What brands can learn from the Super Bowl ads we’re still talking about

Super Bowl ad spots range from just 15 to 60 seconds, but their impact lives on through social media for the days, weeks, and sometimes even years that follow. Although around 50 brands bought broadcast time, less than a week later, only a handful are still being talked about.

So how can brands best transform their (very expensive) ads from momentary entertainment to long-lasting conversation pieces? Data from Metricool, a social media analytics tool, shows that the Super Bowl ads with the largest reach and impact are ones that use social media to turn their seconds-long time slot into an all-encompassing experience. 

“Brands should focus on full-scope coverage, rather than putting all their eggs in a TV ad,” says Anniston Ward, a specialist at Metricool. “It takes a full experience to really create a lasting effect.”

Poppi’s influencer marketing tactic, for one example, scaled beyond its brief TV spot to make a lasting post-Super Bowl impact. In the week leading up to the big game, the health-focused soda brand launched a series of giveaways, collaborations with influencers, and a high-profile stunt involving the brand sending neon pink branded vending machines to more than 30 influencers. 

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Days later, people are still talking about Poppi’s tactics—though not all of the reception has been positive. Many online called Poppi “out of touch” for giving large amounts of free product to already wealthy influencers.

“And now, ‘Poppi’ is in everyone’s mouths, whether it’s good or bad,” Ward says. 

Metricool observed that Poppi’s Instagram engagement reached 4%—which might seem a paltry figure, but Instagram’s industry average is 0.7%, and anything higher than 1% is considered a strong performance. The brand’s Instagram post likes spiked by nearly 100%. 

Carl’s Jr. also turned its Super Bowl ad spend into a weeklong online experience, featuring a scantily dressed Alix Earle biting into a Carl’s Jr. “hangover burger” to promote a “free burger day” on February 10. The company shared behind-the-scenes footage leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, and even released a snippet of the ad on Reels the Wednesday before the game.

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That reel secured the fast-food restaurant chain a 91% increase in Instagram followers and a 47% engagement rate—the top engagement of any Super Bowl social media promotion, Metricool observed.

When an ad campaign is successful, the conversation around it can last for weeks. For Apple, the conversation’s been going for decades. Yes, more than 40 years later, Apple’s “1984” ad—which redefined Super Bowl commercials and permanently launched the company into the international spotlight—still sets the bar for branding brilliance. 

Last year’s best-performing Super Bowl spot also garnered international attention. Beyoncé’s announcement of her Cowboy Carter album, in collaboration with Verizon, is still having a positive ripple effect today: The album broke Spotify records upon its release, and Beyoncé paired up with Verizon yet again this year to announce her Cowboy Carter tour. 

“The Super Bowl is one of the largest marketing events of the year,” Ward says. “It can give us a footprint to how marketers can craft their campaigns for the next year, and use it as kind of a reference to what has worked well.”

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