From car companies using their spots at the self-proclaimed "greatest show on Earth" to promote gender equality to beer brands talking about the benefits of wind power, the Big Game has also become an opportunity for companies to talk passionately about what they believe in.
The Super Bowl offers brands the perfect stage to talk about the causes they care about. Who they really are. What they stand for other than making a profit and pleasing shareholders.
Some have done it very successfully and authentically - others not so much.
So with another Super Bowl on the horizon, here at Good-Loop we thought we would go back through previous Super Bowls to pick out our favourite Big Game brand purpose campaigns.
As always, if you think we've missed any, please let us know.
Enjoy!
5. Brand: Microsoft and Xbox
Campaign: We All Win
Year: 2019
Microsoft certainly won a lot of fans - and had people reaching for the tissues - with its "We All Win" campaign at the 2019 Super Bowl.
Although created to promote Xbox's new Adaptive Controller - which can be modified to help anyone with disabilities play video games - the ad was also used to emphasise the brand's commitment to inclusivity and making technology accessible to all.
It features young gamers with disabilities talking about how the new controller had helped them connect with their friends and the wider community.
Created by McCann New York, the ad's brilliant storytelling shows how something so simple can be so empowering.
4. Brand: Toyota
Campaign: Upstream
Year: 2021
Toyota, an official partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements, stole the show at last year's Super Bowl with an emotional ad starring Paralympic champion Jessica Long that perfectly encapsulated the brand's vision of a world that's inclusive and free of barriers.
The ad follows the story of Long, who fought back after having her legs amputated when she was a child because of a rare condition to become the most-decorated Paralympian of all time.
It's a beautiful spot that won a lot of admirers when it was released last year. And for good reason - its message of hope and strength during a challenging time for everyone showed how Super Bowl advertisers can truly inspire.
3. Brand: Budweiser
Campaign: Bigger Picture
Year: 2021
Alright, alright, so Budweiser's "Bigger Picture" didn't actually feature at the Super Bowl - but this is my list.
After deciding to not air a commercial at the Big Game for the first time in nearly four decades last year, the AB InBev brand decided to create a campaign to talk about how they were redirecting the advertising dollars to support COVID-19 vaccine awareness and education instead.
The result was "Bigger Picture" - an exceptional ad that packs a serious emotional punch. The campaign also helped Budweiser generate some seriously positive pregame buzz without spending a penny in airtime. A bold move that really paid off.
2. Brand: Cocoa-Cola
Campaign: It's Beautiful
Year: 2024 and 2017
It may be named "It's Beautiful", but the reaction to Coke's 2014 ad - which featured people from across the US singing 'America The Beautiful" in seven different languages and a shot of gay parents - was anything but.
Created to celebrate America's cultural diversity, the ad divided the nation, with some even calling on consumers to boycott the soft drink brand.
The 40-second video mimics the ads created to launch new phones perfectly, with a voiceover that highlights each device feature in detail -- and then explains how it can be used to control your partner.
Despite the controversy, Coke stood firm and even ran the ad again at the 2017 Super Bowl in response to President Donald Trump's decision to ban immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.
1. Brand: Always
Campaign: Like A Girl
Year 2015
When did doing something "like a girl" become an insult? That's the fundamental question asked in Always' ground-breaking campaign "Like A Girl", which was the standout star of the 2015 Super Bowl.
Originally launched in 2014, the ad was shortened and aired at the Super Bowl the following year, quickly becoming one of the most talked about commercials of the entire year.
One of my favourite campaigns of all time, the spot continues to set a high bar for purposeful ad messaging.
