For some brands, the Super Bowl doesn’t necessarily mean creating a multi-million dollar TV ad during the big game. Many notable promotions don’t even require an actual ad anymore, as the event is now a multi-platform experience for companies and consumers. Most brands seem to be taking a hybrid approach, pairing a TV ad with multiple platform experiences before, during and after the game.
According to Adtaxi’s 2025 Super Bowl Survey, almost 70% of the total audience will utilize secondary media to engage with Super Bowl-related content.
“With the recent increase in data surrounding ‘double-screening,’ it is increasingly crucial for marketers [and communicators] to know and utilize the fact that the majority of Americans plan to utilize both their ‘big screen’ and ‘little screen’ while watching this year’s Super Bowl,” says Adtaxi Director of Research, Murry Woronoff.
“Social media has emerged as the top secondary media choice for audiences primarily using broadcast, cable and radio,” Woronoff notes. “Marketing plans need to include both typical viewing options and social media campaigns to effectively reach intended audiences.”
Creative Multi-Platform Campaigns to Look Out For
PRNEWS receives dozens of Super Bowl pitches from brands every year before the big game. Here are a few that stood out in regards to multi-platform campaigns and experiences.
Taking multi-platform to a whole new level: Twix
Twix fully committed to the multi-platform strategy with this year’s Super Bowl campaign. The twin candy bar company will award two solid gold bars on game day to fans who play the first-ever TWIX Second Screen Staredown.
The brand understands the power of “two screening” as it relates to consumer engagement with content. In fact, Twix did a study in conjunction with YouGov, showing that four in five fans watching the Super Bowl will be checking their phones to text friends and family and catch-up on social media to gauge the internet's reaction to both the game and ads.
So, Twix has decided to overhaul its website, www.TWIX.com, just for the big game. Fans can visit the Second Screen Staredown contest in which—yes, you guessed it—participants hold their gaze on their phone while being tracked by their phone’s camera. The longer the contestant stares, the more entries they earn for those gold bars.
Could this also be a strategy to get viewers to ignore the other commercials while doing their staredown breaks? Pretty smart idea, if so.
In-person as a platform: Tostitos
Multi-platform does not always have to mean digital. It can also include experiential and in-person experiences, which are then captured and communicated through other formats and platforms.
Tostitos created the Tostitos Cantina in New Orleans, which features a culinary experience for locals and fans at the historic St. Roch Market. During Super Bowl weekend visitors can enjoy one-of-a-kind dishes that were created in collaboration with local chefs and restaurateurs.
The limited-edition dishes include Tostitos Hot Shrimp Dip, Laksa-Inspired Tostitos Tortilla Soup, Tostitos Cubano Crunch Quesadilla and many more. If you can’t make it in-person, the brand is helping followers recreate the magic of the Tostitos Cantina at home by sharing the custom recipes online, which is sure to result in a flurry of online images, videos and other social post sharing with the finished results. (More marketing tactics from Tostitos below.)
An ad plus social intrigue: Instacart
Instacart joins game day with its first-ever Super Bowl ad, featuring beloved grocery mascots like the Jolly Green Giant and icons from Super Bowl commercials’ past, including 2016’s Puppy Monkey Baby and the Heinz Weiner Dogs.
While the commercial campaign is unique and fun in its own right, the additional activations are what make it memorable. Instagram and TikTok gossip profile Deuxmoi, for instance, spotted the mascots in the wild—leaving us with quite an impression.
The brand is also including a week of Super Bowl grocery deals on the app, as well as free snacks and famous mascots delivering orders. If you are lucky, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile may show up in front of your house with your game day shopping list.
Appealing to all the senses: Flipz
Multi-platform can also be multi-sensory—and is typically the stronger for it. That’s definitely the case with sweet and salty snack Flipz, which is flipping the script ahead of game day with its first-ever anthem, created by country singer Breland and supported with billboard ads in Times Square, CTV spots and influencer programming. Warning: It’s catchy. Hats off to Flipz for using audio branding to leave a lasting impression.
View this post on Instagram
In-person, in-flight: PepsiCo
Marking its first foray into drone delivery, PepsiCo is partnering with Wing, Alphabet’s drone delivery company, to deliver free snack packs filled with PepsiCo products to football fans in Frisco, Texas, on February 8 and 9. Customers can download the Wing app and order the boxes, which will include Doritos, Tostitos dips and two 12-ounce cans of Pepsi Zero Sugar, while supplies last. According to a blog post from Wing, the partnership represents PepsiCo’s efforts to create a more sustainable supply chain. The automated, all-electric drones are capable of delivering small items at approximately 150 feet and cruising at 65 miles per hour. As a marketing tactic, this falls squarely in the surprise-and-delight camp—and will likely drum up buzz for delivering on creativity.
Will scan for cheese: Cracker Barrel
Not surprisingly, AI will once again be part of the Super Bowl conversation. But this year, the technology will be on the job. Cracker Barrel is using AI-powered food delivery robots to distribute free Cracker Barrel Cheese Sticks to football fans at tailgates, parks and popular hangouts in New Orleans. Each robot is equipped with a scannable QR code with the prompt “SCAN FOR CHEESE.” Fans can follow the brand’s Instagram account to keep up with the robots’ locations.
For the record, the PRNEWS team will scan for cheese.
