For decades, major cultural events – from the Super Bowl and the World Cup to award shows and global sporting finals – have represented the biggest stages in advertising. These moments concentrate attention at a scale brands can’t replicate elsewhere. But, as Super Bowl LX (Feb. 8, 2026) approaches, it’s becoming clear that the real competition no longer begins and ends on game day. Trailers drop weeks in advance, creators dissect teasers in real time, and conversations spill across social feeds, group chats, and second screens long before kickoff.
This year’s lineup reflects that shift. From celebrity-driven commercials to creator-led campaigns – including MrBeast’s partnership with Salesforce – brands are acknowledging that attention is no longer centralized around the TV broadcast. Fans don’t just watch ads; they experience them through creators who already hold trust, cultural proximity, and distribution across platforms.
As a result, reach alone is no longer the differentiator. The brands that stand out treat the Super Bowl as a multi-week cultural cycle, not a one-night media buy. They involve creators early to seed anticipation, empower them to react in the moment, and extend the story long after the final whistle.
With that context in mind, we asked 48 industry professionals, strategists, and creator partners a central question: How should brands partner with creators to maximize the opportunity of big cultural events such as the Super Bowl?
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl don’t reward brands that just show up – they reward brands that understand the context creators are operating in. The smartest partnerships start weeks before kickoff, with creators who already authentically participate in the culture, not those parachuted in for reach. Brands should empower creators with clear guardrails, real creative freedom, and real-time intelligence so they can react as the moment unfolds. When creators feel trusted and informed, the content feels native, timely, and culturally fluent – and that’s what cuts through during events where everyone is competing for attention.
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl aren’t a one-day activation, they’re a multi-week ecosystem. The brands that win partner with creators early to seed anticipation, empower them during the moment to react in real time, and extend the story after the event with thoughtful follow-ups. That means giving creators creative freedom, clear objectives, and assets they can adapt to their audience and not just posting a logo on game day. The real ROI comes when creators feel like collaborators, not media placements, and when brands think beyond impressions toward trust, cultural relevance, and long-term audience relationships.
There are two big mistakes I see brands make when they activate during major cultural moments.
The first is not having a plan to extend the story. To maximize impact, creator partnerships should be designed as multi-phase narratives. Build anticipation, activate during the moment, and continue afterward. The “after” is critical, because these moments are often expensive, and brands should expect that investment to work beyond a single spike in attention. Whether that means shifting into episodic content and treating the cultural moment as a chapter, or repurposing high-performing creator content across social, web, and paid media, the goal is sustained impact.
The second – and more important – mistake is not being intentional about the audience. “Everyone’s watching” is a tempting reason to participate, but brands need to ask whether this is an audience they’re prepared to show up for long-term. If so, the next step is understanding where that audience goes next and being ready to meet them there.
To truly maximize big cultural moments like the Super Bowl, brands need to think beyond the screen. The biggest opportunity lies in tapping into the physical connection and shared emotions these events naturally create: excitement, anticipation, belonging. Staying only in the online content sphere limits that impact. One format that really exploded this year is influencer-led watch parties: real people, real rooms, real reactions. When creators bring their communities together IRL (In Real Life) and amplify those moments through content, brands benefit from both authenticity and scale. The magic happens when digital storytelling is anchored in lived, collective experiences. Not just posts, but moments people actually feel.
One of the key reasons to work with creators is cultural relevance. When brands combine a major sporting moment like the Super Bowl with a creator’s IP, they can drive relevance to specific communities with significant, targeted reach. The key is leaning into the creator’s zeitgeist – developing content that pillars up to the brand’s overarching red threads while authentically resonating with that creator’s audience. The best partnerships don’t just borrow a creator’s reach; they tap into their cultural equity to create moments that feel native to both the event and the community.
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl are attention spikes, not conversion events on their own. The brands that win treat creators as a distribution layer, not a last-minute amplification tactic. Before the moment, creators seed the narrative – building familiarity, context, and belief around the product so audiences know why it matters when attention peaks. During the event, creators translate the moment into native, real-time content that feels human, not brand-led. After the moment is where most value is unlocked: repurposing creator content across paid, organic, and lifecycle to extend the halo long after attention drops.
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl create attention, but they’re not where brand impact is built. Creators are. Brands often over-optimize for the event and under-invest in the creator systems that actually shape culture year-round. The strongest partnerships treat creators as long-term infrastructure, not campaign add-ons. That means working with creators continuously, building narratives over time, and showing up across multiple communities – not just chasing one spike in impressions with a big event. When a major cultural moment happens, creators are then positioned to simply amplify what already exists. The brands winning aren’t “doing the Super Bowl.” They’re building relevance every day – and creators are how they do it.
Let the cultural event happen (the Super Bowl), and let the creator recognize and feel the most relevant or impactful moment from it, and create content on that – immediately after it happens.
Right, so the “goal” of Super Bowl ads generally isn’t “bottom line”, it’s amplification. As such, the goal is to increase brand outreach and there’s no better outlet than influencers to do that. Brands should partner with creators to amplify audience, especially to a younger audience if the product/service reaches a mix of demographics. This will turn a one-night “nuclear” blast of attention into a multi-week marketing campaign. The best Super Bowl campaigns aren’t ads, they’re events. Creators can help a brand go from; “we ran a Super Bowl spot” to “everyone’s talking about our campaign for weeks”.
Brands should approach big cultural moments like the Super Bowl as multi-week cultural arcs, not one-day media buys, and partner with creators as true creative collaborators. The strongest results come when brands involve creators early, let them shape native content in their own voice, and activate across the full lifecycle – before, during, and after the event. Authenticity and audience trust matter more than raw reach, and formats should be creator-led rather than repurposed ads. Ultimately, the biggest opportunity is using tentpole moments to build long-term creator relationships that turn cultural relevance into sustained brand equity.
Beyond the typical sponsored post or putting creators in Super Bowl commercials, the real opportunity is reframing what the Super Bowl actually is – not the main story, but amplification for an ongoing creator-led narrative. With the rise of high-fidelity produced branded “shows” on platforms like YouTube, brands should invest in serialized creator-led storytelling. Partner with creators to co-create episodic content where the story starts weeks before game day and continues after. The Super Bowl becomes a high-impact chapter that amplifies an already-engaged audience, transforming a one-night spike into sustained engagement. I’d also love to see brands give creators full creative control over their commercials. Imagine 5 creators directing 5 spots throughout the game, each in their distinct style, but building one connected narrative. It’s never been done and would fundamentally shift Super Bowl advertising from brand-controlled messaging to creator-led storytelling.
Unless you are trying to steal the show it is often an event that is far too noisy to stand out. My advice for any tentpole event, like the Super Bowl, is to participate if it makes sense naturally. If it feels forced it won’t work. And it doesn’t have to be a “go big” moment. Reynolds is consistently engaging their partners to creator around this cultural moment where the product is just part of the narrative. When done right the brand can be involved in the conversation without trying to overtake the big game. Extra point “is good” when rights are secured to use this conversation after the clock runs out too.
Brands and creators maximize cultural moments when they have live impact visibility (engagement, conversions, audience response) as the event unfolds. GYST is partnering with Rock in Rio to provide a shared intelligence layer so creators, brands, and organizers can track performance and pivot activations in real time. Creators optimize content instantly. More of what’s working, less of what isn’t. And brands get better ROI. Same spend, smarter execution.
Brands should stop treating cultural moments like the Super Bowl as media buys and start treating them as narrative moments. The biggest unlock comes when creators are brought in early, not to amplify the event, but to shape how audiences experience it before, during, and after.
That means partnering with creators who already own cultural relevance in the conversation, then giving them creative control to build storylines, rituals, and formats that feel native to their communities. The real value is not a single post on game day, but weeks of anticipation, live participation, and post-event meaning making.
When creators act as cultural translators, brands move from interruption to integration and from impressions to impact.
Here are three ways you can make a big impact with creators for the big game. One: cast creators in your commercial, so they can share behind-the-scenes content and make our TV screens resemble our TikTok screens. Two: brief skit creators to recreate your ad and cultural commentators to react to your campaign, augmenting your reach and putting your brand at the heart of the conversation. Three: leverage creators to make content that’s relatable to the moment, even without a linear campaign or formal event sponsorship. Think: recipes to prep ahead of game day, party must-haves for the Sunday itself, and wellness and recovery content for not-so-super Monday.
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl create attention, but the real value comes from how brands work with creators around the moment. The strongest partnerships start well before the event, giving creators time and freedom to build anticipation in an authentic way. During the event, creators bring access, context, and real-time cultural relevance that traditional media cannot. Afterward, brands should extend the momentum through storytelling and follow-up content. Brands that treat creators as long-term partners, not one-off placements, drive deeper engagement and lasting brand equity.
Super Bowl ads cost $8M for 30 seconds. The attention and social capital that comes with being front and center during the Super Bowl is powerful. But many CMOs don’t acknowledge that viewership patterns have changed. Fans aren’t giving their undivided attention to watching the pigskin on the big screen anymore. Super Bowl attention is allocated to creators sharing recipes, athletes, and behind-the-scenes moments. Creators can make sure that your brand is front of mind during an event.
Most campaigns today peak at exposure with no infrastructure to convert demand. The creator’s trusted voice often disappears just as consumers begin asking questions, comparing options, and deciding whether to buy. Brands should invest in long-term creator ambassadors and extend their voice across the entire customer journey, not just the moment.
Technology now makes it possible for trusted creators to show up in new, brand-safe formats across the funnel, turning awareness into education, consideration, and measurable conversion long after the cultural moment fades. Winning brands extend cultural moments into ongoing customer engagement rather than chasing short-lived spikes in attention.
When we’ve had clients work with brands on their Super Bowl campaigns, we’ve always found the most successful campaigns had touch points that happened before the game, during, and some kind of callback post-event (think BTS [behind the scenes], outtakes, or a follow up call to action). If brands want to capitalize on these kinds of events I would advise them to approach it from a multi-touch point with content that teases the event followed by content that celebrates it. The idea is to create a longer “moment” vs. a flash-in-the-pan piece of content.
This year will mark a real shift, with creators appearing on screen in Super Bowl commercials in a meaningful way, not just supporting the moment, but becoming part of the narrative. The smartest brands are treating creators as talent, not placements, integrating them into broadcast spots while simultaneously building digital-first campaigns around them. That means seeding content in the weeks leading up to the game, activating in real time during the Super Bowl, and extending the moment afterward across social. When broadcast and digital move in parallel, brands will win both attention and cultural relevance.
Let creators create. Audiences come to influencers for their unique vision and style. When a brand rigidly dictates its narrative, the creator’s content loses its uniqueness and, as a result, the audience’s trust. Creative freedom allows creators to maintain their own voice, seamlessly adapt brand messages to their format, build trust, and come up with their own creative ideas. The brand sets the message, and the creator adapts it.
Brands should start by mapping major cultural events well in advance and closely monitoring how creators naturally engage with them. Around events like the Super Bowl or the World Cup, many creators launch special episodes. These moments offer organic entry points for brands. While we haven’t supported a Super Bowl campaign directly, we’ve successfully applied this approach in gaming by partnering with movie creators around major releases like “Avengers: Endgame” to use the momentum and boost campaign performance.
What’s changing around moments like the Super Bowl is who audiences trust. Creators have become the new cultural connective tissue – not because they’re paid to show up, but because they’re already embedded in their communities. Brands that build real partnerships with creators, rather than transactional campaigns, earn credibility that carries through the moment and well beyond it.
The biggest mistake brands make during cultural tentpole moments like the Super Bowl is treating creators like billboards instead of creative partners. The brands that break through aren’t the ones with the most prescriptive briefs, they’re the ones who ask creators “What would YOU do with this moment?”
Give creators a problem to solve, not a script to follow. Set clear goals and guardrails, then step back and let them pitch you concepts. The ideas that emerge will be more authentic, more engaging, and more likely to actually make your brand part of the cultural conversation instead of just adjacent to it.
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl aren’t won on the day, they’re won in the weeks around it. The smartest brands treat creators as an always-on system, not a one-off activation. That means seeding ideas early, letting creators build authentic narratives ahead of the moment, showing up in real time, and then extending the life of what worked after the event. Creators don’t just amplify attention, they translate it. Brands that win are the ones that give creators clarity on the role they play, the freedom to execute in their own voice, and the infrastructure to scale what resonates beyond the moment itself.
Big cultural moments don’t run on buzz alone; they run on success you can prove. Brands that win around events like the Super Bowl build creator partnerships with clear performance benchmarks before the moment hits. That means aligning on what good looks like, tracking downstream action, and treating creators like strategic partners, not paid placements. During the event, give creators room to be authentic. Audiences can smell forced integrations from a mile away. And after? That’s where most brands leave money on the table. Use post-event data to refine what worked, reward creators tied to real outcomes, and build relationships that scale beyond a single moment.
Super Bowl viewers are watching on TV and engaging on mobile simultaneously, yet much of the mobile ad spend tied to that behavior quietly underperforms. Social clicks often default to in-app browsers that disrupt conversion, attribution, and session continuity. Brands invest so heavily in creator partnerships, but end up missing the ROI they didn’t even realize was leaking. The opportunity isn’t just partnering with creators; it’s ensuring every click converts. Before the Super Bowl, test your mobile infrastructure. During the event, optimize the path from social post to purchase. Afterward, measure revenue, not impressions. Brands that fix mobile fragmentation now see performance lift in days, not quarters.
The Super Bowl is a massive cultural moment, but that doesn’t mean every brand needs to chase it. One of the biggest myths in influencer marketing is that you have to show up for every trend. Before partnering with creators around a massive social event, brands should get clear on their budget, objective, and audience. If the Super Bowl truly aligns with your brand, work with creators who already live in that world, not someone forcing relevance for a check/clout. Alignment matters more than ever this year. When it’s there, think beyond one post. Build a story, lean into the creator’s real connection to the moment, and use it to reinforce your brand values and pillars as told from the creator, as opposed to just selling a product.
At major cultural events like the Super Bowl, the brands that win are the ones that think like publishers, not advertisers. The goal shouldn’t be limited to reach during the moment, its cultural credibility and longevity after the hype fades. That means activating creators early with VIP access to IRL (In Real Life) experiences and exclusive product moments, letting them cover the event in their native style, and extending those stories post-event. Just this past month, McDonald’s did exactly this with our client Kimmy’s Kreations at Art Basel. There, she remixed popular menu items for a live cooking demo, teasing recipes on her feed before the event and sparking fan-generated content long after it ended.
The Super Bowl is still the biggest stage in marketing, but it’s no longer won in 30 seconds. As AI-generated content floods feeds and polish replaces personality, audiences are craving what feels real. On Super Bowl Sunday, people don’t just watch ads, they react to them on social, in group chats and through creators in real time. That’s why creators can’t be treated as amplification anymore. They need to be a core channel in the marketing mix. The brands that win collaborate early, co-create authentically and design content for a long tail – built to travel across platforms, formats and moments. In an era of automation, creators bring credibility, context and humanity. That’s not a nice-to-have. It’s the strategy.
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl aren’t won on game day. They’re won in the lead-up and extended after. The smartest brands partner with creators early to build anticipation, let them show up authentically in the moment, and then keep the story going with reactions, behind-the-scenes, and cultural takes pre and post-event. Creators shouldn’t feel like media buys. They should feel like collaborators. The Super Bowl is launch day first, football game second.
Big cultural moments shouldn’t be treated as one-off stunts or media spikes. The real value comes when brands see creators as cultural partners, not distribution channels. Before the moment, involve creators early, not just to promote, but to help shape the narrative. During the moment, let them react in real time and interpret it through their own lens (content that feels alive, imperfect, and human). Afterward, extend meaning through reflection and storytelling that last beyond the event. Overall, brands win when they shift from campaign thinking to relationship thinking: investing in creators long-term, aligning on values, and allowing space for real expression. Cultural moments don’t belong to brands; they belong to people. Creators are the bridge.
It’s important to start early and not wait until the week before – or game day itself – to go live. Super Bowl buzz starts months in advance, and brands should take advantage of that build-up to insert themselves into the conversation in the most organic way possible. The strongest partnerships are often longer-term engagements that begin well before the big day and build momentum leading up to it.
Creators should be involved early on to provide input on the campaign concept. They know their audiences better than anyone and can offer valuable insights around reach and engagement, while also bringing their cultural instincts to the table. Viewing the idea through a creator’s lens gives brands an added layer of perspective that’s hard to replicate internally.
For live or near-real-time content on game day, brands should establish a content review process that’s optimized for speed and authenticity, not perfection. Ideally, this system should emphasize creator freedom while setting clear guardrails and expectations upfront, helping to ensure approvals move quickly and the content feels timely and culturally relevant.
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl are no longer just about reach; relevance and repeat value are the name of the game. Brands that partner thoughtfully with creators can move beyond splashy, one-off posts and authentically integrate into real routines. When creators use major moments as a canvas to connect practical products to everyday life, brands drive measurable performance – and build long-term loyalty that lasts well after the final whistle.
Creators are highlighting the continuous shift in fandom from reactive viewing to proactive participation, shaped by memes, trend formats, and real-time digital commentary. The Super Bowl remains the hero moment for fans. Brands are partnering with creators to build anticipation weeks before kickoff, amplify the moment during the game, and sustain momentum after. At Influencer, we’ve seen creators evolve into platform-independent cultural forces, building their own distribution and placing brands at the center of culture as moments unfold.
The smartest brands build creator-led storylines before the event, let creators react live with zero over-scripted control during, and then repurpose creator content into always-on campaigns after. The real opportunity isn’t the Super Bowl ad slot, it’s owning the conversation creators spark around it. Brands that treat creators like media channels miss the point: creators are culture carriers. Give them freedom, not talking points. Involve them early, trust them in the moment, and keep the partnership running long after the final whistle. If you only hire creators for one sponsored post on game day, you’re not marketing, you’re renting relevance for 24 hours.
The Super Bowl is no longer a one-way broadcast; it’s a massive, multi-layered conversation. To truly win, brands must stop talking at the audience and start participating with them. At Iris, we live by “Participate or Perish” – the belief that brands must earn cultural attention rather than just buy it. This requires engaging creators as editorial partners to build momentum before the game, newsjack real-time shifts during it, and convert fleeting fame into long-term brand equity after. When creators are treated as cultural conduits rather than transactional media buys, brands finally move at the speed of culture.
The best brands treat creators like strategic partners instead of media placements. They trust them to remix and translate the cultural tension in their own way across the campaign cycle. Super Bowl ads have become the trailer for a bigger brand moment, where the spot itself is no longer the only meat of the campaign. Creators give brands volume and meaning by helping them show up in more feeds and ways that actually make sense for how people experience the Super Bowl. Making a mass moment starts to feel personal and relevant, and ultimately worth engaging with.
The Super Bowl isn’t just a game, it’s a cultural moment with multiple audiences engaging in different ways at once. Some are watching every play, others are hosting, socializing, or scrolling during commercials and halftime. Brands win when they recognize this and partner with creators across the full lifecycle of the moment. Ahead of the game, creators build anticipation through planning rituals, like food brands inspiring how to host or fashion brands sharing game-day outfit ideas. During the event, creators capture real-time reactions and second-screen behavior. Afterward, they extend the moment through recaps, memes, and cultural commentary, making the impact last well beyond game day.
The Super Bowl isn’t just game day, but a multi-week ecosystem. Brands must move beyond the 30-second spot and integrate into the cultural conversation on a rolling basis. Creators are the ultimate bridge for cultural connection. Before the game, use them to seed intrigue – as we saw with Hellmann’s “Meal Diamond” teaser. During the event, leverage their real-time presence to stay reactive. Finally, activate creators to capture the “afterglow,” extending the campaign’s shelf life and turning a fleeting moment into sustained brand equity. The real ROI is the cultural currency creators build for your brand long after the cameras stop rolling.
To maximize creator partnerships around major cultural events, brands should offer meaningful, VIP access that fuel earned media and organic conversation. These moments shouldn’t be treated as only one-off paid gigs, but as premium content opportunities. To stand out in an oversaturated content landscape, creators need access that genuinely elevates their storytelling. When brands provide immersive, differentiated experiences that align with their identity, such as luxury hospitality, behind-the-scenes access, or exclusive vantage points, the resulting content feels authentic and aspirational. That level of access allows creators to shine, driving stronger engagement and deeper connections between the audience, creator, and brand.
Brands should treat big cultural moments like the Super Bowl as long-term creator narratives if possible, not one-week activations. Partnering months in advance allows creators to build rituals, predictions, and perspectives that audiences are already invested in by kickoff, making brand integration feel natural and trusted. To maximize impact, brands should move beyond simply chasing virality and focus on repositioning creators; becoming the problem solver, gate opener, or reason the content exists. When a brand elevates a creator’s role and value to their audience, it strengthens the partnership and builds lasting trust that extends well beyond the event.
The Super Bowl is a stage for advertising creativity, a rare moment where brands already have consumers’ attention and they’re ready to be entertained – but competition in standing out is fierce. This moment gives brands a creative “permission slip” to play outside the conventions of their brand and tap into new audiences or angles to cultural relevance through partnership with creators. That means treating creators like creative partners, not just distribution or amplification; the audience should easily see why a Super Bowl partnership is authentic to both the brand and creator. Viewers quickly spot campaigns that feel purely transactional or gimmicky. When brands give creators space to bring their own voice and insight to the campaign ideation phase, the campaign becomes memorable, resonating beyond game day.
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl are most effective when treated as more than one-off activations. The strongest partnerships are those where the brand is naturally integrated into the creator’s world before the event, activates authentically in real time, and continues the conversation afterward through reflection, behind-the-scenes content, or community engagement. Done well, these moments become cultural touchpoints that drive trust, relevance, and long-term brand value.
Brands should go for long-term, preferably pre-existing, creator partnerships focused on the 7-day window following the Super Bowl. While many brands treat the event like one-off activations and go silent afterwards, Hellmann’s deployed food creators for food content, resulting in a 45% increase in sales on Amazon the following week, and Dunkin’ partnered with Druski for post-game content.
Long-term partnerships foster authenticity, and brands should allow creators to incorporate the product into their tone and storytelling organically.
The backend infrastructure must be ready, like dedicated landing pages, QR codes, discount codes, UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) links, limited-time offers, etc. Cultural events generate awareness, and proper execution after generates revenue.
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl aren’t about checking a box, they’re about showing up in a way that feels real. The strongest brand-creator partnerships happen when creators are brought in early, trusted creatively, and allowed to move the way they naturally would in the moment. We saw this during the NCAA Championship, where a creator wasn’t treated as last-minute amplification, but as an integral part of the experience. Dr Pepper stood out by leaning into an organic brand lover, a real fan already part of the culture, elevating the moment into a national movement that sparked conversation well beyond game day.
Brands looking to truly capitalize on tentpole moments like the Super Bowl must shift beyond game-day posts, investing in creator ecosystems that activate strategically before, during, and after the event. Our proprietary data shows pre- and post-event content significantly outperforms, offering more natural engagement and less transactional feel. We’ve found that leveraging NIL athletes (Name, Image and Likeness), sports-adjacent creators, and unexpected collaborations, rather than just celebrity endorsements, delivers superior trust, cultural resonance, and efficiency. By meeting audiences where they are – from pre-game excitement to post-game conversations – brands can build robust equity. This sustained engagement, often extended through strategic post-event giveaways, is critical for CRM growth and long-term brand momentum.
By bringing in realistic life moments that highlight different content pillars with real people; the moms cleaning their house and prepping the kitchen for their guests, the group of friends obsessing over their fantasy teams, who’s bringing what to the potluck, the worker who can’t catch the game so listens in on their headphones, the artist inspired by the moment. When brands allow creative freedom and select creators for their cultural fluency, not just their reach, that is when you’ll see the most success.
Nii A. Ahene is the founder and managing director of Net Influencer, a website dedicated to offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Together with its newsletter, Influencer Weekly, Net Influencer provides news, commentary, and analysis of the events shaping the creator and influencer marketing space. Through interviews with startups, influencers, brands, and platforms, Nii and his team explore how influencer marketing is being effectively used to benefit businesses and personal brands alike.
For decades, major cultural events – from the Super Bowl and the World Cup to award shows and global sporting finals – have represented the biggest stages in advertising. These moments concentrate attention at a scale brands can’t replicate elsewhere. But, as Super Bowl LX (Feb. 8, 2026) approaches, it’s becoming clear that the real competition no longer begins and ends on game day. Trailers drop weeks in advance, creators dissect teasers in real time, and conversations spill across social feeds, group chats, and second screens long before kickoff.
This year’s lineup reflects that shift. From celebrity-driven commercials to creator-led campaigns – including MrBeast’s partnership with Salesforce – brands are acknowledging that attention is no longer centralized around the TV broadcast. Fans don’t just watch ads; they experience them through creators who already hold trust, cultural proximity, and distribution across platforms.
As a result, reach alone is no longer the differentiator. The brands that stand out treat the Super Bowl as a multi-week cultural cycle, not a one-night media buy. They involve creators early to seed anticipation, empower them to react in the moment, and extend the story long after the final whistle.
With that context in mind, we asked 48 industry professionals, strategists, and creator partners a central question: How should brands partner with creators to maximize the opportunity of big cultural events such as the Super Bowl?
Theo Ruzhynsky, Co-Founder, VwD
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl don’t reward brands that just show up – they reward brands that understand the context creators are operating in. The smartest partnerships start weeks before kickoff, with creators who already authentically participate in the culture, not those parachuted in for reach. Brands should empower creators with clear guardrails, real creative freedom, and real-time intelligence so they can react as the moment unfolds. When creators feel trusted and informed, the content feels native, timely, and culturally fluent – and that’s what cuts through during events where everyone is competing for attention.
Gigi Robinson, Founder, Hosts of Influence®
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl aren’t a one-day activation, they’re a multi-week ecosystem. The brands that win partner with creators early to seed anticipation, empower them during the moment to react in real time, and extend the story after the event with thoughtful follow-ups. That means giving creators creative freedom, clear objectives, and assets they can adapt to their audience and not just posting a logo on game day. The real ROI comes when creators feel like collaborators, not media placements, and when brands think beyond impressions toward trust, cultural relevance, and long-term audience relationships.
Ashlie Finch, Vice President, Brand Strategy, The Digital Dept.
There are two big mistakes I see brands make when they activate during major cultural moments.
The first is not having a plan to extend the story. To maximize impact, creator partnerships should be designed as multi-phase narratives. Build anticipation, activate during the moment, and continue afterward. The “after” is critical, because these moments are often expensive, and brands should expect that investment to work beyond a single spike in attention. Whether that means shifting into episodic content and treating the cultural moment as a chapter, or repurposing high-performing creator content across social, web, and paid media, the goal is sustained impact.
The second – and more important – mistake is not being intentional about the audience. “Everyone’s watching” is a tempting reason to participate, but brands need to ask whether this is an audience they’re prepared to show up for long-term. If so, the next step is understanding where that audience goes next and being ready to meet them there.
Aurélie Sauthier, President, Made in
To truly maximize big cultural moments like the Super Bowl, brands need to think beyond the screen. The biggest opportunity lies in tapping into the physical connection and shared emotions these events naturally create: excitement, anticipation, belonging. Staying only in the online content sphere limits that impact. One format that really exploded this year is influencer-led watch parties: real people, real rooms, real reactions. When creators bring their communities together IRL (In Real Life) and amplify those moments through content, brands benefit from both authenticity and scale. The magic happens when digital storytelling is anchored in lived, collective experiences. Not just posts, but moments people actually feel.
Benjamin Woollams, CEO / Founder, TrueRights
One of the key reasons to work with creators is cultural relevance. When brands combine a major sporting moment like the Super Bowl with a creator’s IP, they can drive relevance to specific communities with significant, targeted reach. The key is leaning into the creator’s zeitgeist – developing content that pillars up to the brand’s overarching red threads while authentically resonating with that creator’s audience. The best partnerships don’t just borrow a creator’s reach; they tap into their cultural equity to create moments that feel native to both the event and the community.
Sambhav Chadha, Co-Founder & Director, Augmentum Media
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl are attention spikes, not conversion events on their own. The brands that win treat creators as a distribution layer, not a last-minute amplification tactic. Before the moment, creators seed the narrative – building familiarity, context, and belief around the product so audiences know why it matters when attention peaks. During the event, creators translate the moment into native, real-time content that feels human, not brand-led. After the moment is where most value is unlocked: repurposing creator content across paid, organic, and lifecycle to extend the halo long after attention drops.
Paula Bruno, CEO, Intuition Media Group
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl create attention, but they’re not where brand impact is built. Creators are. Brands often over-optimize for the event and under-invest in the creator systems that actually shape culture year-round. The strongest partnerships treat creators as long-term infrastructure, not campaign add-ons. That means working with creators continuously, building narratives over time, and showing up across multiple communities – not just chasing one spike in impressions with a big event. When a major cultural moment happens, creators are then positioned to simply amplify what already exists. The brands winning aren’t “doing the Super Bowl.” They’re building relevance every day – and creators are how they do it.
Mike R. Draper, Content Creator
Let the cultural event happen (the Super Bowl), and let the creator recognize and feel the most relevant or impactful moment from it, and create content on that – immediately after it happens.
Kristian Sturt, Director, Colossal Influence
Right, so the “goal” of Super Bowl ads generally isn’t “bottom line”, it’s amplification. As such, the goal is to increase brand outreach and there’s no better outlet than influencers to do that. Brands should partner with creators to amplify audience, especially to a younger audience if the product/service reaches a mix of demographics. This will turn a one-night “nuclear” blast of attention into a multi-week marketing campaign. The best Super Bowl campaigns aren’t ads, they’re events. Creators can help a brand go from; “we ran a Super Bowl spot” to “everyone’s talking about our campaign for weeks”.
Sarah McNabb, Chief Marketing Officer, GigaStar
Brands should approach big cultural moments like the Super Bowl as multi-week cultural arcs, not one-day media buys, and partner with creators as true creative collaborators. The strongest results come when brands involve creators early, let them shape native content in their own voice, and activate across the full lifecycle – before, during, and after the event. Authenticity and audience trust matter more than raw reach, and formats should be creator-led rather than repurposed ads. Ultimately, the biggest opportunity is using tentpole moments to build long-term creator relationships that turn cultural relevance into sustained brand equity.
Amy Choi, Founder & CEO, ACE NYC
Beyond the typical sponsored post or putting creators in Super Bowl commercials, the real opportunity is reframing what the Super Bowl actually is – not the main story, but amplification for an ongoing creator-led narrative. With the rise of high-fidelity produced branded “shows” on platforms like YouTube, brands should invest in serialized creator-led storytelling. Partner with creators to co-create episodic content where the story starts weeks before game day and continues after. The Super Bowl becomes a high-impact chapter that amplifies an already-engaged audience, transforming a one-night spike into sustained engagement. I’d also love to see brands give creators full creative control over their commercials. Imagine 5 creators directing 5 spots throughout the game, each in their distinct style, but building one connected narrative. It’s never been done and would fundamentally shift Super Bowl advertising from brand-controlled messaging to creator-led storytelling.
Jessica Thorpe, CEO, partnrUP
Unless you are trying to steal the show it is often an event that is far too noisy to stand out. My advice for any tentpole event, like the Super Bowl, is to participate if it makes sense naturally. If it feels forced it won’t work. And it doesn’t have to be a “go big” moment. Reynolds is consistently engaging their partners to creator around this cultural moment where the product is just part of the narrative. When done right the brand can be involved in the conversation without trying to overtake the big game. Extra point “is good” when rights are secured to use this conversation after the clock runs out too.
Rodrigo Abdalla, Founder, GYST (Get Your Sh*t Together)
Brands and creators maximize cultural moments when they have live impact visibility (engagement, conversions, audience response) as the event unfolds. GYST is partnering with Rock in Rio to provide a shared intelligence layer so creators, brands, and organizers can track performance and pivot activations in real time. Creators optimize content instantly. More of what’s working, less of what isn’t. And brands get better ROI. Same spend, smarter execution.
Tobias Hoss, Chief Business Officer, Lunar X
Brands should stop treating cultural moments like the Super Bowl as media buys and start treating them as narrative moments. The biggest unlock comes when creators are brought in early, not to amplify the event, but to shape how audiences experience it before, during, and after.
That means partnering with creators who already own cultural relevance in the conversation, then giving them creative control to build storylines, rituals, and formats that feel native to their communities. The real value is not a single post on game day, but weeks of anticipation, live participation, and post-event meaning making.
When creators act as cultural translators, brands move from interruption to integration and from impressions to impact.
Finola Austin, VP, Client and Creative Strategy, Linqia
Here are three ways you can make a big impact with creators for the big game. One: cast creators in your commercial, so they can share behind-the-scenes content and make our TV screens resemble our TikTok screens. Two: brief skit creators to recreate your ad and cultural commentators to react to your campaign, augmenting your reach and putting your brand at the heart of the conversation. Three: leverage creators to make content that’s relatable to the moment, even without a linear campaign or formal event sponsorship. Think: recipes to prep ahead of game day, party must-haves for the Sunday itself, and wellness and recovery content for not-so-super Monday.
Max Fleming, Founder & CEO, Motive
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl create attention, but the real value comes from how brands work with creators around the moment. The strongest partnerships start well before the event, giving creators time and freedom to build anticipation in an authentic way. During the event, creators bring access, context, and real-time cultural relevance that traditional media cannot. Afterward, brands should extend the momentum through storytelling and follow-up content. Brands that treat creators as long-term partners, not one-off placements, drive deeper engagement and lasting brand equity.
Chelsie Hall, CEO, ViralMoment
Super Bowl ads cost $8M for 30 seconds. The attention and social capital that comes with being front and center during the Super Bowl is powerful. But many CMOs don’t acknowledge that viewership patterns have changed. Fans aren’t giving their undivided attention to watching the pigskin on the big screen anymore. Super Bowl attention is allocated to creators sharing recipes, athletes, and behind-the-scenes moments. Creators can make sure that your brand is front of mind during an event.
Alessandro Ceccarelli Hodel, Co-Founder, ehko.ai
Most campaigns today peak at exposure with no infrastructure to convert demand. The creator’s trusted voice often disappears just as consumers begin asking questions, comparing options, and deciding whether to buy. Brands should invest in long-term creator ambassadors and extend their voice across the entire customer journey, not just the moment.
Technology now makes it possible for trusted creators to show up in new, brand-safe formats across the funnel, turning awareness into education, consideration, and measurable conversion long after the cultural moment fades. Winning brands extend cultural moments into ongoing customer engagement rather than chasing short-lived spikes in attention.
Eddie Pietzak, Senior Vice President, Digital, CESD Talent
When we’ve had clients work with brands on their Super Bowl campaigns, we’ve always found the most successful campaigns had touch points that happened before the game, during, and some kind of callback post-event (think BTS [behind the scenes], outtakes, or a follow up call to action). If brands want to capitalize on these kinds of events I would advise them to approach it from a multi-touch point with content that teases the event followed by content that celebrates it. The idea is to create a longer “moment” vs. a flash-in-the-pan piece of content.
Cameron Ajdari, CEO, Currents Management
This year will mark a real shift, with creators appearing on screen in Super Bowl commercials in a meaningful way, not just supporting the moment, but becoming part of the narrative. The smartest brands are treating creators as talent, not placements, integrating them into broadcast spots while simultaneously building digital-first campaigns around them. That means seeding content in the weeks leading up to the game, activating in real time during the Super Bowl, and extending the moment afterward across social. When broadcast and digital move in parallel, brands will win both attention and cultural relevance.
Michael Kuzminov, CEO, HypeFactory
Let creators create. Audiences come to influencers for their unique vision and style. When a brand rigidly dictates its narrative, the creator’s content loses its uniqueness and, as a result, the audience’s trust. Creative freedom allows creators to maintain their own voice, seamlessly adapt brand messages to their format, build trust, and come up with their own creative ideas. The brand sets the message, and the creator adapts it.
Vladimir Petrov, Influencer Marketing Director, Zorka.Agency
Brands should start by mapping major cultural events well in advance and closely monitoring how creators naturally engage with them. Around events like the Super Bowl or the World Cup, many creators launch special episodes. These moments offer organic entry points for brands. While we haven’t supported a Super Bowl campaign directly, we’ve successfully applied this approach in gaming by partnering with movie creators around major releases like “Avengers: Endgame” to use the momentum and boost campaign performance.
Brittnee Barnes, CEO, Vybes
What’s changing around moments like the Super Bowl is who audiences trust. Creators have become the new cultural connective tissue – not because they’re paid to show up, but because they’re already embedded in their communities. Brands that build real partnerships with creators, rather than transactional campaigns, earn credibility that carries through the moment and well beyond it.
Tara Knight, COO, Creator Match
The biggest mistake brands make during cultural tentpole moments like the Super Bowl is treating creators like billboards instead of creative partners. The brands that break through aren’t the ones with the most prescriptive briefs, they’re the ones who ask creators “What would YOU do with this moment?”
Give creators a problem to solve, not a script to follow. Set clear goals and guardrails, then step back and let them pitch you concepts. The ideas that emerge will be more authentic, more engaging, and more likely to actually make your brand part of the cultural conversation instead of just adjacent to it.
Devran Amaratunga Karaca, CEO & Co-Founder, Kyra
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl aren’t won on the day, they’re won in the weeks around it. The smartest brands treat creators as an always-on system, not a one-off activation. That means seeding ideas early, letting creators build authentic narratives ahead of the moment, showing up in real time, and then extending the life of what worked after the event. Creators don’t just amplify attention, they translate it. Brands that win are the ones that give creators clarity on the role they play, the freedom to execute in their own voice, and the infrastructure to scale what resonates beyond the moment itself.
Yehuda Neuman, SVP of Influencer Marketing, PartnerCentric
Big cultural moments don’t run on buzz alone; they run on success you can prove. Brands that win around events like the Super Bowl build creator partnerships with clear performance benchmarks before the moment hits. That means aligning on what good looks like, tracking downstream action, and treating creators like strategic partners, not paid placements.
During the event, give creators room to be authentic. Audiences can smell forced integrations from a mile away. And after? That’s where most brands leave money on the table. Use post-event data to refine what worked, reward creators tied to real outcomes, and build relationships that scale beyond a single moment.
Brian Klais, CEO & Founder, URLgenius
Super Bowl viewers are watching on TV and engaging on mobile simultaneously, yet much of the mobile ad spend tied to that behavior quietly underperforms. Social clicks often default to in-app browsers that disrupt conversion, attribution, and session continuity. Brands invest so heavily in creator partnerships, but end up missing the ROI they didn’t even realize was leaking.
The opportunity isn’t just partnering with creators; it’s ensuring every click converts. Before the Super Bowl, test your mobile infrastructure. During the event, optimize the path from social post to purchase. Afterward, measure revenue, not impressions. Brands that fix mobile fragmentation now see performance lift in days, not quarters.
Sarah Crow, Head of Creator Strategy, Superfiliate
The Super Bowl is a massive cultural moment, but that doesn’t mean every brand needs to chase it. One of the biggest myths in influencer marketing is that you have to show up for every trend. Before partnering with creators around a massive social event, brands should get clear on their budget, objective, and audience. If the Super Bowl truly aligns with your brand, work with creators who already live in that world, not someone forcing relevance for a check/clout. Alignment matters more than ever this year. When it’s there, think beyond one post. Build a story, lean into the creator’s real connection to the moment, and use it to reinforce your brand values and pillars as told from the creator, as opposed to just selling a product.
Noah Swimmer, Partner & Head of Culinary, Underscore Talent
At major cultural events like the Super Bowl, the brands that win are the ones that think like publishers, not advertisers. The goal shouldn’t be limited to reach during the moment, its cultural credibility and longevity after the hype fades. That means activating creators early with VIP access to IRL (In Real Life) experiences and exclusive product moments, letting them cover the event in their native style, and extending those stories post-event. Just this past month, McDonald’s did exactly this with our client Kimmy’s Kreations at Art Basel. There, she remixed popular menu items for a live cooking demo, teasing recipes on her feed before the event and sparking fan-generated content long after it ended.
Simon Yoxall, Managing Director, U.S., NewGen
The Super Bowl is still the biggest stage in marketing, but it’s no longer won in 30 seconds. As AI-generated content floods feeds and polish replaces personality, audiences are craving what feels real. On Super Bowl Sunday, people don’t just watch ads, they react to them on social, in group chats and through creators in real time. That’s why creators can’t be treated as amplification anymore. They need to be a core channel in the marketing mix. The brands that win collaborate early, co-create authentically and design content for a long tail – built to travel across platforms, formats and moments. In an era of automation, creators bring credibility, context and humanity. That’s not a nice-to-have. It’s the strategy.
Dimitar Gougov, Chief Influence Officer & Partner, Mādin
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl aren’t won on game day. They’re won in the lead-up and extended after. The smartest brands partner with creators early to build anticipation, let them show up authentically in the moment, and then keep the story going with reactions, behind-the-scenes, and cultural takes pre and post-event. Creators shouldn’t feel like media buys. They should feel like collaborators. The Super Bowl is launch day first, football game second.
Ana Luiza Nahás, Creator Partnerships Manager, 500 MGMT
Big cultural moments shouldn’t be treated as one-off stunts or media spikes. The real value comes when brands see creators as cultural partners, not distribution channels. Before the moment, involve creators early, not just to promote, but to help shape the narrative. During the moment, let them react in real time and interpret it through their own lens (content that feels alive, imperfect, and human). Afterward, extend meaning through reflection and storytelling that last beyond the event. Overall, brands win when they shift from campaign thinking to relationship thinking: investing in creators long-term, aligning on values, and allowing space for real expression. Cultural moments don’t belong to brands; they belong to people. Creators are the bridge.
Ismael El-Qudsi, Co-Founder & CEO, SocialPubli
It’s important to start early and not wait until the week before – or game day itself – to go live. Super Bowl buzz starts months in advance, and brands should take advantage of that build-up to insert themselves into the conversation in the most organic way possible. The strongest partnerships are often longer-term engagements that begin well before the big day and build momentum leading up to it.
Creators should be involved early on to provide input on the campaign concept. They know their audiences better than anyone and can offer valuable insights around reach and engagement, while also bringing their cultural instincts to the table. Viewing the idea through a creator’s lens gives brands an added layer of perspective that’s hard to replicate internally.
For live or near-real-time content on game day, brands should establish a content review process that’s optimized for speed and authenticity, not perfection. Ideally, this system should emphasize creator freedom while setting clear guardrails and expectations upfront, helping to ensure approvals move quickly and the content feels timely and culturally relevant.
Bess Devenow, Senior Strategic Insights & Communications Manager, Vantage
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl are no longer just about reach; relevance and repeat value are the name of the game. Brands that partner thoughtfully with creators can move beyond splashy, one-off posts and authentically integrate into real routines. When creators use major moments as a canvas to connect practical products to everyday life, brands drive measurable performance – and build long-term loyalty that lasts well after the final whistle.
Brian Pham, VP of Strategy, Media & Production, Influencer
Creators are highlighting the continuous shift in fandom from reactive viewing to proactive participation, shaped by memes, trend formats, and real-time digital commentary. The Super Bowl remains the hero moment for fans. Brands are partnering with creators to build anticipation weeks before kickoff, amplify the moment during the game, and sustain momentum after. At Influencer, we’ve seen creators evolve into platform-independent cultural forces, building their own distribution and placing brands at the center of culture as moments unfold.
Daniel Sánchez, Founder & CEO, Influencity
The smartest brands build creator-led storylines before the event, let creators react live with zero over-scripted control during, and then repurpose creator content into always-on campaigns after. The real opportunity isn’t the Super Bowl ad slot, it’s owning the conversation creators spark around it. Brands that treat creators like media channels miss the point: creators are culture carriers. Give them freedom, not talking points. Involve them early, trust them in the moment, and keep the partnership running long after the final whistle. If you only hire creators for one sponsored post on game day, you’re not marketing, you’re renting relevance for 24 hours.
Lindsay Munson, Head of PR & Social, Iris North America
The Super Bowl is no longer a one-way broadcast; it’s a massive, multi-layered conversation. To truly win, brands must stop talking at the audience and start participating with them. At Iris, we live by “Participate or Perish” – the belief that brands must earn cultural attention rather than just buy it. This requires engaging creators as editorial partners to build momentum before the game, newsjack real-time shifts during it, and convert fleeting fame into long-term brand equity after. When creators are treated as cultural conduits rather than transactional media buys, brands finally move at the speed of culture.
Sara Sabzehzar, Group Strategy Director, Thinkingbox
The best brands treat creators like strategic partners instead of media placements. They trust them to remix and translate the cultural tension in their own way across the campaign cycle. Super Bowl ads have become the trailer for a bigger brand moment, where the spot itself is no longer the only meat of the campaign. Creators give brands volume and meaning by helping them show up in more feeds and ways that actually make sense for how people experience the Super Bowl. Making a mass moment starts to feel personal and relevant, and ultimately worth engaging with.
Joey Chowaiki, COO/Co-Founder, Open Influence
The Super Bowl isn’t just a game, it’s a cultural moment with multiple audiences engaging in different ways at once. Some are watching every play, others are hosting, socializing, or scrolling during commercials and halftime. Brands win when they recognize this and partner with creators across the full lifecycle of the moment. Ahead of the game, creators build anticipation through planning rituals, like food brands inspiring how to host or fashion brands sharing game-day outfit ideas. During the event, creators capture real-time reactions and second-screen behavior. Afterward, they extend the moment through recaps, memes, and cultural commentary, making the impact last well beyond game day.
Sarah Gerrish, Senior Director of Creator and Influencer, Movers+Shakers
The Super Bowl isn’t just game day, but a multi-week ecosystem. Brands must move beyond the 30-second spot and integrate into the cultural conversation on a rolling basis. Creators are the ultimate bridge for cultural connection. Before the game, use them to seed intrigue – as we saw with Hellmann’s “Meal Diamond” teaser. During the event, leverage their real-time presence to stay reactive. Finally, activate creators to capture the “afterglow,” extending the campaign’s shelf life and turning a fleeting moment into sustained brand equity. The real ROI is the cultural currency creators build for your brand long after the cameras stop rolling.
Tyler Berkowitz, Vice President of Brand Partnerships at Shorthand Studios
To maximize creator partnerships around major cultural events, brands should offer meaningful, VIP access that fuel earned media and organic conversation. These moments shouldn’t be treated as only one-off paid gigs, but as premium content opportunities. To stand out in an oversaturated content landscape, creators need access that genuinely elevates their storytelling. When brands provide immersive, differentiated experiences that align with their identity, such as luxury hospitality, behind-the-scenes access, or exclusive vantage points, the resulting content feels authentic and aspirational. That level of access allows creators to shine, driving stronger engagement and deeper connections between the audience, creator, and brand.
Lisa Bossman, Senior Director of Partnerships & Endorsements, Sports & Outdoors, Underscore Talent
Brands should treat big cultural moments like the Super Bowl as long-term creator narratives if possible, not one-week activations. Partnering months in advance allows creators to build rituals, predictions, and perspectives that audiences are already invested in by kickoff, making brand integration feel natural and trusted. To maximize impact, brands should move beyond simply chasing virality and focus on repositioning creators; becoming the problem solver, gate opener, or reason the content exists. When a brand elevates a creator’s role and value to their audience, it strengthens the partnership and builds lasting trust that extends well beyond the event.
Scott Sutton, CEO, Later
The Super Bowl is a stage for advertising creativity, a rare moment where brands already have consumers’ attention and they’re ready to be entertained – but competition in standing out is fierce. This moment gives brands a creative “permission slip” to play outside the conventions of their brand and tap into new audiences or angles to cultural relevance through partnership with creators. That means treating creators like creative partners, not just distribution or amplification; the audience should easily see why a Super Bowl partnership is authentic to both the brand and creator. Viewers quickly spot campaigns that feel purely transactional or gimmicky. When brands give creators space to bring their own voice and insight to the campaign ideation phase, the campaign becomes memorable, resonating beyond game day.
Saad Aslam, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Genflow
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl are most effective when treated as more than one-off activations. The strongest partnerships are those where the brand is naturally integrated into the creator’s world before the event, activates authentically in real time, and continues the conversation afterward through reflection, behind-the-scenes content, or community engagement. Done well, these moments become cultural touchpoints that drive trust, relevance, and long-term brand value.
Daniel Caldas, Founder, Caldas Ecom
Brands should go for long-term, preferably pre-existing, creator partnerships focused on the 7-day window following the Super Bowl. While many brands treat the event like one-off activations and go silent afterwards, Hellmann’s deployed food creators for food content, resulting in a 45% increase in sales on Amazon the following week, and Dunkin’ partnered with Druski for post-game content.
Long-term partnerships foster authenticity, and brands should allow creators to incorporate the product into their tone and storytelling organically.
The backend infrastructure must be ready, like dedicated landing pages, QR codes, discount codes, UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) links, limited-time offers, etc. Cultural events generate awareness, and proper execution after generates revenue.
Alexis Ramos, Partner & Head of Sports, Sixteenth
Big cultural moments like the Super Bowl aren’t about checking a box, they’re about showing up in a way that feels real. The strongest brand-creator partnerships happen when creators are brought in early, trusted creatively, and allowed to move the way they naturally would in the moment. We saw this during the NCAA Championship, where a creator wasn’t treated as last-minute amplification, but as an integral part of the experience. Dr Pepper stood out by leaning into an organic brand lover, a real fan already part of the culture, elevating the moment into a national movement that sparked conversation well beyond game day.
Melanie Ropp, Senior Client Director, The Goat Agency
Brands looking to truly capitalize on tentpole moments like the Super Bowl must shift beyond game-day posts, investing in creator ecosystems that activate strategically before, during, and after the event. Our proprietary data shows pre- and post-event content significantly outperforms, offering more natural engagement and less transactional feel. We’ve found that leveraging NIL athletes (Name, Image and Likeness), sports-adjacent creators, and unexpected collaborations, rather than just celebrity endorsements, delivers superior trust, cultural resonance, and efficiency. By meeting audiences where they are – from pre-game excitement to post-game conversations – brands can build robust equity. This sustained engagement, often extended through strategic post-event giveaways, is critical for CRM growth and long-term brand momentum.
Julia Gatto, Head of Talent, Shine Talent Group
By bringing in realistic life moments that highlight different content pillars with real people; the moms cleaning their house and prepping the kitchen for their guests, the group of friends obsessing over their fantasy teams, who’s bringing what to the potluck, the worker who can’t catch the game so listens in on their headphones, the artist inspired by the moment. When brands allow creative freedom and select creators for their cultural fluency, not just their reach, that is when you’ll see the most success.
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