In between smiling at pedestrians and hosting U2 concerts, Sphere in Las Vegas also happens to be the hottest billboard in town. And it only got hotter when the Super Bowl came to Sin City.
James Dolan, executive chairman and CEO of Sphere Entertainment Co., said in a November earnings call that the week leading up to the Super Bowl would be a “record-setting revenue week” for the venue. Now that the game has come and gone, which brands decided to fork over what reportedly cost up to $2 million per day last week to get on the Exosphere?
Food and beverage brands: Pepsi, which recently announced a partnership with Sphere, promoted its Wild Cherry flavor ahead of the Super Bowl, showcasing the can and “filling” the orb with the drink. The brand also worked with magician and influencer Zach King to create a video that plays up the fantastical and makes it look like King is drinking Pepsi directly from Sphere, which CMO Todd Kaplan said has been “going viral and getting a ton of views”—25 million on TikTok as of this writing—since it was posted.
“While the Sphere presents itself as an out-of-home opportunity in the local Las Vegas market…We can engage with consumers on a national scale, knowing how much it has been popping up in people’s social feeds,” he told us.
For its Super Bowl comeback tour, Bud Light advertised on Sphere every day from February 5 through game day. The creative was designed to make it look like viewers are taking a trip inside one of the brand’s beer bottles. The Budweiser Clydesdales also made appearances on the Exosphere.
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Meanwhile, the mayo brand Hellmann’s took over Sphere with a piece of creative dubbed “Mayo Cat” depicting the cat that starred in the brand’s Super Bowl ad walking across the orb and wearing a football helmet.
Media and entertainment brands: According to Campaign US, Paramount purchased 40% of Sphere’s inventory leading up to the Super Bowl, running ads for Paramount+, Pluto TV, CBS Sports, and Nickelodeon.
Verizon, meanwhile, turned Sphere into a branded football helmet as part of its pregame strategy.
And naturally, Sphere worked with the NFL, putting its branding and a countdown leading up to the game on the Exosphere in addition to other custom graphics, like helmets representing the 49ers and the Chiefs. The NFL also ran graphics during the game.
Other major advertisers: FedEx turned the Earth into a shipping animation on Sphere, ending with a delivery man dropping off the Lombardi trophy.
It appears Adidas was rooting for the Chiefs—or at least Patrick Mahomes—this weekend. The sportswear brand honored the Chiefs quarterback (who is an official Adidas athlete) in its pregame Sphere creative with the tagline, “You got this.”
The home improvement store Lowes also seemed to be pro-Chiefs, using the venue to showcase its Home Team composed of sales associates and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Additional reporting by Alyssa Meyers.