The Super Bowl Ad You Spent Millions On? Half Its Potential Impact Happens Before Sunday.

By: Erin Osher, Executive Vice President, Corporate + Brand at Porter Novelli

After leading PR for dozens of Super Bowl campaigns, our team has learned how 30-second ads can work harder to build your brand around the Big Game. Super bowl ads shine when they’re surrounded by deep planning, cultural calibration, and conversation building over time.

Here’s what separates ads that resonate in culture from those that get lost in the shuffle:

Start planning for 2027 now
The work begins months before game day. We build wish lists into talent contracts – BTS content, social posts, media interviews that activate at the right time, so people are already invested. For one campaign, we negotiated Justin Bieber’s first Instagram post nearly a year in advance as a teaser. 

Know who you are in the cultural moment
Pressure-test your ad against the moment we’re in and your company’s values in the months, weeks and days leading up to ad launch. In a period of heightened uncertainty and tension, your Super Bowl ad should reflect your brand’s values, feel authentic and human, and engage with culture, not shout over it or hide from it.

Pre-game conversation is everything
48% of media conversation about Super Bowl ads happens before the game. Miss that window, and you’ve already lost half the battle. Building buzz requires a different playbook from just announcing an ad:

• Deploy teasers strategically (we previewed one on NBC TODAY the Friday before the game)
• Secure embargoed talent interviews throughout the week
• Create moments that appeal to different audiences—sports, entertainment, business, ad trades
  
  

Extend beyond Sunday
Post-game “best of” roundups run for days. We chase every inclusion, amplify across brand and talent social channels, and keep the conversation going. For a spot with Miley Cyrus, we debuted a full original song the morning after.

The through-line? No wasted moments. 
Campaigns that break through the noise don’t just show during the game – they’re already in progress. Your Super Bowl investment deserves more than hoping people catch it between trips to the snack table.

What’s the most creative Super Bowl campaign you’ve seen break through the noise?