The Big Game: The Game is Branding
How the Big Corporations Establish Brand Recognition in 60 Seconds or Less
The Night of the Big Game isn’t just the biggest night of the year for football fans across the country; it’s the biggest day of the year for companies and their marketing team. With millions of fans tuning in for the duration of the game, companies have the opportunity to get their brand in front of them and leave with new and returning customers.
If they leave their mark.
It’s a lot of pressure. The average 30-second commercial slot cost $8 million in 2026, not even including the costs that go into producing an ad fit for the big game. It’s a huge investment to get the right messaging across.
How Big Game Ads Work
Commercials during the Big Game have 30 to 90 seconds to get their brand in front of customers and share their message, all while competing with dozens of other companies with the same goal.
With limited time and a high level of competition, it becomes all about brand recognition, with sharing the message and educating coming secondary – if at all. These commercials rely on getting their name and product out there, leaving a big enough impact that viewers can look them up later to learn more or buy.
The stronger a presence your brand has and the more brand recognition you can generate, the easier it is to achieve.
Some of Our Favorites from the Night
With over 60 commercials playing throughout the big game, dozens of companies shared their messages, but not all were made equal. While most companies took this as an opportunity to showcase their brand or tell viewers about their product, we thought a few did a great job and came out as the winners for the night.
Xfinity
Xfinity’s Big Game Day slot was the perfect example of making nostalgia work while showing viewers what their product does and answering why they need it. Taking real scenes from the movie and placing them in an Xfinity technician heightens the nostalgia but gives it more purpose.
It tells a story.
Xfinity effectively places them in the center of Jurassic Park and saves the day, all while keeping their product and brand front and center.
T-Mobile
When the focus is brand recognition, T-Mobile takes the cake. They started their ad campaign alongside the start of the football season, helping create a recognizable image the second their commercial starts.
Playing off the nostalgia attached to the Backstreet Boys, T-Mobile’s commercial connects their messaging with the song “Tell Me Why.” The prominence of the brand’s iconic pink color helps remind the viewer that this is still a T-Mobile ad, avoiding the common Big Game problem where it’s almost impossible to remember what some commercials are advertising.
Lays
The potato chip brand used two commercial slots to continue their story, highlighting sentimentality while remaining consistent in visuals and branding. In a heartwarming story of passing the company down to their daughter, the commercial manages to showcase the brand in a positive light while drawing viewers to tears.
The subtle pops of yellow as well as the various iterations of the Lays logo carried throughout the ad manage to keep the brand front of mind while encouraging viewers to associate their products with real farmers and families.
It was the most effective commercial to draw on these warm emotions this year.
Their second slot builds off the farm setting alongside the fresh themings. It’s not as strong as their first, longer ad slot, but it effectively shares their message and helps further cement their first commercial in viewers' minds.
How You Can Improve Brand Recognition
While most companies don’t have millions of dollars to put into a 30-second ad slot the night of the Big Game, it doesn’t mean they can’t learn from the companies that do it every year. These companies are able to spend millions of dollars on research alone to figure out the best way to get and stay front of mind.
By watching what they do and learning from it, you can increase your brand recognition too.
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Know and Understand Your Brand
You can’t create brand recognition if you don’t understand your brand. Good branding is more than just slapping your logo around; it’s everything that makes your brand different from your competitors.
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Your Company is More than What You Sell
It might sound cheesy, but your company is more than just the products or services you sell. And it’s what gets people to buy from you.
The more comprehensive your brand, the easier it is for customers to identify with it and develop trust.
This often comes in the form of company values that align with your customer base and that you follow through on. You want to be a company that your customers feel good supporting. Whether it’s donating time or supplies to a cause, making yourself a voice in the community or establishing your brand as a thought leader, customers want to support a company, not just buy another product.
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Be Consistent
Once you understand your brand, stay consistent with it. Use the same logos, colors and fonts. Rely on the same messaging. Especially across different channels.
The key to brand recognition is staying consistent. When your logo and messaging are consistent, it becomes easier for someone to identify your brand. Even bad jingles get stuck in your head when you hear it enough.
The ThreeSixty Approach
We are branding experts. We understand that a strong brand identity is essential to building a successful business.
Our team focuses on a comprehensive approach, ensuring that everything is working together properly to make a unique, memorable brand that resonates with your target audience. With experts across the board, we can make sure your visual identity and messaging align with your goals.
Strengthen Your Brand with ThreeSixty
From brand identity to logo design to custom marketing plans that get results, ThreeSixty can help take your company to the next level.
