Where Sound Becomes Culture: Scoring the Super Bowl

Fine tuning under a global spotlight

On the world’s biggest advertising stage, sound does more than sit in the background. It leads the charge—amplifying every emotional moment for players, fans and viewers. It echoes long after the last piece of confetti falls. Music shapes how every moment lands. And if we’re lucky, the creative we support in that pressure cooker environment becomes a part of cultural history—heard, judged and remembered by millions.

Brands are playing in a hyper-competitive space, stretching far beyond a single category, vertical or year when it comes to the Super Bowl. The entire history of the broadcast becomes the landscape. Each year widens the frame and the stakes rise.

And if you’ve ever wondered “what’s it like from the inside?” buckle up—we’re about to detail the ride.

At last year’s Super Bowl 59, we partnered with Dove on a campaign designed to change the way society speaks to young girls about their bodies—no small ask. And that’s why, sitting at the emotional heart of Dove’s message, was a historic moment in music. We licensed Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” for the very first time—ever—and enlisted Grammy Award-winning H.E.R to reinterpret the track.

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Historically, Springsteen has been protective—dare we say, most protective—of this particular song and our team took that responsibility seriously. We knew that if the sentiment was off even slightly, it wouldn’t land. Beyond that, in terms of emotional impact, it was critical for this version of the song reflected the brand’s intent. We needed to connect the cultural legacy of the Boss to a new generation of music fans and young women.

We embarked on months of high-intensity creative and strategic effort, which allowed us to deliver a poignant reinterpretation that lent fresh perspective on an important cultural conversation.

Working on a project of this magnitude, for a live audience of 100 million people, can be career-defining for anyone seeking to make a creative impact. After all, brand storytelling is why nearly half the viewers tune in. Even if they don’t love football, they come to feel something and be part of broader culture. Audiences expect Super Bowl ads to be as entertaining, cinematic and resonant as the game itself. And that expectation raises the bar for every element, especially sound. Whether viewers are watching in a packed bar, via a surround system at home or on their phones, we only have a few seconds to hook them before their gaze drifts to the chips and guac. Music must do the heavy lifting to both grab and sustain attention.

The pressure hits the moment a Big Game brief lands on our desk. It never really lets up, peaking when we align rights holders with a brand’s creative vision and see the first assembly cut. That’s when you know whether the idea actually works. Everything gets very real, very fast. And once the goosebumps hit—and continue to hit after weeks of debate, licensing negotiations and research—we know that the music has transcended, becoming the heartbeat of the moment.

Creative friction is part of the process. The depth of strategy, negotiation and iteration it takes to deliver iconic music goes beyond what most people imagine. The strongest ad concepts mash up instincts and perspectives from creatives, agency stakeholders, brand teams and executives. Debates inevitably arise. When we’re licensing music, the rights holders can of course say no, change their minds or perhaps need persuasion. Our role in supervising music increasingly involves uniting values, audience and creative intent while bringing fresh ideas to the table.

And once the music finally locks to picture, the emotional impact becomes the deciding factor for all—spotlighting a win.

Fortunately, that response is measurable and directly correlates with both short-term impact and long-term brand growth. Super Bowl ads that score well on emotional metrics outperform typical U.S. advertising by a significant margin. This further ties the strategic use of music to increased return on marketing spend, meaningful reductions in consumer price sensitivity and gains in brand perception.

So as you settle into the couch and the music swells, know that what you’re hearing is the result of a carefully measured strategy to drive emotion, engagement, loyalty and long-term value.