The way I see it, the Super Bowl is like Creator Christmas. The appetite for advertising and sheer consumerism is like no other, with the half-time promos becoming as integral to the game as hot wings and beer.
And, of course, with interest in influencer marketing at an all-time high, it’s natural that creators ended up being such a huge part of the Super Bowl. According to a National Football League (NFL) representative who spoke with the Information, the NFL worked with a “record number” of dozens of creators this year.
So, here’s a recap of some of the best commercials and off-screen moments you might have missed.
TikTok starlet Addison Rae teamed up with Nerds for a wacky snack commercial that has already amassed millions of views across TikTok and YouTube.
Filmmaker Martin Scorsese and his TikToker daughter Francesca capitalized on their viral moments and TikTok fame in a commercial for Squarespace.
Creator Zach King showed off his video editing skills in a trippy commercial for Cherry Pepsi.
The voice actors for Spongebob and Patrick became VTubers for Nickelodeon’s bizarre Super Bowl broadcast.
In a Verizon ad from Beyonce, the music icon also appeared to tease her own Twitch channel.
Creator Benito Skinner reprised his TikTok-viral role as Kooper the intern for an ad with e.l.f. Cosmetics.
Photographer Bryant Eslava brought his viral ‘Booth By Bryant’ photobooth to Thursday’s NFL Honors ceremony.
Artist and creator Devon Rodrigez was backstage drawing awards like ‘Most Valuable Player.’
According to Ad Age, creators took over the Super Bowl not just on camera but behind the scenes. YouTube duo Adam Waheed and Ryan Trahan became “reporters on the scene” of the Superbowl — as the line between creators and journalists continues to blur.
YouTubers MrBeast, Mark Rober, and Deestroying also reportedly partnered with the NFL and YouTube, appearing in various moments on-stage and backstage.
The NFL has been developing its influencer strategy since 2019, according to the Information, which is just around the time TikTok started to pick up momentum with the “Renegade,” Addison Rae, and the Hype House.
In just five years, we’ve come a long way, and more than anything, the Super Bowl shows how integral creators are in making those pop culture moments brands crave.
Without creators, these types of viral moments simply wouldn’t have happened.
