Play On: Music A Key To Scoring With Consumers During Super Bowl Broadcast
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 at 03:41PM By Barry Janoff
December 22, 2025: When it comes to Super Bowl commercials, viewers would prefer to hear the sound of music rather than the sounds of silence.
And when given the option, the entertainers they most would like to see and hear are Taylor Swift, Beyoncè and Cardi B.
The NFL has already unveiled its own entertainment line-up, including Bad Bunny headlining the Apple Music Halftime Show, Super Bowl LX Studio 60 in the Palace of Fine Arts led by Sting, the Bay Area Host Committee BAHC Live! Concert Series in the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and Charlie Puth performing the National Anthem
For the broadcast of Super Bowl LX from Levi's Stadium Feb. 8, 2026 on NBC and Peacock will pay upward of $8 million for a 30-second spot, according to industry analysts.
And at that rate, viewers expect a high-volume of entertainment.
According to a new survey from Platinum Rye Entertainment, music is important to viewing, retention and, ultimately, purchasing. Some 80% of people who watch the game also watch every commercial in the game.
Respondents said the use of a favorite song in a Super Bowl ad was more memorable than a favorite movie character/scene or a favorite celebrity, all of which have become mainstays of Super Bowl ads.
New York-based Platinum Rye Entertainment is an entertainment marketing consultancy — a division of TMA, a creative agency in the Omnicom Advertising Group — specializing in the sourcing of celebrity talent and the licensing of music and other copyrighted properties for use in advertising, public relations efforts, special events and promotional campaigns.
The group’s fourth annual Super Bowl survey, with a focus on music, was conducted in September among 1,000-plus people across a representative sample of genders, ages and ethnicities. Questions covered the viewing experience, what people look for in Big Game ads, the role of celebrities in the ads and other Super Bowl activation.
When asked “Which is more memorable to you in a Super Bowl ad?” respondents said the “use of a favorite song in a Super Bowl ad was more memorable than a favorite movie character/scene or a favorite celebrity.”
After music, women found celebrities more memorable than a movie, while men say the opposite, favoring a movie.
Asked if they have ever streamed/download a song after hearing it in a Super Bowl ad, people said "Super Bowl ads are vehicles for discovering or rediscovering music, with 44% of respondents having hunted down a song after hearing it in an ad. This behavior is correlated with youth."
Key to brands: Asked “Would you/have you ever purchased a product after seeing a Super Bowl ad with a musician or a song you love?”, Platinum Rye Entertainment said the feedback was that, “Music helps to open wallets. Most respondents have purchased or would purchase something after seeing an ad with a musician or song they love. Millennials are the most likely to do so.”
When it comes to favorite musical decades, there is — not surprisingly — an age factor.
“Conventional wisdom holds that people are deeply fond of music from their adolescence. However, the 2010’s are not any generation’s favorite decade (yet), with Gen Z preferring the 2000’s of their childhoods,” according to the survey.
“When ads use nostalgic songs, original artists and recordings have more appeal than updated versions. A majority of Gen Z want to see the original artist perform.”
As for the talent itself, when asked as an open-ended question which celebrity they would most like to see in an ad, Taylor Swift topped the chart for a second consecutive year.
“Every group says celebrities make ads more entertaining and more effective,” with the most-named after Swift including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jimmy Kimmel, Beyonce, Ryan Reynolds, Tom Cruise, Sydney Sweeney, Cardi B and Peyton Manning.
Also asked as an open-ended question which brand had your favorite commercial during Super Bowl LIX, respondents said, in order, Budweiser and Bud Light, Doritos, Pepsi, Coca Cola, Dunkin’ and Nike.
Among other noteworthy observations, given a choice, viewers would prefer to see the commercials for the first time during the game.
However, half of viewers are “Very likely or somewhat likely” to engage with content before the game, as many brands release teasers or the full ads in advance. That figure goes up to 55% during the game, reflecting “second screen” behavior.
That climbs to 61% after the game.
The game itself is the biggest draw for all viewer groups. The percentage of women watching “Mostly for the game” has been rising in recent years and now stands at 34%, compared with 20% three years ago. It still lags behind the males: 60%.”
Viewers watching “Mostly for the commercials” continues to skew female.
Most viewers would rather not see social media influencers/creators in the ads, but it depends on the age of those surveyed: Gen Z and Millennials like them. Every group would like to see more fan-generated ads in the game.
Viewing habits and preferences are largely consistent in recent years. The favorite type of commercial is a funny one, with “throwback” a distant second.
Half of viewers are “Very likely or somewhat likely” to engage with content before the game, as many brands release teasers or the full ads in advance. That figure goes up to 55% during the game, reflecting “second screen” behavior.
That climbs to 61% after the game.
According to Platinum Rye Entertainment, “Advertising works.”
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