Thought Leadership
Super Bowl LV: Insights & Highlights
Published on February 09, 2021
Categories Thought Leadership

From key Super Bowl LV themes to media innovation to a round-up of our favorite work, welcome to Starcom's take on the big game.

Here are some of the trends and work that had us talking on Monday morning. 


Hope for the Moment
After the challenges of 2020, it’s no wonder that many brands tapped into the theme of hope. Indeed gave hope to those job searching. Anheuser-Busch focused on a future where we can say to our neighbors, coworkers and friends, “let’s grab a beer.” And Toyota showcased the resilience of the human spirit through Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long’s adoption story. 

The Visible Rise of Digital Transformation
Online DTC brands that in previous years wouldn’t have advertised, came onto the big stage this year, most notably Fiverr, Mercari, Vroom, Robinhood and Klarna. They built their business and performance marketing models to success and are now investing in brand building. 

Humor to Escape
While humor isn’t new for the Super Bowl, we really needed the laughs this year, and many brands rose to the occasion.  GM and Will Ferrell took us on a laugh-filled adventure to the Nordics; Doritos’ Matthew “Flat Matt” McConaughey wasn’t quite feeling like himself (a feeling we all can relate to right now). And none of us will look at Jason Alexander the same way again thanks to Tide and its Jason Alexander hoodie. 

Keeping it Local
We saw many brands use their Super Bowl advertising platform to support local businesses and restaurants hit hard during the pandemic. Cointreau’s Love Letters to Restaurants and Door Dash & Sesame Street celebrated the local merchants that make our neighborhoods special and vibrant.   

Nostalgia & Self-Referential Advertising
From references to Wayne’s World to Edward Scissorhands to Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me,” we saw many brands throwing back to the 1990’s and early 2000’s for thematic inspiration. Other brands like State Farm and Bud Light harkened back to their own advertising, bringing back past characters and putting them in an entirely new light.

To access Starcom's full Super Bowl LV: Insights & Highlights report, please download it here

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