From Nike to Bud Light to Tubi: Lessons from the Super Bowl 2025 ads, with Autodesk's Dara Treseder
Feb 11, 2025
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Dara Treseder, Chief Marketing Officer of Autodesk and former marketing leader at Peloton and Apple, shares her insights on Super Bowl LIX ads. She critiques the mixed success of star-studded campaigns and discusses why many brands took a safe approach. Treseder highlights the importance of creativity and relevance, as well as Nike's commitment to gender equity. She also reflects on the representation of diversity in ads and the need for brands to authentically connect with audiences, offering valuable lessons for future marketing strategies.
This year's Super Bowl ads revealed a trend of brands playing it safe, often relying on nostalgia at the expense of memorability.
The distinction between purpose-led and cause-led branding was emphasized, showcasing the importance of authenticity in messaging for effective audience engagement.
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Super Bowl Ad Trends: Risks and Rewards
This year's Super Bowl adverts were characterized by a noticeable tendency among brands to play it safe, with many leaning heavily on nostalgia and familiar themes. The conversations highlighted the importance of strategic ad placements, where the timing of an ad could influence audience attention and memory retention. Additionally, it was noted that the effectiveness of celebrity endorsements greatly depends on their relevance to the brand's message and target audience, which could ultimately affect return on investment. Brands that failed to adhere to these principles often resulted in ads that lacked memorability and relevance, leading to missed marketing opportunities.
Purpose-Led Branding vs. Cause-Led Branding
The discussion emphasized the crucial distinction between being purpose-led and cause-led in branding, particularly during events like the Super Bowl. Purpose-led brands align their messages with core values that resonate deeply with their audience, while cause-led brands risk coming off as inauthentic if they lack genuine engagement with the issues at hand. For instance, Nike's ad effectively showcased gender equity in sports by remaining authentic to its brand identity, resulting in a memorable impact. In contrast, many brands opted for broader, less meaningful messages, illustrating the necessity for brands to be thoughtful about representation and message delivery.
Super Bowl LIX had a clear winner on the field, but victory for brands was more hard-won. Sure, plenty of ad spots were star-studded, from Seal to David Beckham to Ben and Casey Affleck, but to what end? Many aimed for impact, but did they deliver? Autodesk CMO Dara Treseder offers hot takes on this year’s hits and misses from the big game’s ads. She joins host Bob Safian to break down what makes an NBDB (never been done before) moment, why so many brands adopted a “safe” approach, and what trends business leaders should note going forward.