Super Bowl LX Advertising Showcases AI, Pharmaceuticals and Star Power
As Super Bowl Sunday draws near, the competition for advertising dominance among the expected 120 million-plus viewers promises to be as intense as the sporting contest itself. With Super Bowl 60 airing on NBC this weekend, dozens of major brands are deploying substantial resources to capture audience attention during one of television's most-watched events.
Record-Breaking Investment in Advertising Space
Demand for Super Bowl advertising slots has reached unprecedented levels, with NBC reportedly selling out of commercial space as early as September. The average price for a 30-second advertisement has soared to approximately $8 million, with select premium spots commanding over $10 million – establishing new records for television advertising. This reflects the unique position of live sporting events in today's fragmented media landscape, where they remain among the few opportunities to reach mass audiences simultaneously.
Peter Lazarus, executive vice president for sports and Olympics advertising at NBCUniversal, described February's programming schedule – featuring the Super Bowl, Olympics and NBA All-Star Game – as "legendary February." Notably, 40% of advertisers purchased across all of NBC's major sports properties, while 70% of Super Bowl advertisers also secured Olympic advertising slots.
Celebrity Endorsements Dominate Commercial Lineup
The celebrity factor remains a cornerstone of Super Bowl advertising strategy, with numerous brands featuring A-list talent in their commercials. Fanatics Sportsbook has enlisted Kendall Jenner to humorously reference the "Kardashian Kurse" phenomenon in their advertisement. Meanwhile, George Clooney appears in a Grubhub commercial promoting a special offer where the delivery app covers fees on orders exceeding $50.
Several advertisements feature multiple celebrities or sports personalities. Michelob Ultra presents Kurt Russell training actor Lewis Pullman, with Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim and hockey player T.J. Oshie observing from a ski slope. Xfinity offers a nostalgic twist by reuniting "Jurassic Park" stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum in a playful commercial where an Xfinity technician restores power to the fictional island.
Uber Eats continues its advertising narrative with Matthew McConaughey attempting to convince celebrities – this year featuring Bradley Cooper and Parker Posey – that football represents a conspiracy designed to make viewers hungry enough to order food.
Artificial Intelligence Takes Center Stage
For the second consecutive year, artificial intelligence features prominently across multiple Super Bowl advertisements. Oakley Meta showcases their AI-enabled glasses in two action-packed spots featuring Spike Lee, Marshawn Lynch and other personalities demonstrating the technology's capabilities for filming and information retrieval.
Wix Harmony debuts an advertisement highlighting their AI-powered web design software, while simultaneously promoting Base44, their AI app builder platform. OpenAI has also secured advertising space during the game, though their commercial content remains undisclosed.
Svedka Vodka collaborated with Silverside AI studio to reimagine their robot mascot FemBot, creating a male counterpart named BroBot through AI technology. According to Sara Saunders, chief marketing officer at Sazerac (which acquired Svedka in 2025), this approach aligns with the brand's positioning as the "vodka of the future," with development requiring "many, many months to rebuild her, to give her functionality, to give her that human spirit."
Health and Telehealth Companies Make Significant Presence
Health-related advertising represents a substantial portion of this year's Super Bowl commercial lineup, with particular emphasis on weight-loss medications and medical screening. Pharmaceutical company Novartis promotes a prostate cancer blood test with the tagline "Relax your tight end," featuring football tight ends in relaxed poses. Boehringer Ingelheim's advertisement stars Octavia Spencer and Sofia Vergara encouraging viewers to screen for kidney disease.
Telehealth provider Ro features Serena Williams in their commercial for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, while Novo Nordisk – manufacturer of Wegovy and Ozempic – has indicated they will also have advertising presence. Hims & Hers, another provider of GLP-1 medications, emphasizes increased accessibility to healthcare treatments in their advertisement.
Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University, observed: "You could call this the GLP-1 Super Bowl. Often you don't see a lot from pharmaceutical companies on the Super Bowl, but this year we're going to see quite a few showing up."
Traditional Themes and Unexpected Surprises
Some advertisers continue to employ proven successful strategies. Budweiser's sentimental commercial shows a Clydesdale foal growing alongside a bald eagle, set to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird," commemorating the brand's 150th anniversary. Pepsi attempts to reignite cola rivalry with an advertisement featuring Coca-Cola's polar bear mascots selecting Pepsi Zero Sugar over Coke Zero in a blind taste test, concluding with the bears appearing on a "kiss cam."
While most advertisers release commercials early to generate pre-game buzz, some maintain secrecy until game day. Pepsi-owned soft drink Poppi has teased an advertisement starring pop singer Charli XCX and actress Rachel Sennott. Ben Affleck returns for another Dunkin' Donuts commercial, with teaser footage showing him alongside '90s sitcom icons Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc from "Friends" and Jason Alexander from "Seinfeld."
Although automotive advertising appears reduced this year, Cadillac has hinted at showcasing their new Formula 1 car in a commercial. Marketing professor Charles Taylor of Villanova University suggests that given current challenging news cycles, most brands will likely maintain "a light and silly tone" to provide viewers with "escape from thinking about these troubled times" during the Super Bowl's celebratory atmosphere.
