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As a New England Patriots fan, I, like many others whose team missed the mark,, am looking forward to the Super Bowl for the ads.
I understand how all-consuming this yearly event can be for advertisers. After all, last year’s Super Bowl LVII raked in more than 113 million viewers and #SuperBowlLVII accumulated 225 million views on TikTok alone.
Thanks to the NFL’s extensive trademarking tactics, brands are limited in what they can and cannot say when it comes to the biggest televised game of the year. And of course, most brands cannot afford a $7 million, 30-second ad spot.
Fortunately, social media has become the ultimate companion vehicle to the Super Bowl. This means that every brand has the opportunity to reach new and existing audiences through the global conversation—as long as they know how to strategically cut through the noise.
Understand the trademark limitations
First and foremost, agencies and brands must understand the NFL’s Super Bowl trademark and whether or not your client or brand is allowed to use the term. (Ps. If you don’t know by now, you probably can’t.)
While journalists and news outlets (like ADWEEK) are permitted to report on the Super Bowl and use the phrase in their content, any brands existing outside the realm of journalism should avoid it at all costs. This is why you so often see the Super Bowl being referred to as “The Big Game.” It’s just not worth the inevitable lawsuit.
Enter the conversation in real time
The strongest social content during an event like the Super Bowl is created reactively in response to the existing conversation. While some content can be brainstormed and prepped ahead of time based on predictable narratives (ie. a Christian McCaffrey touchdown, a shot of Taylor Swift in her suite, Usher’s half-time performance), you should also leave your team open to create quick-turn reactive content utilizing existing owned IP. Embracing the spontaneity of a live event like this often leads to the best creative.
