Every year, brands drop millions for 30 seconds of airtime during the Super Bowl. It’s the gold standard of advertising, right? The biggest audience. The biggest stage. The biggest flex.
But here’s the real question: Does it actually work?
For beer and chips? Maybe. If you’re in the business of selling things people grab impulsively while reaching for the guacamole, mass exposure might nudge sales.
For everyone else? Mass isn’t your friend.
Mass means average. And the average person doesn’t care. They aren’t switching products because of a punchline in a commercial sandwiched between a touchdown and a beer refill.
But that’s the point.
The Super Bowl ad isn’t about effectiveness. It’s about spectacle.
The Vanity Play
The biggest secret in advertising? Most advertisers don’t want to measure impact.
As John Wanamaker famously said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.”
The Super Bowl ad is designed to keep that mystery alive. There’s no real way to track its impact, no clear ROI, no performance metrics that matter. And that’s convenient—because it lets everyone involved dodge accountability.
- The CMO gets to tell their boss, “We had a Super Bowl ad.”
- The agency gets to put it in their reel, collect awards, and book bigger clients.
- The pundits get to debate which ad was best, fueling the hype cycle.
Meanwhile, the actual customers? They’re entertained, sure. But they’re not taking action.
Big Doesn’t Mean Impactful
Super Bowl ads are a cultural event, not a conversion strategy. They aren’t built to drive action—they’re built to sync up with the zeitgeist, to make people feel like a brand is “part of the moment.”
And that’s fine if your goal is to be in on the joke, to get a nod in Adweek, or to win a Cannes Lion.
But if your goal is to move people, to create change, to get someone to actually do something—you need focus. You need specificity. You need real connection.
What Creators & Entrepreneurs Can Learn From This
If you’re building something—whether it’s an album, a podcast, a startup, or a brand—don’t fall into the Super Bowl trap:
- Big is not the goal. Reach the right people, not all people.
- Noise doesn’t equal action. Just because people see you doesn’t mean they care.
- Measurable matters. If you can’t track the impact, you’re just guessing.
The most effective marketing isn’t about being seen by everyone. It’s about being remembered by the right someone.
And that has nothing to do with a 30-second spot in the middle of a football game.
