The Super Bowl, Advertising, and the Next 10 Years
Thirty years ago, we made a bold prediction: 'Everything that can be digital, will be.' It sounded radical at the time, but today, it’s undeniable. Streaming replaced broadcast. AI writes scripts, edits footage, and optimises content in real time. Ads no longer just air - they evolve. The future we imagined has arrived, and the Super Bowl, the ultimate proving ground for brand storytelling, is about to change forever.
For decades, the Super Bowl ad was the crown jewel of marketing - a singular, shared experience where brands had one shot to make an impact. But in the next decade, the ad you see won’t be the ad I see. AI will generate personalised commercials, adapting in real time based on location, search history, and even the outcome of the game. A sneaker brand won’t just run a national spot; it will serve thousands of variations at once, seamlessly weaving itself into each viewer’s world. If your team is losing, you might see an ad offering comfort. If they’re winning, a celebratory version might pop up instead. The Super Bowl ad will no longer be a fixed, cultural moment - it will be a living, AI-driven experience tailored to each audience.
The future of ads will be written in real time
But this isn’t just about automation or personalisation - it marks a fundamental shift in how creative ideas take shape. Right now, brands spend months crafting their Super Bowl campaigns, locking in a final cut well before kick off. By 2035, that process will collapse into minutes. AI will write, test, and refine ads on the fly, analysing reactions across platforms and adjusting narratives in real time. The concept of a “final cut” will disappear, replaced by an adaptive storytelling system that evolves with its audience as the game unfolds.
Still, the best campaigns won’t be the result of algorithms alone. Creativity isn’t disappearing - it’s expanding. Technology can generate variations, but it can’t create meaning. It can optimise, but it can’t originate. The next great Super Bowl ad won’t just be about AI’s ability to react - it will be about how creatives harness, guide, and amplify that power to tell richer, more engaging stories.
And that transformation extends beyond the ads themselves. The Super Bowl won’t just be something we watch - it will be something we step inside. With XR technology, fans will experience plays from a first-person perspective, standing virtually on the field. AI-generated replays will let viewers explore alternate realities - what if that pass had been caught? What if the play had gone another way? Meanwhile, brand activations won’t be confined to commercial breaks but will unfold inside digital stadiums, where fans can interact with products in real time. The Super Bowl won’t just be televised - it will be lived.
The future is AI-generated personalities and digital legends
And then there’s the question of who will define influence in this new landscape. For years, Super Bowl commercials have relied on celebrity cameos to create instant cultural impact. But as technology advances, brands will have the ability to design their own ambassadors - digital personalities built to engage across platforms, evolve over time, and represent a brand with consistency, adaptability, and longevity in ways human spokespeople never could.
This isn’t just a novelty - it’s a shift in how brands build relationships. AI-generated personalities could interact directly with fans, customise responses in real time, and extend beyond a single campaign, creating continuity in brand storytelling. Even nostalgia will take on new dimensions, with legendary athletes or cultural icons digitally reimagined to bridge past and present. The question isn’t whether AI can create believable digital figures - it’s how creatives will use them to expand storytelling and deepen audience connection.
The future where ads and the game become one
Meanwhile, the boundaries between the game and advertising will disappear entirely. The 30-second ad break won’t vanish - it will dissolve into the experience. Betting platforms will allow fans to wager on AI-generated alternate endings to key plays. Haptic wearables will let people feel the impact of a tackle from their couch. Live commentary will be hyper-personalised, dynamically shifting based on user preferences. Advertising won’t interrupt the game - it will be woven seamlessly into it.
The future is unpolished and fan-made
And with AI democratising content creation, Super Bowl ads will no longer be singular, controlled moments. Fans will generate their own high-quality AI ads, remix official campaigns, and create hyper-real 'what-if' sports moments that challenge reality. Parodies, counter-narratives, and viral remixes will surface faster than brands can react.
But in a world where content is limitless, authenticity and originality will carry more weight than ever. The brands that succeed won’t be those trying to contain the conversation but those who create ideas so culturally undeniable that they stand apart. The future of Super Bowl advertising won’t be about controlling the narrative - it will be about defining what feels real, memorable, and worth engaging with.
So, what does success look like in this new era?
For brands, this will be the most difficult shift of all. The ones that thrive won’t be those clinging to control but those who embrace it differently - through co-creation, real-time storytelling, and marketing that feels more like an experience than an interruption. Creatives will move from crafting a single execution to designing systems that enable interaction, adaptation, and participation. The goal won’t be making a perfect ad - it will be about setting a creative idea in motion and letting it take on a life of its own.
Thirty years ago, we said everything that could be digital would be. Now, everything that can be adaptive, interactive, and AI-driven will be. The Super Bowl won’t just be a moment in time. It will be a dynamic, immersive, ever-evolving spectacle.
Are brands ready for that? Because the future isn’t coming. It’s already here.
