Snackable insights for marketers around the big game
On February 9, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs face off in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. An epic matchup is ensured as the Chiefs fight for their third straight Superbowl win. If they succeed in their quest for a three-peat, they will make NFL history as the first team ever to accomplish this.
The marketing landscape mirrors this historic moment. With 30-second ad spots for Super Bowl LIX reportedly sold for upwards of US$7 million and total ad spend expected to exceed last year’s $700 million, unprecedented Super Bowl LIX ad investment reflects a transformed media environment where broadcast scale meets digital precision. Marketers face both opportunities and challenges in capturing audience attention across an increasingly complex array of screens and platforms.
The convergence of potential sports history with evolving viewing habits presents a unique testing ground for modern marketing strategies. With traditional linear TV viewership meeting streaming innovation head-on, Super Bowl LIX stands as a watershed moment for understanding how massive cultural events reshape consumer engagement in our multi-platform world.
Tubi or Not to Be Free
Tubi’s decision to stream Super Bowl LIX for free marks a significant milestone in the evolution of streaming and connected TV (CTV), highlighting the growing shift from traditional cable to digital platforms. The move democratizes access to one of the most-watched sporting events globally while underscoring the increasing importance of ad-supported streaming services in the media landscape.
For marketers, this shift presents dual opportunities: reaching a massive audience through traditional broadcast scale while leveraging the precise targeting capabilities of streaming platforms. This convergence of reach and precision demands equally capable measurement approaches to capture the full impact of cross-platform engagement.
202.4 million viewers watched Super Bowl LVIII. With even more expected to tune in for Super Bowl LIX, here are key considerations for marketers—whether or not you’re running ads during the event.
Extend the Play: Keep Your Attribution Windows Open
If you’re running an ad during the Super Bowl, be sure not to fumble just short of the goal line. Kochava has helped top brands measure the impact of Super Bowl ad campaigns for years. Whether your goal is driving mobile app downloads, in-app pizza orders, or free trials of a popular streaming service, it’s important to establish a solid measurement plan to truly understand the impact of your 30 seconds of very expensive fame on the big screen.
While mobile ad campaigns typically operate on a 24-hour attribution lookback window, TV impressions demand a different approach. Our demand lag analysis shows that while peak conversion activity occurs within 24 hours of the ad, significant engagement continues through day 7, requiring extended measurement windows to capture the full impact of your TV investment.
So remember to extend your lookback windows for any TV or CTV campaign flight. Don’t treat your CTV campaigns the same as your mobile campaigns.
On the Sidelines: You’re in the Game Even If You’re Not Advertising
Major extravaganza events such as the Super Bowl create ripple effects across the digital economy, expanding far beyond the brands showcasing primetime ad spots. With vast millions riveted by the game, a complex ecosystem of digital services experiences dramatic shifts in consumer behavior. Ride-sharing apps see booking spikes around kickoff and final whistle, food delivery platforms handle sustained nosh-craving order surges throughout the event, and streaming services navigate unprecedented concurrent user loads.
Understanding intricate event-driven impacts requires complementary measurement approaches. Traditional attribution excels at connecting specific marketing touchpoints to conversions—tracking how your game-day promotion directly leads to app installs or food orders, for example. However, attribution alone cannot possibly illuminate the full scope and influence of tent-pole events on consumer behavior.
This is where a next-gen marketing mix modeling (MMM) solution—such as AIM by Kochava—proves invincible. By analyzing the complex interplay among marketing activities and external factors, MMM reveals insights impossible to capture through attribution alone. So a food delivery app might deploy AIM to reveal that Super Bowl Sunday drives a 40% increase in order volume across myriad channels regardless of promotional activity, while attribution data pinpoints which tactics create this surge in demand.
Combining the two methodologies enables brands to develop a holistic game plan around major events. A quick-service restaurant chain might leverage MMM insights to optimize staffing and inventory for game day surges, while utilizing attribution data to fine-tune promotional timing and messaging. Even brands not directly advertising during the Super Bowl can use these analytics to capitalize on the event’s broader impact on consumer behavior patterns.
In the Red Zone: Have a Strategy for Lower-Funnel Search
The art of capturing consumer interest at precisely the right moment demands a sophisticated strategy for integrating upper- and lower-funnel tactics. While a Super Bowl spot might create a spectacular brand moment that breaks the internet, championship victory comes from deftly converting that awareness into action. Just as a 90-yard drive requires both methodical advancement and explosive plays, a winning marketing strategy pairs awareness-driving media with precision targeting when purchase intent peaks.
Upper-funnel initiatives—whether primetime TV spots or attention-grabbing display campaigns—create the essential foundation by generating broad awareness and interest. However, the path to conversion extends beyond the highlight reel. As consumers move from awareness to consideration, paid search strategy becomes the seasoned quarterback calling crucial plays in the red zone. Strategic alignment between awareness-building activities and lower-funnel targeting and paid search efforts converts interest into actionable leads or sales—fortifying return on investment (ROI).
The key to strategic synthesis lies in skilled data analysis and budget optimization. By parsing performance data from upper-funnel campaigns, marketers can identify signals that indicate growing purchase intent. These insights enable real-time refinement of keyword strategies, ad creative, and landing page experiences—eliminating waste while maximizing impact where it matters most. The result is a cohesive customer journey maintaining momentum from first impression to final conversion.
Apple Search Ads stands as a vital lower-funnel platform for mobile marketers, capturing high-intent users at the crucial moment of App Store search. Converting Super Bowl awareness into downloads demands effective bid optimization and budget allocation across numerous keywords and ad groups. The Search Ads Maven by Kochava platform enables marketers to automate ASA campaigns while maintaining granular performance visibility—transforming Super Bowl-driven brand awareness into measurable App Store success.
Going for the 2-Point Conversion: Keep New Customers for the Long Haul
Just as championship teams cannot rely solely on a single spectacular play, successful brands understand that acquiring customers during major sporting events like the Super Bowl is just the opening drive. Victory comes from converting new users into loyal, long-term customers.
Major holidays and must-see events consistently drive dramatic subscriber acquisition spikes for streaming platforms—but what happens afterward tells the real story. Industry analysis shows that without robust retention strategies, platforms experience significant subscriber churn in the weeks following the event, as viewers who signed up specifically for the big game reassess their subscription needs. The key lies in maintaining momentum after the final whistle blows.
Success requires a proactive approach to user engagement. By leveraging advanced predictive analytics and engagement strategies, marketers can identify early warning signs of potential churn and intervene with personalized content and offers before users head for the exit. This might include crafting specialized onboarding experiences for Super Bowl-acquired users or developing engagement paths that acknowledge and build upon their initial interest in sports content.
Learn more about Kochava Predictive Churn Modeling and see Kochava Foundry’s video on Predictive Churn Analysis for key insights as well as steps to take.
Convert on 4th Down: Use a QR Code—But Make Sure It Can Handle the Load
In the high-stakes environment of Super Bowl advertising, your QR code strategy must be as reliable as a veteran quarterback in the clutch. The 2022 Coinbase bouncing QR code Super Bowl commercial, widely discussed in marketing and business media, demonstrated the potential and demands of this approach. The campaign drove more than 20 million hits to their landing page within one minute—crashing the site. Like a championship-caliber offensive line, your technical infrastructure needs to hold stout under the pressure of such a massive traffic spike.
Successful Super Bowl QR code deployment demands both technical precision and user experience consideration. While codes need 5 to 7 seconds of clear visibility for optimal scanning, backend infrastructure must handle massive concurrent traffic through load-balanced redirects and deep-linking technology that delivers users seamlessly to their destination.
Kochava has you covered with robust support for QR codes powered by SmartLinks™ to drive users to personalized experiences. Our real-time monitoring offers immediate visibility into scan rates and technical performance, allowing for quick adjustments if issues arise, ensuring that you capitalize on every precious second of your multimillion-dollar ad spot.
Post-Game Analysis: Winning in the New Era of Sports Media
Super Bowl LIX represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of sports media consumption and advertising strategy. The convergence of traditional broadcast, streaming platforms, and sophisticated digital marketing tools opens unprecedented opportunities for brands to connect with audiences across multiple touchpoints. Today’s data-driven marketing playbook must account for attribution across channels, strategic retention planning, and infrastructure capable of handling massive engagement.
The future of major sporting event advertising lies at the intersection of traditional reach and digital precision. Just as championship teams analyze every play to refine their strategy, successful marketers need to harness advanced analytics to optimize their approach across channels and screens. Brands that effectively bridge this gap—leveraging both the mass appeal of the Super Bowl and targeting capabilities of modern marketing technology—position themselves for long-term market leadership.
Turn Game Day Insights Into Year-Round Victory
Capturing your Super Bowl investment’s true impact demands measurement capabilities as spectacular as the campaigns themselves. Kochava’s battle-tested infrastructure and comprehensive solutions effortlessly capture the complete story, from initial impression to final conversion, at the massive scale that game day demands.
Having helped premier brands measure their Super Bowl campaigns for over a decade, our complete measurement stack provides the real-time insights and long-term analysis needed to maximize ROI on sports’ biggest stage. Ready to ensure your Super Bowl strategy delivers championship-caliber results? Contact our team to learn how Kochava can help you optimize your game day performance across every channel and screen.
