Here’s the thing about Super Bowl advertising and marketing: if you’re waiting until game day to launch your campaign, you’ve already lost.
The biggest brands aren’t just buying 30-second spots anymore; they’re building entire experiences that start weeks before kickoff. Skittles is livestreaming a performance at a fan’s house with Elijah Wood. Salesforce is handing creative control to MrBeast. Budweiser is dropping limited-edition cans and concert tie-ins across social platforms.
The shift is clear: pre-game momentum now matters more than the game-day spot itself. And honestly? It’s about time.
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Why the Old Playbook Doesn’t Work Anymore
The old Super Bowl formula was simple. Make a funny or heartfelt 30-second spot, air it during the game, cross your fingers that people talk about it on Monday. Done.
But that playbook is gathering dust, and for good reason.
Today’s smartest brands treat the Super Bowl like the cultural moment it is. Not a single 30-second window, but weeks of opportunity to build buzz, create conversation, and actually engage with people where they’re already hanging out. (Hint: it’s on their phones, scrolling through TikTok and Instagram.)
The data backs this up. Pre-game campaigns generate earned media, prime people for your ad, and create multiple touchpoints that extend far beyond a single broadcast. When you do it right, you’re not buying a moment, you’re starting a conversation that lasts for weeks.
Here’s What the Smart Brands Are Actually Doing
Turning Viewers into Participants
Skittles is doing something wild this year, and I’m here for it. Instead of just airing a traditional TV commercial, they’re offering fans a chance to win a live performance at their home with Elijah Wood showing up as a magical creature to deliver Skittles. The whole thing gets livestreamed on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook during the game.
Think about that for a second. They’ve turned their Super Bowl ad into an interactive experience where fans aren’t just watching, they’re participating, creating content, and driving the conversation themselves. That’s the kind of thinking that gets people talking.
Making the Partnership the Story
Salesforce is playing a different game entirely. They’re potentially handing creative control of their 2026 Super Bowl ad to MrBeast, and the partnership itself is already blowing up on social media.
Here’s the genius part: they’re getting massive buzz before they’ve even aired the ad. MrBeast’s audience is invested in what he’s going to create, which means Salesforce is reaching younger, digitally-native viewers who might not even watch the traditional broadcast. They’ve turned pre-game speculation into its own campaign.
Building Stories Bigger Than a 30-Second Spot
Budweiser is pulling out all the stops. Limited-edition Heritage Cans for their 150th anniversary. Social content with Post Malone. Concert tie-ins that run before and after the game. Instagram and TikTok have become the venues for short videos, behind-the-scenes moments, and content that gives fans way more reasons to engage than just watching a commercial.
Dove is taking a similar approach with their “Keep Her Confident” campaign. They’re partnering with athlete influencers like Kylie Kelce and creating extended storytelling across Instagram and TikTok. The Super Bowl ad? Just one piece of a much bigger, mission-driven conversation that actually resonates with people.
Everyone’s on Their Phone Anyway…Might As Well Use It
Here’s what all these campaigns understand: nobody’s just watching the game anymore. We’re all scrolling, posting, and engaging on our phones at the same time. Brands like Uber Eats and Instacart aren’t fighting this behavior; they’re leaning into it.
Uber Eats is running countdown content, Reels, and TikToks featuring game-day dishes and interactive polls about favorite Super Bowl foods. They’re connecting food delivery directly to those real-time game-day cravings.
Instacart is building on last year’s viral moment with short-form videos about grocery delivery and user-generated content showing how people use the service for party planning.
PepsiCo is doing this across multiple brands, Pepsi Zero Sugar, Lay’s, you name it. Short-form teasers, memeable clips, cross-brand stories. They’re not just relying on TV spots. They’re creating content specifically designed for social platforms where shareability matters more than production polish.
What This Means for You (No Super Bowl Budget Required)
You don’t need millions of dollars to apply these principles. The tactics might be big, but the strategy is accessible to any business willing to think differently about launches and campaigns.
Build momentum before launch day. Stop waiting until the last minute to generate interest. Teasers, behind-the-scenes content, and countdown posts don’t cost much, but they build anticipation over time.
Make your audience part of it. Contests, UGC campaigns, interactive experiences, and finding ways to get people involved instead of just talking at them are key. When people participate, they share. When they share, you win.
Go where your people actually are. Meet your audience on the platforms they’re using, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, wherever, and create content that fits how they use those platforms. Don’t just repurpose the same content everywhere.
Think in arcs, not moments. A product launch isn’t one day. An event isn’t one announcement. It’s an opportunity to create a story that unfolds over time, with multiple reasons for people to pay attention and engage.
Partner smart, not big. You don’t need MrBeast. Micro-influencers, local creators, complementary brands, and strategic partnerships amplify your message and help you reach new audiences without breaking the bank.
The Real Game Happens Before Kickoff
Super Bowl advertising has always been a crystal ball for where marketing is headed, and this year’s trends are crystal clear. The brands winning aren’t necessarily the ones spending the most—they’re the ones who understand that the broadcast is just one piece of a much bigger puzzle.
The conversation starts early. It happens on multiple platforms. It invites people to participate, not just watch. And it treats a single moment as the beginning of something bigger, not the end.
Skittles, Salesforce, Budweiser, Dove, they’re all proving the same point: you don’t win on game day. You win in the weeks leading up to it, building momentum, creating buzz, and giving people reasons to care before that 30-second spot ever airs.
The game may happen in one day, but the smart money? It’s already playing weeks ahead.
Author: Hannah Tooker is Senior Vice President of Content & Organizational Transformation at LaneTerralever (LT), an award-winning marketing and customer experience agency. For more information, visit LT.agency.
