Super Bowl Sunday

The Super Bowl is the National Football League (NFL) championship game and is the most-watched program on TV in America every year.

Even people that don’t like football will gather around the TV in anticipation of the halftime show, which has attracted the biggest names in entertainment over the years—and the hype is spreading globally.

Now, massive brands are buying commercial airtime for eye-watering sums—reportedly, more than $7 million per 30-second ad in this year, with ad slots sold out since November 2024.

But ecommerce merchants can get involved—and it doesn’t have to break the bank. Sports, food, and beverage industries can offer promotions or discounts, or ride the moment with a clever social media campaign that’s relevant to the event.

If your brand isn’t linked to football, you could consider a promotion specific to results from the actual game. For example, Baltimore-based furniture store Gardiner offered to reimburse customers who made purchases in the week before the Super Bowl if the Ravens scored a touchdown on a kickoff return.

The odds were in the merchant’s favor, but when it came to the night, the team did just that (at the cost of $600,000 to the store). It did generate a great amount of publicity for them, though!