‍

Blake, Wm. Whilst Surfeited Upon Thy Damask Cheek. 1805.

‍

This year’s Super Bowl will see a shift in advertising strategy, focusing on comfort and amusement over pushing boundaries. Advertisers are choosing to be more cautious, avoiding topics that might spark negative reactions online.

Tim Calkins, professor of marketing: “Advertisers are very aware that things can go wrong at the Super Bowl. Thanks to social media, marketers realize that any ad can manage to annoy people or cause backlash. Nobody wants to put their career on the line with a certain piece of Super Bowl footage. There is a huge incentive to be cautious.”

Celebrity endorsements by stars like Kate McKinnon, Tina Fey, Jason Momoa, and LL Cool J dominate the commercials, with most ads no longer than the usual 30-second or 60-second duration. This marks a change from previous years where longer ads were common for larger narratives.

The cost of Super Bowl ad space has also soared, with Paramount Global seeking between $6.5 million and over $7 million for a 30-second ad package. These high investment stakes encourage brands to play it safe to ensure a positive return on their advertising spend.