Silence, Brand! 02.10.25
🦀 SUPER BOWL RECAP + kanyes deactivated + Trump vs Taylor + Euphoria first look + blasting Fetty Wap on the JBL speaker + "we're donezo" + robotaxis + Die Hard Huey Lewis 🦀
GO SPORTS! 🏈🦅
whether you tuned in for the game,
the ads,
or just to take a shot every time
Taylor Swift got camera time,
last night was a cultural event.
brands threw millions at our eyeballs,
betting big on nostalgia and celebrities.
but we wanted to talk about what
we considered standout last night
as well as what is going on outside of sports
let’s dive in 🌊🌊🌊
fresh catch:
why everyone’s blasting Fetty Wap on the JBL speaker
Europe trying to get back into the AI race
a mini breakdown of the #adbowl and themes you didn’t notice
trends:
The “We’re donezo” trend is throwing us back to Michael, Dwight, and Andy in The Office
The 'Say Drake’ meme has everyone ready to say something unhinged with the spirit of Kendrick Lamar.
and don’t even get us started on…
Trump mocking Taylor (like weird flex but ok???)
$1.1B Super Bowl betting volume (y’all got moneyyyy!!!)
Elon offers to buy OpenAI Control and Altman says nahhhh
SB25: The Plays Brands Are Running
The Super Bowl LIX commercials leaned into nostalgia, humor, and big-name cameos—because nothing sells like a little déjà vu. From Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal reviving When Harry Met Sally for Hellmann’s to Ben Affleck’s latest Dunkin’ appearance (this time with Casey Affleck and Jeremy Strong in tow), brands played it safe with feel-good storytelling. But beyond the star power, there were clear marketing plays that signaled where the industry is headed: the rise of women-centered marketing, the strategic elevation of POC in commercials, and brands quietly abandoning Twitter for Threads.
1. Women Take the Spotlight
Brands weren’t just selling products; they were selling narratives centered around women. Nike made a historic return after 27 years with its "So Win" campaign, celebrating female athletes like Sha'Carri Richardson and inspiring the next generation. Novartis took a meaningful approach with a breast cancer awareness ad featuring Wanda Sykes, encouraging early detection. Beauty brands also had a strong presence—NYX teamed up with DraftKings, e.l.f. Cosmetics hosted the "e.l.f Time Show," Ulta Beauty spotlighted SZA’s glam look. These campaigns reflected a continued push to celebrate and support women, proving that the Super Bowl stage isn’t just for sports—it’s for storytelling.
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2. POC Representation Was More Than Just a Box-Check
This year’s Super Bowl ads spotlighted diverse voices in a way that felt more intentional than performative. Bad Bunny brought his smile to Ritz, Stella Artois paired David Beckham with Matt Damon, Uber Eats lined up Charli XCX, Matthew McConaughey, and Martha Stewart, and Instacart’s mascot-filled ad included a wide range of cultural touchpoints.
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3. Twitter Who? Brands Make the Threads Switch
Social media buzz is half the battle of a Super Bowl campaign, and this year, brands are subtly distancing themselves from Elon Musk’s X. Instead of live-tweeting, many are opting for Meta’s Threads, which offers a similar real-time discussion format—minus the baggage of Twitter’s chaotic rebrand and advertiser controversies. It’s a calculated pivot that signals where brand trust (and marketing dollars) are shifting in 2025.
From high-production commercials to the social media strategy behind them, this year’s Super Bowl ads were as much about the message as they were about where that message lives. [Dejaih Smith]
and if the ads had you distracted, here’s everything else from the big game that the internet is talking about:
"Say Drake" Meme
One of the biggest memes to come out of this year’s Super Bowl was when Kendrick Lamar started performing his 5x Grammy-award winning song, Not Like US. He looked into the camera with a devious smile when he called Drake out and users across social platforms are putting the screenshot with a caption describing scenarios of them being unhinged or doing something they know may get them in trouble.
‘MAGA Is Unforgiving’: Trump Mocks Taylor Swift After Some Spectators Boo Her At Super Bowl (Forbes)
Kendrick Lamar Just Put Bell Bottoms Back on the Board (GQ)
Dancer Who Waved Sudan and Gaza Flag During Super Bowl Hit With NFL Ban, But No Charges (Rolling Stone)
Eagles top Chiefs to win Super Bowl, led by Jalen Hurts and a brilliant defensive performance (Yahoo Sports)
Polymarket Records $1.1B Super Bowl Betting Volume Despite Regulatory Concerns (Blockonomi)
Kanye West Deactivated (Again)—But Does It Even Matter?
Kanye West's X account is gone—whether he deactivated it himself or got the boot is still unclear. After days of posting blatantly antisemitic content (including calling Hitler "so fresh" and literally saying "I'm a Nazi"), the backlash was swift. Anti-hate organizations called him out, celebs like David Schwimmer demanded action, and now, his profile just says: This account doesn't exist.
If this all feels familiar, that's because it is. Back in 2022, Kanye's antisemitic rants led to major brands like Adidas cutting ties, and research linked his words to real-life spikes in antisemitic incidents. But here we are again, watching the same playbook unfold: public figure says awful things, people react, platform steps in (eventually), and then... what?
Adding fuel to the fire, Kanye paid for a Super Bowl commercial that directed viewers to his website Yeezy.com, which featured a t-shirt with a swastika on it. This move not only amplified his offensive messaging but also underscored the challenges in curbing the spread of hate speech, even when traditional platforms seem take action.
And now, even his biggest fan accounts are done with him. The Kanye stan page @/DondaTimes, one of the most well-known Ye update accounts on X, officially distanced itself from him, stating they no longer want to be associated with the artist. You know it's bad when your own fanbase quits.
Deplatforming limits his reach for now, but does it actually stop the cycle?
Social media thrives on outrage, and figures like Kanye always seem to find a way back—whether on different platforms or with an even more radicalized audience. X under Elon Musk has claimed to be a "free speech" haven, so will this ban stick? Or are we just waiting for round three? [Dayna Castillo]
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What is the 'blasting Fetty Wap on the JBL speaker' TikTok trend? (Indy 100)
The latest TikTok trend involves people pretending to play rapper Fetty Wap’s songs at strange or random historical or fictional moments using a JBL Bluetooth speaker, with users adding the music to clips from TV and film. The trend started with a user posting historical illustrations with Fetty Wap’s song playing, and it quickly went viral, inspiring others to edit the song into scenes from popular films and TV shows.
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