The Best Day for Marketing

The Best Day for Marketing: Super Bowl 2025 Breaks Viewership Records

Hello! I’m Dr. Carlos Valdez, Founder and Director of Mercadotecnia y Ventas. Welcome to our video blog for February 15, 2025, where we’ll discuss the biggest day for marketing in the United States: the Super Bowl.

Let’s get started! 🚀

Why the Super Bowl Is the Best Day for Marketing

The Super Bowl is more than just a football game—it’s the biggest marketing event of the year. For brands, it represents a unique opportunity to reach millions of consumers in a single night.

Every year, millions of people not only watch the game but eagerly anticipate the commercials. This makes the Super Bowl the most coveted stage for television advertising.

In 2025, the Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs broke all previous records, reaching a historic 126 million viewers, making it the most-watched Super Bowl in history (Wall Street Journal, 2025).

📺 Fox averaged 111.5 million viewers
📱 13.6 million watched the game via Tubi
💻 800,000 followed it on NFL digital platforms

However, while the audience was bigger than ever, not all ads managed to connect with viewers. Some created unforgettable moments, while others went unnoticed, proving that even with a multi-million-dollar investment, success in the Super Bowl is never guaranteed.

Key Success Factors in Super Bowl 2025

Analyzing the top-rated commercials on the USA TODAY Ad Meter, we can identify the four key strategies that ensured advertising success this year:

📌 Emotional and Nostalgic Storytelling 📺

The most successful commercials were those that evoked nostalgia and emotions.

🐴 Budweiser, with "First Delivery", told the heartwarming story of a Clydesdale foal named Jake, continuing the tradition of its iconic commercials.

🥔 Lay’s – "The Little Farmer", directed by Taika Waititi, portrayed a young girl growing a potato, combining stunning cinematography and an inspiring message.

✅ Heartfelt and personal stories remain the best way to connect with the audience.

📌 The Power of Celebrities 🎬

Super Bowl commercials featuring major celebrities dominated the Ad Meter rankings.

⭐ David Beckham and Matt Damon starred in "David and Dave" for Stella Artois.
⭐ Post Malone and Peyton Manning teamed up in Bud Light’s "Big Men on Cul-De-Sac".
⭐ Matthew McConaughey headlined Uber Eats’ ad, which humorously explored football conspiracy theories.
⭐ Catherine O’Hara and Willem Dafoe appeared in Michelob Ultra’s "The ULTRA Hustle".

Brands understand that famous faces create immediate impact, increasing engagement and ensuring their ads are remembered.

📌 Safe and Controversy-Free Humor 😂

This year, advertisers opted for lighthearted and risk-free humor.

The clearest example was Hellmann’s – "When Sally Met Hellmann’s", a nostalgic parody of When Harry Met Sally featuring Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal, and Sydney Sweeney.

Other examples include:
✅ Bud Light, with its celebrity-packed party ad.
✅ Uber Eats, mixing conspiracy theories with lighthearted comedy.
✅ Pringles, using absurd situations for comedic effect.

Unlike previous years, commercials avoided politically or socially divisive themes, instead focusing on universal messages and pure entertainment.

📌 Innovation in Pharmaceutical Advertising 💊

This year, pharmaceutical and wellness advertising played a significant role in the Super Bowl.

🏥 Hims & Hers Health sparked controversy with its ad promoting GLP-1 weight-loss medications, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, criticizing the healthcare system for making these treatments inaccessible.

💊 Astellas Pharma and Novartis also invested in medical and wellness treatment ads, with messages designed to improve the pharmaceutical industry’s public image.

Direct-to-consumer drug advertising during the Super Bowl remains a debated topic, but this year set a new precedent for healthcare and wellness marketing.

The High-Stakes Game: Super Bowl Ad Costs and Competition

Super Bowl Ad Prices Reach Record Highs

Super Bowl advertising remains the most expensive in television, but brands are still willing to pay the price.

💰 A 30-second ad cost up to $8 million, with an average price of $7 million (USA Today, 2025).
📅 All ad slots were sold out by November, months before the game, proving that brands view the Super Bowl as an essential marketing platform.

The Biggest Advertisers That Dominated Super Bowl 59

Several iconic brands returned to the Super Bowl this year, generating major anticipation before, during, and after the event:

✅ Bud Light
✅ Doritos
✅ Uber Eats
✅ Hellmann’s
✅ GoDaddy (returning after eight years)
✅ Taco Bell
✅ Pringles
✅ Homes.com
✅ WeatherTech
✅ Dove
✅ NFL

New Brands Betting Big on the Super Bowl

Some brands made their Super Bowl debut, aiming to leave a lasting impression:

🔹 NerdWallet
🔹 Cirkul
🔹 Totino’s Pizza Rolls
🔹 Instacart
🔹 Ritz
🔹 Haagen-Dazs
🔹 Coffee mate
🔹 Duracell
🔹 MSC Cruises
🔹 Bosch

While some of these brands successfully captured consumer attention, others failed to connect, proving that spending millions doesn’t always guarantee success.

Brands That Opted Out in 2025

❌ Kia – The 2017 Ad Meter champion decided to sit this one out, joining other automotive brands that chose not to advertise.
❌ State Farm – After winning last year’s Ad Meter with its “Like a Good Neighbaaa” campaign, the company pulled out due to the Los Angeles wildfires, focusing its resources on disaster relief (Wall Street Journal, 2025).

USA TODAY Ad Meter: The Best and Worst Super Bowl 59 Ads

The USA TODAY Ad Meter, which ranks Super Bowl commercials based on consumer feedback, revealed clear winners—and some forgettable moments.

Top 10 Super Bowl 59 Commercials, According to USA TODAY Ad Meter:

1️⃣ Budweiser – "First Delivery" 🏆 (Rating: 3.560)
2️⃣ Lay’s – "The Little Farmer" 🥔 (Rating: 3.547)
3️⃣ Michelob Ultra – "The ULTRA Hustle" 🏀 (Rating: 3.511)
4️⃣ Stella Artois – "David and Dave" 🍺 (Rating: 3.511)
5️⃣ NFL – "Somebody" 🏈 (Rating: 3.485)
6️⃣ NFL – "Flag 50" 🏆 (Rating: 3.484)
7️⃣ Bud Light – "Big Men on Cul-De-Sac" 🍻 (Rating: 3.442)
8️⃣ Uber Eats – "Century of Cravings" 🚗 (Rating: 3.380)
9️⃣ Hellmann’s – "When Sally Met Hellmann’s" 🥪 (Rating: 3.375)
🔟 Pfizer – "Knock Out" 🥊 (Rating: 3.336)

Conclusion: The Best Day for Marketing—But Not Every Ad Wins

The Super Bowl remains the best advertising platform, with guaranteed audience engagement and unmatched exposure. However, simply being present isn’t enough—brands must connect emotionally with viewers.

The USA TODAY Ad Meter confirms that the most effective strategies were:
✅ Emotional and nostalgic storytelling
✅ Celebrity endorsements
✅ Safe, broad-appeal humor
✅ Innovation in pharmaceutical and wellness advertising

For brands, the lesson is clear: advertising in the Super Bowl is a major challenge, and only those that truly connect with the audience come out on top. 🚀

📖 Read it on our website:
https://www.mercadotecniayventas.com/blog/The%20Best%20Day%20for%20Marketing

📺 Watch it on our YouTube channel:
https://youtu.be/z0LExUQ6Ctk

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-day-for-marketing/id1751113595?i=1000692898153

🎧 Or on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6bA5554sMbmlRdubOAb8Ma?si=pRuuvXS0Sk-NUymrp0B8Ow

💪 Remember: In marketing and sales, we must always create value.

References:

• Wall Street Journal, 2025 – "Super Bowl Viewership Hits New Record With Big Boost From Free Streaming"
• Wall Street Journal, 2025 – "State Farm Cancels Its Super Bowl Ad, Citing Los Angeles Fires"
• Wall Street Journal, 2025 – "Hims & Hers to Advertise Weight-Loss Shots at the Super Bowl"
• Wall Street Journal, 2025 – "Super Bowl Ads Try to Dodge Culture’s Multiplying Hot Buttons"
• Wall Street Journal, 2025 – "Carl’s Jr. Returns to Racy Advertising Years After It Abandoned ‘Bikinis and Burgers’"
• Wall Street Journal, 2025 – "OpenAI Set to Make Super Bowl Ad Debut"
• USA Today, 2025 – "The Top 10 Super Bowl 59 Commercials, According to USA TODAY Ad Meter"
• USA Today, 2025 – "Let the Super Bowl Commercial Rush Begin: Welcome to USA TODAY Ad Meter 2025"