American eyes will turn to the field in Glendale, Arizona, in just five days, where the Kansas City Chiefs will duke it out with the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. The teams won’t be the only ones competing this Sunday night, as some of the biggest brands have invested millions of dollars in vying for the attention of the typically hefty Super Bowl audience amid a potentially resurgent interest in the game.

With brands preparing their brief yet highly visible moment in the spotlight during the big game, CivicScience gauged Americans’ pre-game perceptions of some of these brands, as well as a few competitors who won’t be advertising during this year’s Super Bowl. Which brands stand to win among NFL fans, who CivicScience data show make up just over 60% of the U.S. adult population? 

NFL fans (those who at all follow the NFL) are more favorable than the general population toward the following brands nearly across the board, with a few exceptions: 
Here are a few notable quick-bite brand insights:

1. M&M’s is the overwhelming leader in favorability (88% favorable among NFL fans, 82% among the Gen Pop).  This comes despite the buzz and controversy surrounding its iconic spokescandy.

2. Doritos is one of two brands showing lower favorability among NFL Fans compared to the Gen Pop (the other being Little Caesar’s). However, 61% of fans still like or love the chips. On the other hand, NFL fans lean more toward competitor Pringles (68% favorability). Both will get chip-to-crisp with Super Bowl ads featuring Jack Harlow & Missy Elliott for Doritos and Meghan Trainor for Pringles.

3. Coca-Cola leads the battle for zero-sugar soda superiority, but Pepsi will boast its new formula during the Super Bowl. Pepsi Zero Sugar returns to traditional in-game advertising following its replacement by Apple Music as the halftime show sponsor. The soda brand looks to close the favorability gap as Coca-Cola Zero Sugar will not be doing Super Bowl advertising this year.

4. Heineken holds the lead in favorability among beer brands and will use its Super Bowl spot with Marvel and Paul Rudd to gain exposure for its 0.0 non-alcoholic beer. Michelob Ultra takes a close second and is making a big push with its Super Bowl advertising. Its campaign will be 60 seconds total of advertising featuring the likes of Serena Williams and “Succession” actor Brian Cox and an additional partnership with Netflix.

Are Super Bowl advertisement teasers not enough to generate excitement for the ads?

Brands commonly use their Super Bowl spots to unleash their most creative and impactful ad of the year, often utilizing celebrities to up the ante. High-profile teasers have already dropped, including a Breaking Bad reprise and a play off of Caddyshack, for example. But have these star-studded teasers done enough to generate excitement? 

According to the latest CivicScience polling: not quite. The vast majority of U.S. adults who plan to watch the Super Bowl feel neutral or not at all excited about watching this year’s ads (71%). Only 8% say they are very excited for the ads.

Breaking the data down by age reveals Gen Z adults are the most likely to say they’re ‘very excited’ at 18% and the least likely to feel ‘not at all excited’ (22%). Younger Millennials aged 25-34 show the highest percentage of ‘not at all excited’ among any age group at 38%. 

Excitement for Super Bowl ads may be low, but people still typically watch at least some of the ads.

Additional CivicScience polling data paint a more positive outlook for Super Bowl advertisers hoping to make their 30-60 second spots count – 81% of adults who watch the Super Bowl say they typically watch at least some of the ads, and nearly 40% watch most or all of them.

It’s hard to ignore, however, despite celebrity appearances and the overall cost associated with running a Super Bowl ad, about one-fifth (19%) of viewers rarely or never watch them.

Advertising during the Super Bowl is no small expense for brands, and Fox has set the price for this year at around $7 million. In making this investment, brands will have the opportunity to captivate millions in a span of 30 to 60 seconds. Will it be enough to shift perceptions of these brands and, by extension, their competitors? CivicScience will monitor as the Super Bowl plays out.  

Want to take advantage of the latest Super Bowl and sports industry insights? Book a demo today to see how CivicScience can help you stay ahead.