What the Big Game signals for advertising in 2025

While this year’s Super Bowl dealt Chiefs fans a blow, there were a few clear winners — and trends — when it came to the world’s most expensive ads.

The game featured 51 minutes of advertising time, equivalent to 102 30-second ads priced at about $8 million a pop.

Brands drew plenty of eyeballs for the money. The Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 victory over Kansas City shattered viewership records, with 126 million people tuning in across Fox properties, including 13.6 million on Tubi.

Big Game ads tend to be a bellwether for advertisers. Now that the spectacle is done, we identified five trends to watch for this year, from an embrace of women in sports and AI to a retreat from overtly political messages and dry storytelling.

As Eric Weisberg, global chief creative officer at Havas Health Network, puts it: “At the Big Game this year, we saw themes bubble up that we’re likely going to see in advertising work moving forward.”

Ambiguous AI ads

If the Super Bowl had one major theme this year, it would be AI. OpenAI, Google, Meta, Salesforce and GoDaddy all ran ads touting the virtues of AI for consumers and businesses. Yet their messages varied wildly, leaving viewers uncertain about what the technology actually offers.

“The arms race for adoption is just creating a confusing picture for consumers,” says Glen Scott, chief creative officer at VML Seattle. “Google went for feels while Meta went for laughs, and ChatGPT was just…vibes? Throw in b-to-b plays like Salesforce’s, and the average consumer is getting pulled in a lot of directions.”

Consumers can expect more ads about AI capabilities — confusing or not — as Big Tech battles for dominance in the space.

“People are genuinely wanting to know how AI will help them in their daily lives and not which celebrity ate banana art,” says Scott, referring to a spot for Meta Ray-Ban glasses featuring Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt and Kris Jenner. “So, until a singular message breaks through, it will continue to be Big Tech advertisers stepping on each other’s toes.”

Pharma finds its voice

Pharma had an outsized presence, with three companies — Novartis, Hims & Hers and Pfizer — buying ads in the Big Game. It seems that pharma advertising, not traditionally known for its storytelling and often bogged down with side effect requirements, is coming into its own. Marketers don’t expect that to slow down, notwithstanding Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s threat to ban pharma TV ads.

“The Novartis breast cancer work is a great example of the evolution of pharma advertising from clinical and stuffy to relatable and culturally relevant,” says Nicole Purcell, CEO of the Clios, the annual awards program that recognizes creative excellence.

Novartis’ 1-minute “Your Attention, Please” spot flipped the script from attention-grabbing videos of breasts to a serious call-to-action for cancer screening.

“It was a breakthrough year for creativity in health,” says Weisberg. “If we remember one thing from this year’s game, it will be the seismic shift in the quality of storytelling from big pharma.”

A break from politics

Compared to past Super Bowls, this year’s crop of commercials was light on social commentary and politics, a marked shift from purpose-driven marketing.

It’s a change that Purcell welcomes: “Everyone is tired, everyone needs a break. Don't get me wrong, it's important for us all to keep fighting for the things that are important to us, but it feels like the industry is reading the room and taking a step back from political messaging in favor of a lighter tone.”

As an example, Scott contrasted Jeep’s 2021 “The Middle” spot featuring Bruce Springsteen with this year’s muted “Owner’s Manual” with Harrison Ford. “There’s no ambiguity in Bruce Springsteen’s call for togetherness. Meanwhile, Harrison Ford’s monologue meandered with no conviction. I anticipate more brands dulling the sharpness of anything perceived as political this coming year.”

Still, the night wasn’t devoid of politics. Donald Trump became the first sitting president to attend the game. Apple’s half-time show starring Kendrick Lamar is being hailed as a “protest to Trump’s America.” And Kanye West’s regional spot led unsuspecting viewers to Yeezy.com, where they found swastika T-shirts for sale. Shopify shut down the store following widespread outrage.

Women’s sports keep rising

As Caitlin Clark continues to grip the nation’s attention and more female teams grow into prominence, brands are representing more women in sports. One of the most beloved spots of this year’s Super Bowl was Nike’s “So Win,” featuring Jordan Chiles, Caitlin Clark, Sha'Carri Richardson, A'ja Wilson and more.

“I expect that the groundswell of support will continue to grow as more companies see that value in this previously overlooked class of elite athletes,” says Purcell.

Leaning on humor and nostalgia

After pandemic lows, economic instability and a dramatic election, humor made its way back to the Super Bowl.

“After several years dominated by purpose-driven messaging, humor made a strong comeback,” notes Purcell. “I expect to see more brands embracing this approach throughout 2025, offering a welcome contrast to what has felt like a heavy start to the year.”

Seal as a seal? Leave it to Mountain Dew to bring the comedic absurdity.

And Pringles and Little Caesars both leaned into hair-flying humor.

People take comfort in the familiar in heavy times, says Purcell. That might be why we saw so many nostalgic throwbacks (including Lamar’s Y2K flares). Budweiser’s famous Clydesdales returned to the Super Bowl for the first time in a decade in “First Delivery,” topping USA Today’s Ad Meter.

Another highlight was Hellmann’s nod to the ‘80s with a When Harry Met Sally reunion.

Making room for innovation

Some marketing experts say this year’s ads fell flat in terms of storytelling and innovation. Chris Beresford-Hill, worldwide chief creative officer for BBDO New York, describes it as a “step backward” with many brands staying away from integrated partnerships of the past, like Michael Cera for CeraVe and Doordash’s “All the Ads” spot.

“It felt like a lot of marketers were trying to do ‘Super Bowl ads,’ a lot of work that followed old formulas, versus feeling like the best ideas are being unleashed,” he says.

Creative representation also declined. Four directors of color helmed Super Bowl ads this year (one directed four separate spots), down from 8 out of 49 directors in the 2024 game, says Tahira White, co-founder and president of 19th & Park Inc.

“Audiences connect with authenticity, and fresh voices bring new ways of thinking about humor, emotion and engagement,” says White. “Expanding the ways into advertising and redefining who gets a seat at the table is how we move forward.”