Another interesting NFL season is in the books. Super Bowl LIV (too perfect for Dave Grutman’s infamous Miami club, which always has its biggest night on Sunday) offered up a lot of interesting musical notes.
It was watched by more than 99.9 million people on FOX, more than last year’s broadcast. The Spanish-language simulcast on Fox Deportes combined with streams on FOX, NFL, and Verizon platforms boosted the average viewership to 102 million, according to Fox Sports, also an increase from last year’s multi-platform audience. The cost-per-commercial also grew to $5.6 million per 30-second slot, which breaks down to $186,000 per second. The ad space was sold out by November.
COMMERCIAL CAMEOS
- It was exciting to see up-and-comers like YBN Cordae getting some shine. He had a cool cameo in Coca Cola Energy’s spot.
- Chance the Rapper popped up in the Quibi ad. I’m excited to see what this company does over the next few months. They have a smart team and a great concept: short-form content for your phone. Chance is the host of their Punk’d reboot and the trailer looks dope af.
- Can’t be mad at J.Lo and Khaled’s appearance in the Hard Rock commercial, although I hear the team was working overtime to make last-minute edits to cut a scene featuring a helicopter. They pulled it off and it was fun.
One of the notable plays this year was by Chipotle and Justin Bieber, who made a big bet without even paying the NFL or FOX. The campaign appeared on TikTok during several commercial breaks and featured content from prominent TikTok personalities, all doing their rendition of Bieber’s new single. Chipotle says the ad reached a combined audience of 95 million and generated more than 2.5 million engagements among those who saw it. It doesn’t hurt that Bieber tweeted and posted twice to Instagram before the game began. Nothing like the bully pulpit!
THE SONG IS THE STAR
- Cheetos played the nostalgia card perfectly, utilizing “You Can’t Touch This” in an ode to cheese-covered snack fingers everywhere. Hats off to MC Hammer for staying in the picture and continuing to capitalize on his iconic hit.
- Doritos employed a similar tactic with “Old Town Road” in a spot featuring Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus. In both of these spots the creative was clearly designed around the song.
BRAND PARTNERS
- Post Malone and Budweiser further cemented their commitment to one another with their hilarious ad. Bud Light has a long-standing relationship with Post and has been able to keep their brand synonymous with the rap superstar by utilizing an array of tactics including sponsored tours, pop-up shows, and TV ads. It was a nice touch to have the two characters from Posty’s brain actually at the stadium and in character for further Bud Light buzz.
LATINX
- The big musical moment of the night was the halftime explosion. It was dynamic, hyper relevant, and fearless. I loved the J Balvin and Bad Bunny cameos. Both J.Lo and Shaikra killed it with equal parts entertainment and protest, and both saw a huge bump in sales and streams following their appearances. Shakira, a Roc Nation client, recently released “Me Gusta” featuring Anuel AA and on Monday announced a world tour for 2021. All of the live pieces of Super Bowl entertainment now live exclusively on Tidal, another smart move by entertainment consultants at Roc Nation. The NFL is releasing an album from the content.