What I’d Do If I Was These Brands: A Post-Super Bowl Reflection
The Super Bowl isn’t just about the game-it’s about the ads, the viral moments, and the cultural takeaways. Some brands knocked it out of the park, others left people talking for better or worse, and some left serious PR potential on the table. If I were running these brands post-Super Bowl PR, here’s exactly how I’d keep the momentum going.
Heinz: Mustard. That’s It.
Kendrick Lamar screaming “MUSTARD” in the middle of Heinz’s commercial? Iconic. If I were Heinz, I’d fully lean into the absurdity.
Social Media Play:
Launch a meme campaign featuring actual mustard bottles screaming back. Think talking mustard in short, Gen-Z-friendly, weirdly self-aware TikToks.
Roll out polls: “What’s Kendrick’s beef with ketchup?” “Who wins in a fight: mustard or ketchup?”
Bring Heinz Ketchup into the mix-maybe it tweets back at mustard with a petty rivalry that plays into their existing brand persona.
Real-World Activation:
Partner with Kendrick Lamar to do something-whether it’s a subtle Easter egg in his next music video or a limited-edition mustard with a name only he could approve.
Launch a “Just Mustard” campaign where fans can order mustard-only packets in restaurants, just for the chaos of it.
Poppi: The Crisis PR Follow-Up
Poppi’s Super Bowl ad was amazing-but here’s how they could bandage up their reputation after many people slammed them for their vending machine PR packages.
Social Impact Move:
Invite influencers and celebrities who received the iconic Poppi vending machines to donate them to a location of their choice. Schools, community centers, women’s shelters-you name it.
Add more vending machines in hospitals, homeless shelters, and places of need.
Social Media Play:
Create a “Golden Ticket” moment-hide free Poppi vouchers in vending machines across the country for fans to discover.
Have a “where should we drop the next Poppi machine?” vote-off on Instagram stories, engaging the community and showing you care about where they want these machines to be.
Nike: Flip the Narrative
Nike made waves with its first Super Bowl ad in 27 years, focusing on female athletes and the doubts they face. The tagline? “Whatever you do, you can’t win. So win.” Here’s how I’d amplify that message for Women’s History Month in March.
Social Media Move:
Change Nike’s social bios across all platforms to: “Do It Anyways.” A nod to the ad’s theme and a powerful call to action.
Have female Nike athletes take over the brand’s Instagram, sharing personal “can’t win” moments they overcame.
Run a campaign encouraging everyday of March for International Womens Month, for women to share their own “Do It Anyways” stories, spotlighting real-world wins.
On-the-Ground Activation:
Host “Do It Anyways” pop-up events in major cities where women can try new sports for free-rock climbing, boxing, running clubs, etc.
Give out limited-edition merch with the phrase “Do It Anyways” to celebrate women pushing boundaries.
MOTHER Denim: The Lamar Jeans
Although Kendrick Lamar wore Celine bell-bottoms, the real PR move? MOTHER Denim renaming a jean style after him.
The Product Move:
Release “The Lamar Way” or “Lamar Jeans”—a new edition of their bell-bottoms in honor of Kendrick’s viral moment.
Make them limited edition to create hype.
Social Media Play:
Run an influencer campaign where celebrities and style icons show how they’d style the Lamar Jeans.
Keep the humor rolling-tweet something like, “Kendrick, call us. We’ve got the real Lamar jeans waiting for you.”
Launch a challenge: “Who wore it best: Kendrick or you?” encouraging fans to recreate his look.
The Super Bowl may be over, but the PR magic shouldn’t stop there. The best brands don’t just make a moment during the big game-they ride the wave long after. If I were these brands, I’d be making sure every viral moment turns into a movement, every big play leads to an even bigger payoff, and every ad lingers in the cultural conversation long after the confetti falls.