Lanna Hill: Super Bowl 58 pulled in more viewers than ever – but is it sports or marketing?

The past 12 months have delivered some compelling sporting moments and last week’s Super Bowl 58 was no exception.

Watched by some 123 million viewers worldwide, it shattered all previous records and has undeniably been a massive success for the American National Football League.

Yet how many of those 123 million viewers were tuning in to watch the game? How many of us were tuning in to watch Usher take the stage during the half-time show or to catch a glimpse of 2024’s big love story, Taylor Swift and her tight-end boyfriend Travis Kelce? Or even check out the advertising during the game, something the Super Bowl has become globally renowned for?

One thing is for sure: the spectacle of the game is on a bigger scale than we’ve ever seen and a considerable part of this is the celebrity factor — not just present at the game on the day, but the way celebrities use the Super Bowl as a platform to launch new albums, like Beyonce, throw advertising conventions out the window, like Kanye West, or tease movie trailers like the upcoming Wicked film.

There is no comparison worldwide, whether we’re looking at global sports like soccer or national sports like the Australian Rules football. The Super Bowl wins, hands down.

When we break down the numbers on social media, the event’s influence is even more staggering — 2.65 million posts were made from more than half a million accounts on social media, meaning the game was mentioned 11,000 times per minute.

Swift, arguably the main character of this year’s Super Bowl, was mentioned in 5.6 per cent of the total mentions across social media — with the star’s boyfriend, Kelce, sitting significantly lower at 1.1 per cent. Swift singlehandedly boosted female viewership by 53 per cent among those aged 12-17, 24 per cent in the 18-24 demographic and 34 per cent among those over 35.

Advertisers followed, with brands like L’Oreal, Dove and e.l.f. cosmetics capitalising on the demographic shift. We also saw Kim Kardashian announce Usher as the new face of Skims, a week out from the Super Bowl — another excellent example of brands cleverly hitching their wagon on the game’s visibility.

While our local codes are in different positions to emulate the many ingredients that make the Super Bowl the powerhouse of marketing and advertising it is, there are certainly opportunities for Australian brands and advertisers.

Firstly, leverage the moment beyond just the commercial. Leverage the power of social and the power of the experience — and don’t be afraid to push the boundaries. West, as usual, straddled the line between insanity and genius with his self-filmed “commercial”, costing $US7 million, promoting his Yeezy brand. While finding new and innovative ways to surprise and engage viewers is undoubtedly becoming harder, West seems to find the way more often than most.

Another characteristic of the Super Bowl ads is the way they embrace fun and entertainment. After all, if we’re tuning into the Super Bowl, that’s what we’re tuning in for, right? The power of creativity and great storytelling can’t be underestimated, but neither should simplicity and entertainment for entertainment’s sake. So often, we can be too focused on purpose at the expense of fun.

Another thing inherent in the Super Bowl advertising is bravery — creatives back themselves and go big. Of course they go big in budget (they have to), but to stand out in some 46 minutes of advertising minutes, they have to be different. And some fail — many have slammed online retailer Temu for its repetitive and uninventive attempt at winning back its US audience. But others tapped into our sense of nostalgia and emotion and ultimately cemented their brands in our hearts and minds, which Australian brands and businesses can certainly take note of.

One thing I believe this year’s Super Bowl has taught us, or as the case may be, reminded us, is that we love a fairytale moment. Be it a sporting moment or a love story, it needn’t be complicated to win us over.

For more from Lanna Hill, visit leveragemedia.com.au