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Summary of Episode:

The first Super Bowl was hosted in 1967 and the average cost of a commercial was between $35.000 and $40,000 according to Sportico.

This year more than ever, the NFL had their eyes set on a female audience. This came with the addition of player’s girlfriends in the stands like Alix Earle, Taylor Swift and Hailee Seinfield. Alix Earle was even a presenter at the NFL Honors ceremony in Vegas a few days ahead of the superbowl and her boyfriend is Miami Dolphin’s wide receiver Braxton Berrios. 

While in Vegas this week, there was chatter that the NFL expected this to be the most watched Super Bowl in history. Thanks to the female fans tuning in for a look at Taylor Swift. And boy was there a show! She had Blake Lively, Ice Spice and Lana Del Rey in her box and there was even betting sites that had entire bets based around how many times the camera would pan to her during the game. 

There was also a 49’ers wife who made headlines, Krysten You-Sh-Check. Wife of full back Kyle You-Sh-Check. She went viral online for creating custom pieces to wear to games in support of Kyle. In fact, she was propositioned by Brittany Mahomes to create a look for her and she sent Brittany a jacket for Taylor Swift, as well. Stressing that it was no pressure. If Taylor wanted to wear it then great. 

Taylor showed up to one of the Kansas City play-off games in the jacket and the story went viral. Because of the exposure from this moment, she turned this into a licensing deal with the NFL (according to USA Today). She inked the first women-led licensing deal with the NFL which means she can sell merch using their team logos. She told Today that this has been in the works for years but the exposure of Taylor Swift wearing one of her creations catapulted her. 

A puffer vest that she is auctioning for the National Breast Cancer Foundation currently has a bid of $52,000+. 

This also leads us to the shift towards female-focused advertising at the super bowl this year. It typically caters to men or tows an even line. But this year, they knew the Swift fans were watching. 

The first commercial to hit the screen was for the upcoming Wicked movie featuring Ariana Grande. I could be mistaken but you don’t often see movie trailers as commercials at the Superbowl. Especially one for a movie coming out almost a year later and one that is a musical adaptation with two female leads. 

This was also the first year that two beauty brands went toe-to-toe. E.l.f.and NYX. Both very different commercials. I am fascinated at Elf’s aggressive approach to marketing the last year or so. They had a superbowl spot last year with Jennifer Coolidge. They built a world in Roblox and were all over the new Mean Girls movie. In a way that was off-putting, in my opinion. I love elf but it was the first time I felt an adverse reaction to them. Their commercial featured a Judge Judy bit. 

The NYX commercial was simpler and featured Cardi B. It was to promote their duck lips plumper. At the end, it showed a QR code and the longer commercial was much more NSFW. I actually liked the ad. It felt like a secret treat for those who got to the QR code quick enough. 

Another commercial that I loved was with Beyonce for Verizon. At the end of it, she hinted at new music. A few moments later, she dropped two new country singles, "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carraiges". There is a rise of “off-camera” experiences when it comes to the best superbowl ads. People know that other’s are watching the superbowl on their phones

Thank you for reviewing the podcast and sharing it with a friend! Tune in every Monday for a pop culture and marketing deep dive.

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