Super Bowl LI in Houston will go down in history books, as the New England Patriots pulled off an unprecedented rally to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34 to 28 at NRG Stadium. Sunday’s halftime show also went big, as Lady Gaga showed off vocal acrobatics and actual acrobatics—along with a light show from an army of flying drones powered by the Intel Shooting Star drone system.
Leading up to the big game, brands hosted events across downtown Houston at venues as varied as the University of Houston, downtown's Discovery Green park, a warehouse near the Arts District, and a pop-up nightclub. That last venue would be Club Nomadic, a massive 62,500-square-foot, three-tiered temporary traveling nightclub from Nomadic Entertainment Group, an entity of On Location Experiences (the official hospitality partner of the N.F.L.). Club Nomadic played host to concerts from stars like Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Sam Hunt, and the Chainsmokers.
Returning brands to the Super Bowl event landscape included DirecTV, Playboy, Bud Light, Rolling Stone, Maxim, Marriott, Animal Planet, and ESPN. Standout production included tech elements like 3-D projection-mapping systems, as well as human touches such as live muralists. Here's a look at how companies spread brand awareness through the global platform of the Super Bowl.