Super Bowl ads—what viewers want and don’t want from brands in 2025 commercials

There’s a strong sense of déjà vu associated with this year’s Super Bowl, in which the Kansas City Chiefs, fresh off their 2024 victory, once again play against their 2023 Big Game opponents the Philadelphia Eagles. And just like last year, the majority of viewers want humorous ads instead of serious ones. A recent Harris Poll examined the viewership expectations for Super Bowl advertisers in 2025; the organization found that 72% of those surveyed said they plan to watch the Big Game on Sunday, an increase from the 67% who watched last year. Seventy-five percent of those polled are very excited and somewhat excited to watch this year’s ads. Indeed, a different survey, conducted by market research firm Numerator, found that almost half, or 44%, of respondents are specifically looking forward to seeing Budweiser or Bud Light commercials—more than any other brand. Bud Light released its “Big Men on Cul-De-Sac” ad late last week. Super Bowl commercials Tracking the latest brand and agency plans Click here In good news for brands including Meta, Pringles and Dunkin’—all embracing humor in their Super Bowl spots this year—60% of consumers say they want funny ads, according to the Harris Poll, which surveyed around 1,000 consumers in the middle of January. Forty percent of consumers said they want unique ads. That could prove fruitful for first-time Big Game advertiser Coffee mate, which this week released its undoubtably one-of-a-kind spot featuring a tongue dancing to a custom Shania Twain song made for the brand’s cold foam product. “We wanted the diva to be the tongue,” said Daniel Jhung, president of Nestlé USA’s beverage and coffee business, at an Ad Age virtual event this week discussing Super Bowl advertising this year. Viewers, though, are not so keen on ads that promote more somber messaging. Harris Poll found that only 19% of viewers want purpose-driven ads, and even less, 12%, want serious ads. This is not overly surprising, as brands with serious messages have struggled to resonate at an event known for its lighthearted, celebrity-filled entertainment. For example, Nationwide’s so-called “Dead boy” ad, in which a boy is shown missing out on life because he dies young in a preventable household accident, was so widely panned that it stands out a decade later. Nearly half, or 47% of viewers surveyed by Harris Poll, think packaged food and drink and snack food companies should advertise in the Super Bowl. Nearly a dozen of this year’s advertisers are such brands, including the likes of Lay’s, Pringles, Totino’s Pizza Rolls and Nerds. A similar share of consumers, or 45%, think food service restaurants and food delivery apps such as Uber Eats, Instacart and DoorDash, all of which are in the game this year, should advertise. On the other end of the spectrum, only 16% of viewers think fintech and financial services brands should advertise—potentially bad news for brands including Nerdwallet, which is a first-time advertiser this year. NextGen Marketing Summit Join us for a crash course on Gen Z, DTC marketing and the creator economy Register today Almost a quarter, or 23% of those surveyed, said insurers should advertise. Once a large category for Big Game advertising, insurance has waned in recent years amid climate change and higher premiums. Earlier this year, State Farm, which had planned to advertise on Sunday, confirmed it was canceling its Super Bowl appearance in order to focus on customers affected by the Los Angeles wildfires.

Super Bowl ads—what viewers want and don’t want from brands in 2025 commercials

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