Broken Marketing by Anvara - Week 6 - Super Bowl Special

Welcome to Broken Marketing

Welcome to the 6th weekly edition of Broken Marketing by Anvara, where we discuss marketing that breaks.

For those of you that are new here, we’re Nick and Andrei, the co-founders of Anvara. We’ve included you here because one way or another we’re connected. We’re happy to have you a part of the Anvara family. 

This week we’re doing something a little different. It was the Marketing Championships, aka the Super Bowl. Here are Anvara’s Winners and Losers of The Big Game.

Rocket’s Sing Along Steals Hearts

Rocket Companies - led by CMO Jonathan Mildenhall - made Super Bowl history. Its 60-second spot, “Own the Dream,” was followed by a live stadium-wide singalong of a “Take Me Home, Country Roads” - the song featured in the ad.

The ad showcased intimate, emotional moments of homeownership—parents raising kids, couples moving in, and military members returning home. The live singalong, the first ever in the Super Bowl, was meticulously coordinated with Fox and the NFL, creating a seamless transition from the ad to the stadium performance. It was a sentimental play that stood out in a sea of celebrity-driven spots.

Using a familiar song can have a unique power to inspire unity and emotion, making them a potent tool for brands. By tapping into a song that’s deeply ingrained in American culture, Rocket didn’t just create a commercial—it created a shared moment. In your marketing, use music and symbols that emit a certain feeling, to draw that same feeling to your brand. (That’s if you can afford it - licensing songs is extremely expensive).

@nfl

a moment of unity at #SBLIX 🤝 #philadelphia #eagles #kansascity #chiefs #superbowl #SBLIX #nfl @Rocket

Our personal favorite: Homes.com is the best

Ads that use repetition and emphasize the brand name can be very effective. They ingrain the brand in the viewer’s mind. That’s why we love “Not Saying We’re the Best” by Homes.com.

The spot, created by RPA, features Dan Levy and Heidi Gardner in a hilarious back-and-forth with a lawyer about whether they can claim Homes.com is “the best.” The result? They say it over and over, hammering the brand name into your brain without feeling like a hard sell. Then Morgan Freeman comes in and says it too - and you’ll believe anything from that voice. The ad is smart, self-aware, and funny.

What makes it work is its simplicity. By focusing on a single, clever concept—arguing with a lawyer—it gives Levy and Gardner room to shine, unlike last year’s more cluttered spots. And Morgan Freeman’s cameo? Chef’s kiss. It’s a masterclass in how to make repetition entertaining while ensuring your brand name sticks. Lesson learned: you only have so much time with the audience. Stop trying to do too much. Sometimes imposing your brand is what will make it stick. Having Morgan Freeman helps, too.

Duracell Revives Tom Brady

Duracell made its Super Bowl debut with a clever ad featuring Tom Brady as a robot running low on power—until Duracell’s batteries revive him. Created in just 40 days with VaynerMedia, the spot played during an unscheduled break, blending seamlessly into the live Fox broadcast. It caught viewers off guard - it’s powerful when the consumer doesn’t know it’s an ad. Brady’s humor and the ad’s unexpected twist made it a standout, proving that breaking the traditional ad format can pay off big. 

By leveraging Brady’s star power and the element of surprise, Duracell delivered a fresh moment and reinforced its credibility. 

Liquid Death - Telling Viewers to “Drink on the Job”?

Liquid Death’s first national Super Bowl ad, “Safe for Work,” leans into its signature shock-value humor. They show professionals like surgeons, cops, and pilots cracking open tallboys on the job—only to reveal it’s just water. The 30-second spot, created in-house with Death Machine, features a catchy ’90s-style jingle and plays on the brand’s anti-establishment vibe, tricking viewers into thinking it’s a beer ad before delivering its healthy beverage message. It’s classic Liquid Death: bold, unexpected, and impossible to ignore. 

Interestingly, though, the ad deviates from Liquid Death’s core market - the youth - and for the first time on the big stage, tries to capture the attention of adults. Stay tuned to see how it plays out for them.

Consensus Winner: Nike’s “So Win”

Nike celebrated female athletes for their Super Bowl spot, and they got all the buzz. It was their first Super Bowl commercial since 1998. Wieden+Kennedy Portland was the brain behind it. Featuring stars like Sha’Carri Richardson, Caitlin Clark, and Sabrina Ionescu, the black-and-white spot is set to Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” and narrated by rapper Doechii, who delivers a defiant voiceover about winning on your own terms. The ad blends bold visuals, rhythmic writing, and a message of empowerment that resonates deeply in today’s cultural moment.

The ad arrives as women’s sports are experiencing unprecedented growth, with brands and audiences increasingly investing in and celebrating female athletes. For Nike, “So Win” marks a return to its roots of iconic, athlete-driven storytelling, as the brand seeks to regain its marketing edge. By spotlighting women who refuse to play by the rules, Nike not only taps into a cultural movement but also reminds everyone why it’s still a leader in sports marketing. It’s a win for Nike—and for women in sports everywhere. Lesson: When there’s a wave, ride it.

Super Bowl News

Here’s a brief update on other Super Bowl news you should know:

• Mixed Reviews for This Year’s Ads. Overall, this year’s Super Bowl ads were seen as less creative than in previous years, with fewer standout spots. Critics called out overly complicated concepts and lack of effective storytelling, though some ads, like Google’s “Dream Job,” still resonated for their emotional depth and human focus.

• Social Media and Attention Metrics. Tubi was the most talked-about advertiser on social media, while Pfizer’s “Knock Out” was rated the most likable by iSpot.tv. The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism’s ad with Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady captured the most attentive moment, according to TVision.

• Old-School Beer Marketing Wins. Anheuser-Busch InBev dominated USA Today’s Ad Meter, with Budweiser’s Clydesdales ad taking the top spot and three other AB InBev ads (Michelob Ultra, Stella Artois, and Bud Light) landing in the top 10. The brewer’s decision to release ads early and lean into nostalgic, humorous beer advertising paid off, with retailers and wholesalers praising the return of classic beer marketing tactics.

• Unexpected Traffic Boosts. Ram’s ad drove a 436% lift in web traffic, but Buick stole the show without even running an ad—Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show featuring a 1987 Buick Regal GNX led to a 182% traffic increase for Buick’s site.

• Polarizing but Memorable Ads. Coffeemate’s dancing tongue ad and Pringles’ “The Call of the Mustaches” divided critics but stood out for their weirdness and humor, earning praise for being fun and nonsensical amidst all the celebrity-driven spots.

• OpenAI’s Super Bowl Debut. OpenAI’s first Super Bowl ad, “The Intelligence Age,” used pointillism to retell human history through the lens of its signature ChatGPT dot. The minimalist, black-and-white ad stood out for its simplicity. Their Super Bowl ad also coincided with a subtle rebrand, introducing new fonts and a sonic identity. This was OpenAI’s intro to mass marketing. It’s about time, considering they’ve raised $18 Billion so far.

• AI Takes Center Stage. AI was a major theme in this year’s Super Bowl, with Google, Meta, and Salesforce also showcasing AI-powered products. However, Google faced a hiccup when one of its local ads featured incorrect information, highlighting the challenges of relying on AI for accuracy.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to hear me talk about the Super Bowl again until week 53 of Broken Marketing. 

That’s all for this week. Happy Wednesday and remember, fortune favors the brave.

What’s Anvara?

Anvara is a first-of-its-kind platform that connects brands with premium real-world advertising opportunities like live event sponsorship, sports marketing, and guerilla marketing. With a focus on innovation, AI, and advanced measurement, Anvara makes it easier for brands to create memorable real-world experiences and measure their ROI. For more information, visit https://www.anvara.com/.

Quote of the week

“The true competitors, though, are the ones who always play to win.” - Tom Brady