The News in New Media

Super Bowl LVII: From the Commercials to the Calls

Posted on by kayleij

Super Bowl LVII took place this evening in Phoenix, AZ, between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, and it was a high-octane ride from start to finish. This game was in the headlines even more than normal Super Bowl matchups for a variety of reasons, including Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ lingering injury concerns.

This Super Bowl also checked off a number of “firsts” for the NFL, including the first Super Bowl game in which two brothers played against each other (Travis and Jason Kelce), the first Super Bowl game in which two Black quarterbacks started, and the two youngest quarterbacks to ever face off.

But, as most of us know, there’s more to Super Bowl night than the game itself. It’s a time to enjoy good food and drinks with friends and family, and settle in for blockbuster commercials and jaw-dropping musical entertainment. Tonight, we saw all those components in spades, and we followed along on our Twitter account throughout the night. Here’s a more in-depth look at the night’s biggest news. 

The Matchup

The Super Bowl was off to an emotional start tonight, as Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was brought to tears as the emotion of the moment sunk in. His team soon provided a reason to keep the tears of joy coming, as Eagles QB Jalen Hurts drove his team quickly down the field and into the end zone for an early 7-0 lead.

However, the Chiefs would answer back with a rapid touchdown of their own, evening the score at 7-7. That’s how the first quarter would end, after the Chiefs missed a field goal to keep the game square. 

The Eagles started off the next quarter just as hot as they started the game, scoring a touchdown immediately and taking a 14-7 lead before even 10 seconds had passed. The back-and-forth continued as the Chiefs forced a fumble, and Kansas City’s Nick Bolton scooped up the ball for another tying touchdown.

The first half would end with the Eagles ahead 24-14 and more bad news for the Chiefs as their QB Patrick Mahomes limped off the field, appearing to be in extreme pain, with just over a minute and a half left.

Yet Mahomes would power through the pain and led his team out to start the second half, bringing them back within reach by scoring on the opening touchdown. In fact, it was quite a reversal of fortunes as Bolton picked up yet another loose ball and ran it into the end zone – immediately ruled as a fumble on the field, but a subsequent review overturned the call and ruled it incomplete, keeping the score 24-21. 

Hurts would similarly impress, breaking the record for rushing yards by a QB in a Super Bowl before the end of the third quarter. Though the Chiefs went back ahead during the fourth quarter, Hurts led his team not only to another touchdown but also to a two-point conversion, tying the game at 35 with under five minutes remaining. 

A game this crazy would be decided by nothing less, and a controversial Eagles penalty with just over a minute left put the Chiefs on the doorstep. The Chiefs opted to kick a 27-yard field goal with eleven seconds left on the clock, and kicker Harrison Butker nailed it to put his team ahead 38-35 with only eight seconds remaining. Other top-tier athletes weighed in on the call that may have cost Philadelphia its second NFL championship in five years: 

The game ended with a score of 38-35 in favor of the Chiefs, an MVP award for Mahomes, and a whole slew of angry football fans. Sentiment toward the NFL expressed in media shifted from 53% positive between 6pm-6:30pm to 81.3% negative between 10pm-10:30pm. 

Some quick social stats from the end of the game: 

  • The Chiefs were mentioned 817.62K times with a reach of 9 billion feeds between 6pm and 10:30pm. Fans’ sentiment toward the team shifted over the course of the game but ultimately ended fairly evenly, with 53.5% negative sentiment. 
  • The Eagles were mentioned 909.73K times with a reach of 9.03 billion feeds between 6pm and 10:30pm. Even though their team lost, fans held slightly more positive sentiment over the course of the night, averaging out to 53% positive. 
  • Chiefs QB and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes was mentioned 316.2K times between 6pm and 10:30pm, with a reach of 3.96 billion feeds. 
  • Eagles QB and record-breaker Jalen Hurts was mentioned 222.4K times between 6pm and 10:30pm, with a reach of 7 billion feeds. 

The Media

Commercials are, for many, the best part of the Super Bowl, and this year we began with an interesting combination of content. Some ads were instant hits – like a Dunkin’ commercial featuring proud Boston son Ben Affleck and with a cameo from Jennifer Lopez – while some baffled – an odd app commercial offered only a QR code to scan and bizarre graphics.

Lots of familiar faces also returned in the commercials, including early appearances by Alicia Silverstone, reprising her role as Cher (“Clueless”) in a Rakuten ad, and Ben Stiller, donning the Derek Zoolander (“Zoolander”) mantle for Pepsi Zero Sugar. 

Our partner service, Sprinklr, provided a fascinating real-time visualization of the top social traffic around the advertisements, including top-mentioned brands by state and a comprehensive graphic of sentiment around the ads. You can explore the tool here. 

Serena Williams was another familiar face in the star-studded lineup, appearing in two separate alcohol commercials already before the first quarter was over. QR codes were also a frequent feature, with the aforementioned app ad as well as a joint ad from Michelob Ultra and Netflix directing fans to scan their code for early access to a documentary. 

Speaking of, there were quite a few crossover commercials as well. Not only did Michelob and Netflix team up, but Netflix also partnered up with GM while Heineken hopped on the superhero craze with Paul Rudd as Ant-Man from the upcoming movie “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” Massive international beer company Molson Coors even got a three-for-one as they advertised their brands Miller, Coors, and Blue Moon all in one clip! 

Overall, advertisers seemed to take a “more is more” approach, maximizing their (very expensive) time slots with most commercials being loaded up with multiple celebrities, if not multiple brands, involved. 

Miss anything? You can find all the commercials from throughout the night here, thanks to Adweek.

The Music 

Sheryl Lee Ralph continued her banner year, coming off her first Emmy award win for “Abbott Elementary” last fall along with several other awards and nominations for both her role on the show and for her humanitarian efforts. She sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” known as the “Black National Anthem,” to kick off the event.

Meanwhile, Chris Stapleton sang the national anthem as a team of all-female military pilots performed the pregame flyover. 

However, the most anticipated performer of the night was Rihanna, making her first concert appearance in five years! She performed a medley of her hit songs during the halftime show to rave reviews across social media. Between 8pm and 8:45pm tonight, Rihanna was mentioned 775.9K times! What’s more, that number leapt from 680K mentions at 8:44pm to nearly 100K more mentions in just one data refresh a minute later. Clearly, she stole the show – and that content volume will only continue to grow! 

Rihanna wore an artfully draped red outfit during her performance that drew attention to her midsection. Her first child was born last May, and many fans excitedly jumped to the conclusion that she was expecting a second with her longterm partner, rapper A$AP Rocky. Her representative confirmed the news shortly after the performance – congratulations to the expecting parents! 

With a high-energy back-and-forth game and incredible performers throughout the evening, this Super Bowl was one for the ages. 

Author: Kayleigh Jackson

Posted in Tracking News via Social Media Analytics