20 Advanced Super Bowl Marketing Strategies & Examples to Learn From

The Super Bowl is one of the world’s most influential marketing events, attracting over 100 million viewers annually. It’s a cultural phenomenon where brands showcase creative campaigns through high-budget commercials, digital activations, and brand stunts. For industries like retail, food delivery, streaming, and e-commerce, it offers a unique chance to engage a vast, diverse audience in real time. 

With high stakes, companies invest millions to build visibility, buzz, and lasting brand loyalty. As marketing evolves, brands now use multi-channel, personalized campaigns to maximize impact and turn moments into measurable outcomes. This guide explores advanced Super Bowl marketing strategies and examples to inspire your next campaign.

Why the Super Bowl Is a Marketing Powerhouse

The Super Bowl has cemented its reputation as a marketing powerhouse, attracting an audience of over 127 million viewers in 2025, the largest ever for a televised event in the United States. Its reach rivals that of the biggest entertainment events, providing brands with a unique opportunity to connect with consumers on a massive scale. 

What truly sets the Super Bowl apart is its cultural significance. Many viewers tune in for the advertisements, which have become anticipated highlights and conversation starters in their own right. Brands use this stage to launch fresh, engaging stories and deploy creative digital activations. 

Campaigns introduced during the Super Bowl regularly set creative and strategic trends for advertising, from pioneering storytelling techniques to innovative engagement tactics, establishing new standards that ripple across the marketing industry long after the final whistle.

Winning Super Bowl Marketing Strategies

Super Bowl marketing success is not just about airing commercials. Top brands engage audiences early and often through coordinated, personalized campaigns that leverage real-time moments. These strategies show how marketers build excitement and keep fans connected during the game.

1. Pre-Game Teaser Campaigns Across Channels

Brands build anticipation with early email drops, push notifications, and social hints that tease their Super Bowl campaigns weeks in advance. These teasers generate excitement and curiosity with the help of behind-the-scenes content, sneak peeks, or interactive pre-game contests. 

This multi-channel approach hypes audiences, increasing brand recall and engagement when the full campaign launches on game day. By planting early stakes, marketers create a sense of anticipation and connection that drives stronger participation and better conversion rates during the event weekend.

Also Read: 30+ Super Bowl email marketing strategies & subject lines to win every inbox

2. Segmentation-Driven Offers

By targeting specific audience groups such as families, singles, snack buyers, and sports fans with personalized Super Bowl deals, you can significantly boost conversions. Rather than a one-size-fits-all offer, segmentation offers promotions and messaging to match distinct customer interests and behaviors. 

This approach increases relevance and resonance, leading to higher customer engagement and purchase rates during the event. Brands that leverage first-party data to create segmented campaigns have better ROIs and stronger customer connections, as offers feel more thoughtful and timely to each receiver’s preferences and game-day habits.

3. Omnichannel Coordination During the Game

This Super Bowl marketing strategy is about synchronized campaigns across multiple channels, like email, push notifications, in-app messages, WhatsApp, and SMS, during key moments like halftime or big plays, which amplifies brand presence when audience attention peaks. This real-time coordination ensures that messages reinforce each other, reaching customers regardless of where they are or how they’re engaging with content. 

The result is a cohesive, immersive brand experience that drives higher engagement and conversions, tapping into the excitement and energy that only live events like the Super Bowl can generate. Brands that master omnichannel during the game create memorable and timely connections that stand out in the crowded marketing mess.

Read more: What is omnichannel marketing? Explained with examples & strategies.

4. Real-Time Notifications for Limited-Time Deals

Sending push notifications tied to live game moments, like a score update or halftime highlight, creates buzz and urgency for limited-time Super Bowl deals. Messages like “Score just dropped, so did our prices” tap into the excitement and FOMO that define game day. 

These time-sensitive alerts engage consumers in the moment, prompting quick action and boosting conversions. Brands that align their notifications with in-game events capture attention and drive a sense of exclusivity and immediacy, turning fleeting moments into sales opportunities.

Find out: What is the Best Time to Send Push Notifications?

5. Gamification and Interactive Campaigns

Engaging fans through gamified experiences like polls, trivia, or prediction games tied to key moments in the game increases participation and keeps audiences invested. These interactive elements turn passive viewers into active participants, creating a sense of involvement that boosts brand affinity.

Whether it’s guessing the winning team, voting for MVP, or sharing their predictions, fans feel more connected to both the event and the brand. Incorporating gamification enhances engagement during the game and encourages social sharing, increasing reach and retention even after the game is over.

6. Cart Abandonment Recovery During Peak Traffic

During the Super Bowl weekend, high traffic can lead to increased cart abandonment as eager shoppers browse but hesitate to purchase immediately. Sending real-time nudges, such as reminder emails, push notifications, and SMS messages, to those who leave items in their carts can help recover missed sales. 

Timely, personalized outreach boosts conversion rates by reminding users of what they left behind and encouraging quick checkout with incentives or limited-time offers. Effective cart abandonment recovery turns window shoppers into buyers, maximizing revenue during this critical sales period when consumer intent is at its peak.

7. Post-Game Loyalty and Retention Journeys

Extending engagement even after the final whistle has blown is key to building lasting customer relationships. Following up with personalized thank-you messages, exclusive rewards, or special offers helps keep the momentum going well after Super Bowl Sunday. Brands that nurture customers with targeted retention journeys transform one-time purchasers into loyal advocates.

This ongoing communication strengthens brand affinity, encourages repeat business, and maximizes the lifetime value of Super Bowl campaign audiences. By creating meaningful post-game interactions, marketers ensure that the excitement and connection from the event extend far beyond the game itself.

8. Cross-Device and Connected TV (CTV) Targeting

With increasing viewership shifting between mobile devices and connected TV screens, targeting Super Bowl audiences wherever they watch is crucial. Brands that optimize campaigns for both small and large screens maximize reach and engagement. CTV ads, which boast higher completion rates, combined with mobile-specific content, allow marketers to deliver tailored messages that fit the viewing context.

This multi-device approach captures viewers before, during, and after the game across all their preferred screens, making it a powerful way to expand brand visibility and interaction in today’s fragmented media landscape.

You might like to read: Creative examples of holiday marketing campaigns & proven holiday marketing strategies to boost sales and engagement.

Best Super Bowl Marketing Campaign Examples

Super Bowl history is filled with iconic ads and activations that not only entertain but also push digital and multi-channel marketing innovation. The examples below highlight how leading brands leveraged digital-first strategies, real-time engagement, and creative storytelling to stand out on the biggest marketing stage of the year.

1. Instacart: “Avengers of Mascots”

Instacart’s first Super Bowl ad featured a star-studded cast of grocery brand mascots in an “Avengers”-style mission to deliver groceries on game day, supporting its “We’re Here” brand promise through social media, in-app experiences, and digital ads.

What marketers can learn: This campaign highlights the power of leveraging nostalgia with iconic characters to create emotionally resonant digital storytelling. By combining beloved mascots with a cohesive 360-degree activation across multiple channels, brands can deepen emotional connections, increase recall, and stand out in a crowded marketing environment. Integrating familiar characters also taps into consumer fondness, making campaigns more memorable and shareable.

2. e.l.f. Beauty: The e.l.f. Time Show

e.l.f. Beauty transformed Super Bowl viewing with “The e.l.f. Time Show,” an interactive livestream across TikTok, Twitch, Instagram, Amazon Live, YouTube, and their website. Featuring star hosts blending sports commentary and beauty culture, it included giveaways and exclusive product highlights. Running alongside the game, it engaged multi-screen fans with live shopping via Tubi’s shoppable stream, leveraging second-screen viewing habits to deepen community interaction beyond traditional ads.

What marketers can learn: This Super Bowl marketing campaign shows the power of immersive, interactive experiences that complement live events to extend brand reach. By integrating multi-platform engagement and live commerce, brands can capture diverse audiences where they are most active and foster deeper, real-time brand connections. It highlights the importance of adapting to evolving viewing behaviors, creating content that encourages participation, and blending entertainment with shopping to enhance customer engagement.

3. Uber Eats: “Century of Cravings” with Matthew McConaughey

Uber Eats’ 2025 Super Bowl spot, “Century of Cravings,” uses humor and star power to connect football with food culture, featuring Matthew McConaughey and celebrities like Martha Stewart and Charli XCX. The campaign extended through TikTok trends, app-exclusive foods, live events, and email marketing.

What marketers can learn: This Super Bowl marketing campaign shows the effectiveness of blending humor with cultural insights to make brands relatable and memorable. Leveraging omnichannel marketing, including social media, live experiences, and personalized emails, creates cohesive, engaging customer journeys that resonate during major events. Marketers should focus on multi-platform integration and storytelling that connects with audience passions, enhancing brand relevance and driving deeper, sustained engagement beyond a single ad.

4. YouTube TV: “Super Bowl Win-Back Exclusive”

YouTube TV’s win-back email campaign invites subscribers to reactivate and watch Super Bowl LVII live on FOX, highlighting features like key plays with real-time highlights, live stats and scores, and the ability to stream on three devices simultaneously. The campaign uses clear CTAs, engaging visuals of the Super Bowl stage, and emphasizes the convenience of multi-device viewing with fan-favorite features.

What marketers can learn: A win-back campaign shows just how powerful event-driven emails can be in reigniting user interest. By pairing reactivation with exclusive access to the live game and fan-favorite features, they give lapsed subscribers several great reasons to return. Making the CTA clear and emphasizing the ease of coming back, especially when a major sporting event is on the line, creates urgency and excitement. Bringing together exclusive content and convenient, interactive features offers a compelling model for how brands can recover former users and inspire renewed loyalty.

5. T-Mobile: “The Big Game Tease”

T-Mobile tapped into pre-game excitement by teasing a major announcement ahead of the Super Bowl, sparking curiosity and online buzz with its CEO’s playful social media posts. Rather than revealing details, the brand promised viewers something “awesome” during the game, encouraging fans to tune in for the exclusive reveal.

T-Mobile announces…

⠀that…

we…

will be announcing something at the Super Bowl 😉https://t.co/V5zslxMtfd pic.twitter.com/JFlLts8o30

— John Legere (@JohnLegere) January 30, 2019

What marketers can learn: Designing a seamless pre-event hype journey can amplify reach and engagement around key moments. Starting with social teasers, nurturing interest via email, web, and app touchpoints, and reinforcing with timely push alerts creates sustained excitement. Tools like CleverTap’s Intellinode enable marketers to orchestrate personalized, data-driven journeys that adapt in real time, maximizing impact and delivering relevant messages to users at every stage of the funnel.

6. TUMS X DraftKings: Fantasy Foodball Pool 

TUMS partnered with DraftKings for the “TUMS Fantasy Foodball Pool,” a free online game where fans created fantasy lineups of food and drink to win a share of a $40,000 prize pool, with rounds themed around favorite game-day foods. The campaign, promoted by Vince Wilfork and anchored by a fan event in New Orleans, celebrated the central role of food in Super Bowl culture while positioning TUMS as a worry-free companion for enjoying every bite.​

What marketers can learn: This Super Bowl marketing campaign is a strong example of how brands can tap into fans’ passions, like food and sports, by making them part of the experience, not just observers. When you blend gamification, competitions, and real-time engagement, especially tied to major events, your brand becomes woven into the social ritual, boosting memorability and relevance. Marketers should consider how collaborative games, user-generated picks, and playful loyalty incentives can turn one-off purchases into lasting relationships, especially when tied to everyday pleasures and pain points.

7. Marriott: Super Bowl Stadium Suite Social Campaign

Marriott Courtyard’s Super Bowl Sleepover Suite turned a stadium luxury box into a hotel room, giving winners the chance to wake up inside the stadium on game day after a citywide social contest to find the real Jason Kelce among 25 lookalikes. The fan duo shared their experience on social media, and Marriott drove engagement further with NFTs (“Keysakes”), exclusive digital content, and targeted ads, earning over 329 million media impressions.​

What marketers can learn: Experiential activations like a sleepover suite create unforgettable moments that bring fans closer to major events, making brand experiences both tangible and viral. Gamified contests and influencer-led challenges turn engagement into shareable content, amplifying reach and authenticity across social channels. By integrating limited-edition rewards, digital exclusives, and content-sharing incentives, brands can deepen fan involvement, transform single events into ongoing conversations, and stand out in crowded marketing environments.

8. Recess: “Game Day Chill & Sip” Promotion

Recess promoted its drinks ahead of the Super Bowl with a friendly, game-day-themed email highlighting a 15% Amazon discount. The messaging was warm and personal, reminding recipients to stock up for Sunday with playful references to “non-dry drinkers” and designated drivers. The clear CTA and sporty visuals help connect the product to the big game atmosphere, while the gentle subscription prompt encourages ongoing engagement.

What marketers can learn: Tone, emotional connection, and event-driven timing are key for effective email campaigns. Relatable language and helpful reminders drive higher engagement and improve brand sentiment. CleverTap’s Scribe tool can help teams craft emotionally engaging, event-relevant messages just like this. The subtle community cues (like the designated driver shoutout) also build brand affinity. Marketers should aim for warm, timely, and actionable messaging that fits real-life moments.

9. Taco Bell: Social-first engagement and meme potential

Taco Bell’s 2025 Super Bowl marketing campaign put fans center stage, gathering over 3,000 customers through Live Más Drive-Thru Cams for a chance to appear in the brand’s Big Game commercial. Hundreds of participants were featured, while cameos by LeBron James and Doja Cat playfully upstaged the celebrities in favor of real Taco Bell fans. The campaign celebrated candid moments, user-generated content, and the energy of passionate fandom, resulting in high engagement and authenticity.​

What marketers can learn: Championing authentic fan stories, social-first content, and real participation helps brands foster loyalty and energize communities far beyond the moment. Putting everyday customers in the spotlight, instead of relying solely on celebrities, turns experiences into shareable buzz and strengthens the brand’s relationship with its audience. By embracing user-generated content and honoring true fandom, marketers can build lasting campaign momentum fueled by genuine emotion and community involvement.

10. GoPuff: “Game Time Push Play”

GoPuff’s Super Bowl marketing campaign demonstrated smart timing and offer strategy by sending push notifications just hours before the game, featuring exclusive discounts like 20% off NERDS® and a free Starry drink with purchase. This approach effectively built anticipation and drove real-time purchases aligned with game day excitement.

It appears @gopuff is timing their push notifications with the Super Bowl commercials and that’s genius. 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZxuJA4YBFx

— Amanda Goetz (@AmandaMGoetz) February 12, 2024

What marketers can learn: Push notifications deliver strong impact when timed precisely around key moments, like the start of a major event. Tailoring offers specifically for the occasion adds relevance and urgency, encouraging immediate action. Combining smart timing with personalized, limited-time deals on push channels can boost conversion rates and deepen engagement by reaching consumers right when they’re most receptive. This campaign underlines the power of timely, context-aware messaging to amplify game day promotions.​

11. DoorDash: All the Ads Campaign

DoorDash’s 2024 “All the Ads” Super Bowl marketing campaign made one lucky winner the owner of every product advertised during the game, from cars to snacks and even a giant bucket of mayonnaise. As each commercial aired, DoorDash added the featured product to a growing online cart, fueling real-time buzz and anticipation. In order to participate in the sweepstakes, viewers were required to decipher an extravagant promo code, transforming the contest into a viral scavenger hunt.

What marketers can learn: Blending live event moments with real-time gamification, layered social engagement, and a playful challenge keeps attention high and drives massive participation. Marketers should invest in experiences that extend beyond passive viewing, using interactive mechanics and community fun to deepen engagement and amplify brand presence.

12. Nike’s Super Bowl LIX 2025 Campaign: “So Win”

Nike’s 2025 Super Bowl return with “So Win” was a powerful 60-second anthem celebrating female athletes breaking barriers and defying stereotypes. Featuring stars like Caitlin Clark, Sha’Carri Richardson, and A’ja Wilson, the ad narrated by rapper Doechii delivered a defiant message of resilience and empowerment. With nearly 820 Nike integrations during the broadcast and a strong digital push, the campaign amplified women’s sports stories and sparked widespread emotional engagement.

What can marketers learn: Nike’s Super Bowl marketing campaign underscores the impact of combining social purpose with bold, authentic storytelling. Challenging cultural norms and championing underrepresented voices can create content that resonates deeply, driving viral awareness and building lasting brand loyalty by connecting brands to meaningful movements.​

How CleverTap Helps Brands Scale Campaigns Beyond Super Bowl Sunday

The Super Bowl is one of those rare moments when brands have a chance to reach millions of excited, engaged fans all at once. But the real challenge and opportunity is keeping that energy going long after the final play. That’s where CleverTap comes in. The customer engagement and retention platform helps brands take that game-day buzz and turn it into ongoing conversations that truly connect with customers over time.

With CleverTap, brands can send the right message to the right person at just the right time. It works across all the channels your customers love, like push notifications, in-app messages, email, WhatsApp, and SMS. Plus, CleverTap’s real-time triggers mean you never miss a chance to jump in with an offer or update exactly when it matters most.

Here are some key ways that CleverTap supports brands:

• Segmentation and personalization platform to engage different audience cohorts based on behavior, preferences, and lifecycle stages
• Omnichannel automation tool that seamlessly runs campaigns across push notifications, in-app messages, email, WhatsApp, and SMS
• Real-time triggers that activate timely, event-based offers and messaging during live events or key moments
• Lifecycle journeys designed to nurture and retain customers through onboarding, win-backs, upgrades, and more

The CleverAI-powered platform turns marketing automation into a proactive growth engine, helping brands not only capitalize on peak moments like the Super Bowl but also build lasting customer relationships.

Drive engagement and maximize revenue beyond the game with CleverTap’s all-in-one customer engagement platform. Start scaling smarter campaigns that connect at every stage of the customer journey.

Ready to take your campaigns further and build real connections? CleverTap’s all-in-one platform is here to help you reach your customers when it counts, again and again.

Conclusion

The Super Bowl remains one of the most powerful marketing moments of the year, offering brands an incredible platform to connect with audiences on a massive scale. But as the examples show, the impact of these campaigns goes far beyond a single day of airtime. The most successful brands blend bold storytelling, cultural relevance, and smart digital strategies to keep the conversation alive well after the game ends. 

From real-time offers to personalized customer journeys, the key is building meaningful experiences that resonate and evolve with consumers. With the right approach and tools, brands can turn Super Bowl Sunday into a launchpad for lasting engagement, loyalty, and growth that extends far into the future. Don’t wait! Book a demo with CleverTap to create effective Super Bowl marketing campaigns.