitors. Through ads, a strong brand identity can communicate what makes the brand unique and why consumers should choose it over other options.

Doritos has crafted a brand persona that resonates with a young, bold, and daring audience. The brand's marketing strategy reflects this persona through daring and edgy advertising campaigns that appeal to individuals who seek excitement and adventure, and this year’s Super Bowl ad is no different.

In a series of ads leading up to the big game, Jenna Ortega desperately searches for missing “Dinamita” chips in a grocery store.

The most recent ad concludes as she steps outside and hears sirens. She responds saying, “What the F-” before the ad cuts.

The wild cliffhanger from this ad will surely lead to an action-packed and interesting conclusion in their Super Bowl ad.

In a statement shared with Brand Innovators, Tina Mahal, senior vice president of marketing at PepsiCo Foods North America, said, “Doritos has a long history of delivering fan-favorite Super Bowl commercials, but new pack-a-punch flavors, unique shapes, and some spicy stars will make Dinamita’s Super Bowl commercial a campaign that will get snackers across the country buzzing like never before.”

They can connect with audiences and foster long-term relationships by leaning into their brand identity. A strong and recognizable brand identity can endure market fluctuations and changing consumer trends, providing enduring value to the brand. 

Geico: Leverage Storytelling 

Great stories stick with us regardless of the format they’re in. In fact, people tend to remember stories much more than they remember facts and figures. By embedding key brand messages within a compelling story, advertisers can increase the likelihood of their message being retained by the audience. That’s why many businesses use storytelling as an advertising strategy.

No business does this better than Geico insurance. They recently brought back a popular mascot from the early 2000s and released several ads leading up to the Super Bowl.

Back in 2004, Geico had several campaigns featuring a disgruntled Caveman who was offended by their tagline: “It’s so easy, a caveman can do it.” Geico has released two ads since December to revive the mascot to develop a narrative and show that the Caveman is still ashamed of his involvement with the campaign.

In this ad, the Caveman’s reacts to an ad for a documentary he stars in. When the clip starts, it becomes clear that he falsely thought that the film would give him the opportunity to ‘set the record straight.’ Instead, the clip showed that the film was only about the Geico Gecko and he was, yet again, a punchline.

The Martin Agency, the agency responsible for the campaign, claimed they will release an ad that concludes the story around the Super Bowl. Surely, things will come to a head for the caveman in the final campaign ad.

The narrative around the Caveman has been so effective because it has helped audiences develop an emotional connection with the character. A well-crafted story can make the brand more relatable. This humanizes the brand and creates a sense of empathy, leading to stronger connections with potential customers.

After all, people remember the Geico Caveman two decades after the first ad debuted.

Whether you’re creating an ad for the Super Bowl or for a local channel, the same concept applies for your business: a great story will capture your audience’s attention and leave a lasting impression.

Capture Your Audience’s Attention With Unique and Interesting Ads

Many big-name brands invest a ton of money into Super Bowl ads and hire some of the most prominent ad agencies in the industry to create their campaigns. Their creative teams come up with funny, unique, star-packed concepts that stick with audiences for a while.

Though advertising in the Super Bowl is not the best choice for many businesses (whether that’s because of the expense or because it doesn’t suit your industry) advertisers can learn a lot from these ads.

On gameday, keep in mind what breaks through the noise and sticks out to you to inspire your next campaign.    

Get started on your next advertising campaign. Learn how to create an advertising budget that suits your business needs. 
 

, 2, Advertisers can learn from some of the strategies being utilized by big-name brands in this year’s Super Bowl.

About the Author

Hannah Hicklen Content Marketing Manager at Clutch

Hannah Hicklen is a content marketing manager who focuses on creating newsworthy content around tech services, such as software and web development, AI, and cybersecurity. With a background in SEO and editorial content, she now specializes in creating multi-channel marketing strategies that drive engagement, build brand authority, and generate high-quality leads. Hannah leverages data-driven insights and industry trends to craft compelling narratives that resonate with technical and non-technical audiences alike. 

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