Beyond football, the Super Bowl has become one of the most powerful stages for brand storytelling, offering a rare moment to engage millions in real-time. With WPP's GroupM overseeing 20 national ad spots, this year’s event showcased advertising ingenuity. But what trends defined Super Bowl LIX and how can brands maximise their influence?

WPP experts share their insights and predictions on the five key trends that dominated brand activations and, crucially, what they mean for brands looking to connect with audiences in the year ahead.

"The Super Bowl is no longer just a game; it's a multi-dimensional cultural experience,” emphasises WPP’s Global Chief Creative Officer Rob Reilly. “Brands that embrace this evolution, leveraging data, technology and human creativity, will be the ones that truly resonate with audiences and leave a lasting impact.”

Humour and nostalgia: a touchdown for connection

This year's Super Bowl ads leaned heavily on humour and nostalgia. From warm, fuzzy feelings to shared cultural experiences, brands capitalised on a sense of comfort, familiarity and joy.

Colin Miller, Executive Creative Director at Deeplocal, notes, “Nostalgia is still big, but brands are adding new layers to it to connect with younger generations.”

Unilever's Hellmann's, for example, teamed up with the WPP Unite team (including VML leading creative, GroupM’s Mindshare for media and Village Marketing for influencer strategy) to reimagine a classic movie scene, updating it for 2025.

“For Hellmann’s, our strategy was gloriously simple – remind America that Hellmann’s makes a better sandwich,” Tom Murphy, Chief Creative Officer of VML East, notes of the campaign. Murphy’s creative team arrived at the idea of revisiting one of the most iconic sandwich moments in American movie history, the Katz’s Deli scene in When Harry Met Sally, but making it resonate with Hellmann’s brand platform.

“In addition to making the spot funny and clear, it was very important to honour the movie. When Harry Met Sally is loved by so many people of all ages – including us. The details mattered. Shooting at Katz’s was crucial, as was putting Billy in his iconic fisherman’s sweater. We even shot with the same camera lenses they used on the original film.”

Angel Soft, in collaboration with Grey New York and Burson, also embraced humour for its Super Bowl debut, playfully acknowledging the game's long runtime.

For the first time in Super Bowl history, the brand aimed for the least-watched spot of the Big Game – offering viewers a “potty-tunity” right before halftime, ensuring they didn’t miss a moment of the action or the halftime show.

Madeline DeWree, Group Creative Director at Grey New York, said, "We approached this concept armed with the human truth that during increasingly long live events, there is never a good time to go without feeling like you’re missing something. The Super Bowl is the perfect encapsulation of that, since people are having to either miss the ads, the game itself or the halftime show with an ill-timed bathroom break. Research showed that right before halftime was the ideal time to make a quick restroom run so we decided to slot a clear, fomo-free 30 seconds right before Kendrick goes live."

Star power: shining on and off the field

Celebrities and influencers took centre stage in brand storytelling at this year’s Super Bowl, reinforcing the game’s lasting influence as a platform for cultural narratives that resonate well beyond the event itself.

"Together, influencers and celebrities will create a powerful dynamic," predicts Martin Blich, Executive Director, Sports and Live Investment for GroupM US.

"Influencers are also playing bigger roles and reshaping what it means to be a 'celebrity' in advertising," he adds, highlighting their authenticity and relatability.

VML's Tom Murphy adds that celebrities still make Super Bowl ads fun to watch and when used effectively, they remain "one of the best ways to connect brands to culture."

Danone’s Oikos for example, with Wavemaker leading on media, tapped notable figures including actress Juno Temple and athlete Myles Garrett in their ad spot this year.

Brands that harness star power while staying true to authentic cultural representation will be the ones that win big at the Super Bowl.

Human creativity: the heart of tech-driven storytelling

While AI was a hot topic around the Super Bowl, its role in the ads themselves was more subtle.

Deeplocal’s Colin Miller emphasises that AI should be a tool for creativity, saying that “AI helps brands get closer to their audiences, but it’s the human touch that makes the difference.”

Dove's commitment to featuring real people in its ads underscores this sentiment, even as generative AI gains traction in advertising.

For its Super Bowl spot, Dove, working with the WPP Unite team led by Ogilvy UK and Mindshare for media, remains committed to its ethos by showcasing only real women and people in its campaign.

“We started with something really simple that was based on the human truth around little girls. We stayed faithful to that truth throughout the development process, making sure that we returned to it at all times, using it as our North Star,” adds Camilla Clarke, Ogilvy’s Global Executive Creative Director for clients Unilever and Verizon.

Grace Freeman, Senior Director, Social Strategy at Ogilvy, echoes this sentiment, noting that “while weaving in AI elements or messaging around AI features, brands will still focus on creating moments that are human and relatable and invite fans into engage with them.”

But just because AI may not take centre stage, savvy brands will be fueling the success of their campaigns with intelligence behind the scenes. “The smart money says that there may be a shift toward brands using AI to analyse social media sentiment during and after the game” says Ogilvy’s Camilla Clarke, “allowing for more agile creative and real-time engagement that connect with audiences in a more meaningful way.”

Multi-channel moments: extending the conversation

The Super Bowl has evolved from a one-day event into a multi-channel marketing moment. Brands are expected to leverage social media, streaming, CTV and even out-of-home advertising to extend the conversation beyond game day.

Martin Blich observes that Super Bowl ads are increasingly focused on dynamic, personalised storytelling, aligning with how today’s audiences consume content.

VML’s Tom Murphy echoes this sentiment, noting “Rather than just using a :30 or :60 to tell a contained story, agencies will use spots as one part of a bigger narrative. Two brilliant examples from last year were CeraVe and DoorDash. They came at it in a completely different way. I look forward to more of that.”

Google Workspace and EsssenceMediacom’s localised approach, with 50 regional spots, exemplified this trend.

Consumer participation: making fans part of the play

Looking forward, engagement and participation were predicted to be key drivers of Super Bowl advertising.

Colin Miller highlights that the Live Más Drive-Thru Cam for Taco Bell, which the Deeplocal team supported via its creative technology, is already leveraging this emerging opportunity for brands to connect and engage.

“The real magic came from giving fans the spotlight,” says Miller, “letting them unexpectedly become stars of the ad. It was about creating a surprise moment – something spontaneous and memorable.”

Ogilvy’s Grace Freeman highlights that being clear on a brand’s audience and their desires is central to success. “For Verizon’s Super Bowl FanFest, we put fans front and centre to guide all our creative executions,” she says. Instead of investing in a spot, the brand is bringing 30 Super Bowl parties to NFL cities across the country, tapping into the target audience’s love for the NFL and “stoking” these “fandoms”.

"Consumers want to be part of the story, not just watch,” Miller adds.

Key takeaways for brands

Super Bowl LIX offered valuable lessons for brands looking to connect with audiences in the evolving media landscape. Here are the key takeaways:

• Embrace the power of nostalgia, but with a twist: Nostalgia resonates with consumers, but it needs a fresh perspective. Reimagine classic themes or moments for a contemporary audience, adding a touch of humour where appropriate.
• Star power still shines, but authenticity matters: Celebrities and influencers can amplify brand storytelling, but their presence must feel authentic and relatable to the target audience.
• Human creativity thrives in a tech-driven world: While AI and technology are valuable tools, human creativity remains essential for crafting truly impactful campaigns. Focus on creating moments that are human and relatable.
• Think multi-channel, tell a bigger story: The Super Bowl is no longer a one-day event. Extend the conversation beyond game day by leveraging social media, streaming, CTV and other channels to create a cohesive and engaging narrative.
• Prioritise consumer participation and engagement: Consumers want to be part of the story. Create opportunities for them to interact with your brand, participate in activations and become part of the experience.

Super Bowl LIX proved to be a showcase of creative ingenuity and a fascinating case study in how brands navigate the evolving media landscape while staying true to the core principles of effective advertising: understanding your audience, crafting compelling stories and forging meaningful connections.

"In a world increasingly driven by technology, the Super Bowl reminds us of the enduring power of human connection. The best ads tap into our shared emotions, make us laugh, make us think, and ultimately, make us feel something real,” notes WPP’s Rob Reilly.