Super Bowl ads key as brands chase last shared moment in media

For some viewers, the Super Bowl is all about football. For many others, it’s about what happens when the game goes to commercial.

Super Bowl LX once again proved that the ads have become an event of their own, with brands spending eye-popping sums to grab the attention of more than 100 million viewers watching at the same time. The commercials were packed with celebrities, bold creative swings, and messages designed to spark conversation long after game ended.

“For 30 seconds, people are paying $8 million, sometimes $10 million,” said Maria Rodas, an assistant professor of business administration at Gies College of Business who specializes in consumer behavior and brand management. “And this is without factoring in what they pay for production and having all these celebrities. So, we’re talking north of $20 million.”

That raises an obvious question: why spend that much on half a minute of airtime?

According to Rodas, the answer has less to do with football and more to do with attention – and how rare it has become.

“Everything in media is so fragmented," said Rodas, who teaches Marketing Management and Multiculturalism in the Workplace and the Marketplace to students in Gies Business' fully online MBA program - known as the iMBA® - and the online master's in management (iMSM). "When I go to Instagram or TikTok, what I see is completely different than what you see. We’re being served our own little slice of reality.”

The Super Bowl, she said, is one of the only moments left where a massive audience “voluntarily choose[s] to share the same reality at the same time.” In a media world built on algorithms and personalization, that shared experience has become incredibly valuable. “This scarcity of shared attention has become the most valuable commodity in marketing,” Rodas said.

This year’s commercials also offered a snapshot of where both money and cultural interest are flowing right now. “The Super Bowl is a mirror of how the economy is doing and where the money and the action is,” Rodas said.

Two themes stood out in a big way this year: artificial intelligence and wellness. AI companies, from major players like Meta and Anthropic to newer startups, leaned heavily into futuristic messaging, positioning themselves as essential to everyday life. At the same time, wellness and health brands made a major push, including companies promoting weight-loss drugs and telehealth services.

The ads themselves ranged from emotional to playful to nostalgic. Several brands leaned into humor and familiar faces, while others aimed for spectacle or social relevance. As always, not every spot landed the same way. Some ads sparked debate online, particularly those focused on AI and pharmaceutical products, with viewers split over whether they felt innovative or uncomfortable.

That tension, Rodas said, is often intentional. “They need to ensure they get the return on investment,” she explained. “They need to amplify.”

One way brands do that is by releasing ads several days before the game, building anticipation and buzz ahead of time. Another is by courting controversy.

“They sometimes try to make them a little bit controversial or have some conversation value, so afterwards people talk about them,” she said.

For a growing number of viewers, the ads are the main attraction. Surveys over the years have found that a significant portion of the audience looks forward to the commercials as much as – or more than – the game itself. That’s almost unheard of in modern media.

“Many of us pay to not watch commercials, or we skip and fast-forward,” Rodas said. “But here, advertisement is the content. It’s not a nuisance.”

That shift changes how people watch the game. Instead of heading to the kitchen or bathroom during breaks, viewers often stay glued to the screen. “People say, ‘This ad is coming up. I want to see what this is,’” Rodas said. “This is completely unheard of in any other setting.”

Of course, brands aren’t spending millions just for applause or social media chatter. The hope is that those 30 seconds translate into long-term brand recognition and eventually, sales. Whether through humor, controversy, or emotional storytelling, advertisers are betting that being part of this shared moment will pay off.

In a media landscape built on personalization and endless choice, the Super Bowl still cuts through the noise. For advertisers, the gamble isn’t just about selling a product — it’s about showing up where millions of people are actually watching together. And for one night each year, that still makes the investment worth it.