Arguably, as many people watch the Super Bowl for the advertising as they do for the football. The championship football game hosts many of the year’s most interesting, compelling, and amusing commercials. As the big game approaches for 2022, what are we likely to see?
Last year, many major brands, such as Anheuser-Busch and Coca-Cola, opted out of Super Bowl advertising due to COVID-19 initiatives. Is this trend continuing for 2022? While Coca-Cola will sit out for the second year in a row, Anheuser-Busch appears to be making a comeback after releasing a teaser with Budweiser’s iconic Clydesdales.
Already, advertisers are leaking sneak peeks at their Super Bowl commercials. Among those who have already announced that they are joining the Super Bowl lineup on February 13th, include:
- Doritos
- Budweiser
- Crypto.com
- Pepsi
- Avocados from Mexico
- BMW
- KIA
- Lays
- Booking.com
- DraftKings
- ETrade
- Expedia
- General Motors
- Hologic
- QuickBooks
- Rakuten
- Turkish Airlines
- WeatherTech
Trends in Super Bowl advertising 2022
An estimated 100 million viewers are expected to watch Super Bowl 2022. It’s easy to see why this unprecedented audience is attractive to advertisers. However, being a part of the Super Bowl advertising lineup doesn’t come cheap. NBCUniversal is reportedly charging $6.5 million for a 30-second ad.
More humor. The last 24 months or so have been tough on most Americans (and American businesses). While many of last year’s ads touched on the pandemic, look for the 2022 ads to bring back humor to lighten the mood.
Out-of-the-box thinking. Some advertisers are seeking an off-screen advertising approach. For example, “Marketing Dive” reports that Miller Lite is partnering with metaverse company Decentraland to bring a virtual bar to patrons during Super Bowl LVI. It’s a good way around the exclusive agreement Anheuser-Busch has had on beer advertising with the Super Bowl since 2010.
Focus on inclusion. Inclusion continues to be a major advertising theme to be represented in Super Bowl ads. According to Lion Shirdan of UPRISE Management: “Brands want to demonstrate that they’re progressive, human and focused on bringing people together during times of division and contention.”
Crypto advertising. Crypto.com is making its Super Bowl debut this year, and it’s not likely to be the only advertiser that focuses on cryptocurrencies. More and more companies are accepting crypto as payment for goods and services. Look for companies to at least touch on this growing trend.
So, get your snacks together, purchase that big-screen TV, and invite your friends over for some championship advertisement watching (and some football too).