Fans at SoFi Stadium for Super Bowl LVI in 2022. The big game returns in 2027.
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Will Taylor Swift perform at the Super Bowl LXI halftime show? We don’t know—but she’s the artist fans most want to see, according to a recent Vegas Insider survey. Could viewership hit 130 million people? We don’t know that either, though it’s risen 31% since 2021, hitting 125.6 million last year.
Why are we even talking about this stuff in September? Because, just like the holiday shopping season, Super Bowl buzz starts earlier every year.
The NFL’s broadcast rotation has passed the torch to Disney, which means the 2027 game will run on both ABC and ESPN. The expanded media presence is already evident: Disney sold out all of its inventory by August 3, booking 58 brands across 34 categories.
That’s why ADWEEK is kicking off its annual Big Game coverage now—and we’re tracking a few trends already.
Super Bowl holiday weekend bonanza
Super Bowl LXI will be the first game to land in the middle of President’s Day weekend. Spared from the ultimate Sunday Scaries and Monday morning hangover, consumers are likely to increase their alcohol consumption—creating a bigger opportunity for alcohol brands.
Super Bowl Sunday also lands on Valentine’s Day next year. A fake marriage proposal on SoFi Stadium’s Infinity Screen drew fan ire in 2024, but the LA Rams’ Taylor Rapp proposed to his girlfriend the field the last time SoFi hosted in 2022.
Romance seems a likely theme for ads, the game itself, or both, as brands try to do double-duty with Big Game and holiday marketing.
From Game Day to Game Week
The Super Bowl has morphed into multi-day advertising event over the past few years, a trend that’s only likely to continue in 2027.
For its part, Disney is hosting the ESPN Beach on the Santa Monica Pier, which it won’t just use to cover the plays, but as a hub for “always-on digital and social storytelling.”
Social media and creators are likely to play a bigger part in campaign strategy overall, moving from an ancillary tactic in support of the national ad buy to a central part of the effort.
New categories enter the field
Super Bowl LX earned the moniker “The Wellness Bowl” as brands like Novartis and Novo Nordisk bought time, and even PepsiCo touted its prebiotic beverage Poppi. With GLP-1 use up 11% for 2026, wellness will probably make a return appearance.
Also likely to appear are beauty and other female-focused brands, as the NFL’s audience of women grows. Brands like E.l.f. started to trickle in last year, but expect more advertisers who are courting women specifically to enter the Big Game playing field.
Sixty-two percent of Super Bowl LX ads featured celebrities, and famous faces are guaranteed to show up again. But stars aren’t a panacea for brands. New research from Crowd React Media warns that many viewers tend to remember the celebs and not the brands they’re hawking.
There’s plenty more to come. Stay up-to-date on the latest with our Super Bowl 61 Ad Tracker, and check back regularly for Super Bowl news, analysis and more.
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