How Super Bowl Commercials Teach Businesses to Connect with Customers

You can’t have the biggest television event of the year without commercials. Over the last two decades, the price tag for a 30-second Super Bowl commercial has risen to $7 million.

Why? Because every brand is vying for the opportunity to connect with customers on a massive scale.

This year’s line-up tapped into the power of nostalgia with cameos from Doja Cat, Matthew McConaughey, and Lil Wayne.

We all laughed when Pete Davidson revealed he was an alien and sobbed when a new dad told us about his dream job.

While some ads were hits and others a miss, underneath the piles of money are market-mastering, content-creating and brand-building nuggets you can use to connect with potential customers for your small business.

How Super Bowl Commercials Make Connections

Brands like Chevy and Pepsi were on to something when they brought entertainment to Super Bowl commercials generations ago. Marketers have leaned into making customer communication more appealing and entertaining.

Some successful commercials incorporate humor and pop culture references, while others get personal and pull at your heartstrings. After all, making relatable content is always a good strategy to get people engaged.

This is how you build lasting relationships — by establishing a personal connection with potential customers from the start.

Now let’s take a look at some of the best Super Bowl commercials of 2025 and the remaining 2000s so you can learn to communicate and engage with consumers on a more personal level.

1. Create Parodies of Different Trends and Themes

Zigging while everyone is zagging is a timeless marketing play. You’ll stand out from your competitors and catch the eye of your customers.

There’s no bigger stage to do that than in the Super Bowl. It’s the perfect time to use parody to surprise your audience and reinforce a message.

Here’s an example from this year’s game. Haagen-Dazs aired this commercial featuring the actors from the Fast and Furious movie series. Rather than delivering a high-octane advertisement, this commercial surprised viewers by showing Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez taking a scenic drive through the countryside.

At the end of the day, good marketing should get your audience’s attention. Surprising them with unexpected twists and turns is an excellent way to do it.

2. Tap Into Influencer Marketing

Does your audience need to see a noteworthy name promoting your latest special? Try influencer marketing. Some consumers search for the truth in influencers.

In this year’s big game, we saw the Dunkings make a case for Dunkin’, and we’ll never forget the slew of celebrity cameos when Alexa lost her voice in 2018.

Now, you don’t have to hire someone like Nikki Minaj or another A-lister. Rather find an expert in your industry to appear on your podcast, duet your Reel or provide a quote for your blog.

3. Make a Pop Culture Reference

It’s right in the name. Popular culture. Referencing TV shows, movies, and games as recent as Breaking Bad to touchstones like Star Wars are bound to get someone’s attention.

You can establish common ground with consumers using pop culture references in your posts. Your customers might even form a personal connection to your brand because you quoted their favorite actor or published a video with a trendy song.

The linking of your brand and these iconic moments will form lasting connections with your customers.

Don’t believe us? It’s been more than ten years and we all can call back this magic moment a mini-Darth Vader tapped into the force.

PopCorners took a similar approach a few years ago, crediting Breaking Bad’s, Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, for the snack’s delicious crunch and seven flavors.

4. Find a Consistent Brand Voice

Some brands pump out stellar Super Bowl commercials season after season. They hit the content jackpot and continually connect with customers by sticking to what they relate with the most.

Budweiser has been consistently trotting out those feel-good Clydesdale ads since 1986 and the E-trade baby should be in high school by now.

Doritos does an excellent job with its Super Bowl commercials. Ads like this one are always fun, exciting, and entertaining. It’s perfectly on-brand for the company and does a great job of grabbing viewers’ attention.

Monitor the success of your social posts, email campaigns and blogs. If your customers respond well to a particular message, find out why — then replicate it!

5. Add a Little Humor

One of the most common tactics in Super Bowl commercials is humor. Whether it’s sarcasm, clever wordplay or wacky antics. Tickling a consumer’s funny bone is a good way to be remembered.

The absurd, non-sensical humor behind Puppy Monkey Baby is how Mountain Dew chose to connect with consumers in 2016, and it worked. It has hilariously haunted many nights of sleep since. And two years ago, we all got a good giggle out of the idea of a “brighter Boston” in this Sam Adams commercial.

With plenty of funny ads and comical commercials out there, we can’t not mention the iconic Budweiser joke that makes us crack a smile … every time.

Next time you’re coming up with your next social media post, consider pulling out your best industry-related puns and jokes to test what sticks with your customers. That giggle could land you at the top of their mind next time they’re in need of a service.

The Key to Connecting with Customers

You don’t have to spend $7 million on an Oscar-worthy or cult classic TV commercial to connect with customers. Create relatable messaging for the audience you want to reach and communicate with them how they prefer to be communicated with.

It’s all a matter of mastering marketing to build your brand. Use these Super Bowl commercial tactics to jumpstart your marketing efforts this year. You may find yourself uncovering some unexpected marketing ideas along the way.