AI Marketing at Super Bowl 2025: Will Pricey Ads Pay Off?

America’s biggest sports event is around the corner. The Super Bowl isn’t just about the game — it’s a goldmine for advertisers. Companies pour millions into flashy commercials, hoping for a boost in brand recognition, revenues, and maybe even stock prices.The $8 Million Question: Are Super Bowl Ads Worth It?This year, a Super Bowl ad with a 30-second air time will cost $8 million, up from $7 million last year. That’s a serious investment. But do these ads really pay off? Well, fans tuning in for the big game love watching the commercials. But the real question is, will advertisers see a return on investment? Market research firm Cint suggests they will. A survey of 300 adults found that 61% are somewhat or very likely to change their perception of a brand based on its Super Bowl ad. Plus, 41% of the respondents hold a very favorable view of brands that advertise during the game.AI Takes Over the Super Bowl SpotlightWhile food and beverage brands will continue to dominate the ad space, this year’s Super Bowl will be packed with AI-driven commercials from major tech players. Companies like OpenAI (privately held), Alphabet GOOGL, Meta META, Salesforce CRM, GoDaddy GDDY and Booking Holdings BKNG are making big bets on AI advertising. AI has fully entered the mainstream, and it will show up in two ways — ads about AI and ads created using AI.OpenAI’s Foray into Ad World, Google Makes a ComebackOpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is making its Super Bowl ad debut this year, per Wall Street. ChatGPT kicked off the AI revolution but OpenAI now faces fierce competition. Chinese startup DeepSeek AI has proven that you don’t need deep pockets to innovate. Despite global security concerns, DeepSeek’s AI assistant app has taken the AI space by storm, topping the Apple App Store charts and surpassing ChatGPT in downloads.Sensor Tower data shows DeepSeek’s app hit 16 million downloads in its first 18 days compared to just 9 million for ChatGPT in the same period. DeepSeek AI Assistant is also the most downloaded app on Google Play Store.OpenAI’s decision to enter the Super Bowl ad world is a bold move. Given the increasing competition in the AI space, the company needs to reinforce its brand presence and attract more users.Then, there is Google, which just released its latest AI model, Gemini 2.0. Google is going all in on AI agents, and it’s betting big on Super Bowl ads to promote Gemini. But things didn’t get off to a great start. A promotional clip about a Wisconsin cheese market went viral for the wrong reasons as Gemini wildly overstated a fact about Gouda consumption. The Internet wasn’t going to let that slide, and Google had to tweak its commercial.Big Brands Betting on AI-Powered AdsIt’s not just OpenAI and Google getting in on the action. Meta, Salesforce, Booking.com and GoDaddy are also betting on AI-powered ads to make a splash.Meta is promoting its AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses with an ad starring Chris Pratt and Chris Hemsworth. The spot places the two Chrises in an art gallery, where they use their AI glasses to get more information about exhibits—only to realize they’ve wandered into Kris Jenner’s private collection. It’s a playful, high-energy ad that fits Meta’s brand.Salesforce is back with another Super Bowl spot featuring Matthew McConaughey, showcasing its AI agent, Agentforce. The ad depicts how AI can step in to prevent a dining disaster, ensuring a smooth restaurant experience. This time, the focus is on Agentforce and how it can help businesses navigate tricky customer service situations with ease.Booking.com has taken a different approach, using AI to subtly enhance its usual brand message. The ad features The Muppets — Miss Piggy gets her luxurious boutique hotel, Kermit chills on a beach, and Animal does what Animal does best — causing chaos. The underlying message? AI can help travelers find the perfect vacation without them even realizing it.GoDaddy’s ad, "Act Like You Know," stars Walton Goggins and highlights GoDaddy Airo, an AI-driven website builder that helps small businesses look like they have everything under control. The ad’s clever concept compares AI-powered business tools to an actor slipping into different roles.Last WordThese Super Bowl ads will no doubt boost brand awareness. But will those massive price tags translate to real revenue growth? That remains to be seen. One thing is clear — AI is no longer just a trend; it’s a part of our daily lives. And these AI-powered commercials could very well be the future of marketing. Whether companies see a direct impact on their bottom line or not, AI adoption is only set to grow, and we’ll likely see even more brands using it to grab attention in the years to come.Free Today: Profiting from The Future’s Brightest Energy SourceThe demand for electricity is growing exponentially. At the same time, we’re working to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. Nuclear energy is an ideal replacement.Leaders from the US and 21 other countries recently committed to TRIPLING the world’s nuclear energy capacities. 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