Take advantage of cultural moments by joining the conversation.
For a short time during the Super Bowl, everyone is paying attention to the same thing. Reporters, creators, athletes and brands all show up knowing that the story won’t be confined to the field.
“It’s the one time that media seem to let their guard down and let brands have a voice,” said Bret Werner, president of MikeWorldWide, who has worked on campaigns for more than 20 Super Bowls across his career. “Because it’s such a commercialized event.”
Media saturation combined with a massive cultural tradition is what makes the Super Bowl uniquely valuable for PR pros, even those without a seven-figure ad budget or an official NFL sponsorship, Werner said.
The opportunity is about understanding how the conversation actually forms, who controls it and when brands can enter without feeling like it’s forced or unnatural.
“I think brands realize that America’s love of football goes beyond the average sports fan watching ESPN, watching the game,” he said.
Engage early
One of the biggest mistakes Werner sees brands make is treating the Super Bowl as a single moment instead of a multi-week opportunity.
“I would be activating through the playoffs and especially early in the week of Super Bowl,” he said. “That’s where you get attention and buying decisions are made.”
The lead-up to the game matters more than the kickoff. By the time the game airs, most storylines are already set. Brands that show up earlier, like during playoff runs, media days and online pregame speculation, have more room to shape narratives instead of reacting to them.
FanDuel’s “Kick of Destiny” is one client example Werner provided. Over three years, the brand turned a single live moment into a multi-week platform by teasing whether Rob Gronkowski, and later, the Manning brothers, would successfully kick a field goal live on air.
The move was compelling because people debated whether Gronk or the Mannings would actually make the kick, he said.
“It gave us six weeks of conversation,” Werner said. “Social content, earned media and a voice to talk about the game.”
Results of the campaign showed that FanDuel doubled DraftKings in social conversation and earned coverage, and drove double-digit growth in betting year over year. The lesson here is to build something that gives media and fans a reason to talk long before the broadcast.
Include new and unique voices
There’s a misconception that Super Bowl relevance requires top-tier stars or massive checks, Werner said. But that’s not the case.
“There’s plenty of opportunity to lean into players that have a tie into the game or an affiliation with a team that (isn’t) on the field,” he said.
That includes former players, emerging quarterbacks, team mom groups, even super fans who are already synonymous with certain teams.
Over the last few years, brands zeroed in on the connection between daughters and dads because Taylor Swift’s influence on the game sparked an interest from young fans, he said.
With this year’s Super Bowl shaping up as a transition moment or “the start of the next era,” there’s room to attach brands to new faces before they’re overexposed, Werner said.
“One of these new young quarterbacks is going to be emerging,” he said. “Brands that can lean into that early are going to capitalize a lot.”
The upside of snagging a spokesperson that doesn’t have a lot of exposure is that their voices are often more accessible, authentic and willing to experiment than established stars locked into endorsement deals, Werner said.
Focus on participation
Passive attention won’t be enough anymore, so brands really need to think outside the box, Werner said.
“People want more interaction. They want to be part of whatever is happening,” he said.
That’s why the most effective Super Bowl activations don’t feel like ads at all. They feel like invitations.
As an example, Cirkul’s post-Super Bowl giveaway of 100,000 products immediately after the game last year worked because it tapped into real-time behavior and post-game excitement rather than a single form of messaging, Werner said.
“It was great real-time engagement,” he said. “The brand reached viewers who cared about the cultural moment, not just the score.”
If an idea works as a conversation starter, it has legs. Instead of launching a finished asset, launch a question, Werner said.
Use the media whenever possible
More than 5,000 credentialed media descend on the Super Bowl each year spanning sports, entertainment, creators, podcasters and other international outlets.
“They’re waiting to write about things around the Super Bowl and not necessarily what just happens on the field,” Werner said.
Radio Row, now an umbrella term that includes TikTok creators, YouTube stars and top podcasters, has become an earned media engine for brands willing to show up with something to say, Wener said.
And crucially, official sponsorship isn’t required.
“Brands think that if they’re not an official sponsor, they can’t activate,” Werner said. “It’s one of the biggest misnomers there is.”
In practice, this could look like a quick interactive demo hosts can try on air, a spokesperson who can discuss a cultural or fashion trend taking over the event, or a data-driven brand sharing real-time insights on fan behavior or other trends.
Get in a game mindset
This year, sports will dominate the cultural calendar, from the Super Bowl to the Olympics to the World Cup. Brands that wait for permission or perfect conditions to engage their audience will miss the moment entirely, Werner said.
“If you’re an emerging brand, you’re never going to be able to outspend,” he said. “So how do you get creative and strategic and find ways into what your customers love?”
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
For more resources, visit Ragan’s Communications Leadership Council, a community for senior communicators and their teams.
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