Super Bowl XLIX saw the Seattle Seahawks facing off against the (ultimately victorious) New England Patriots at the University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1. The game itself had plenty of conspicuous brand marketing, including an over-the-top halftime show headlined by Katy Perry presented by Pepsi, and the days leading up to the big event saw the usual slew of celebrity-studded parties and brand activations that the Super Bowl brings to its host town.
This year, some new sponsors arrived on the scene—The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard teamed up to host a first-time event, for example—but a more prevalent theme was returning brands activating new strategies. Bud Light, for example, did not host its Bud Light Hotel this year, but instead created the House of Whatever. The downtown Phoenix activation, open for three days, hosted concerts, parties, and unusual experiences ranging from a speed-painting session with Shaquille O'Neal to an impromptu pizza party with pies delivered by new Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan. DirecTV, another returning sponsor, replaced its Celebrity Beach Bowl with the new Super Fan Fest. Held on a Glendale farm, the festival was open to the public and featured 13 concerts in three days, with acts from Calvin Harris to Ingrid Michaelson and Imagine Dragons.
The event landscape did carry on with some traditions, such as high-octane events from Maxim, Playboy, and Rolling Stone all taking place throughout the weekend. Here's a look inside some of Super Bowl weekend's major bashes.
Bud Light, the N.F.L.'s official beer sponsor, abandoned its five-year-old Bud Light Hotel this year in favor of something new. Named the Bud Light House of Whatever, the new activation took over a downtown Phoenix hotel and played off the brand's marketing tagline: "The Perfect Beer for Whatever Happens." Produced by Mosaic, the experience ran from January 30 to February 1, and organizers aimed to treat guests to "Up for Whatever," or unpredictable, experiences.
The marketing campaign's hashtag appeared in colorful, lit-up letters at the House of Whatever. In order to gain access to the experience, consumers aged 21 and over were invited to film short videos of themselves finishing the sentence: "the perfect beer for..." Potential guests then posted their videos to social media using the hashtag #UpforWhatever. Some 4,000 winners were selected.
At the house, the "Up for Whatever" experiences included a "Super Fry." In the activity, characters dressed up as superheroes served guests various deep-fried dishes.
On January 30, guests donned animal masks to attend a party-boat-theme concert with headliners Nicki Minaj and Kongos. The performance took place under a massive marquee tent decked in Bud Light's signature hues: blue and white.
Guests played vintage games at the on-site Pac-Man arcade, which was lit up with black lights. The activation tied into the brand's Super Bowl TV spot, which featured a life-size Pac-Man maze that Bud Light marketers built in downtown Los Angeles.
Longtime Super Bowl activation sponsor DirecTV did not host its Celebrity Beach Bowl this year, but instead presented the new Super Fan Festival at the Pendergast Family Farm in Glendale, Arizona, from January 28 to 30. Acts including Snoop Dogg, Calvin Harris, and Imagine Dragons played on the DirecTV Super Fan Stage.
Performances were also staged in the smaller HGTV Lodge, where acts included American Authors (pictured).
The brand brought back its private Super Saturday Night party on January 31. Hosted by Mark Cuban's AXS TV and former N.F.L. star Michael Strahan, the event also took place at the Pendergast Family Farm. CL22 once again designed the event and described the theme as "Diva Rocker Glam" with a look meant to channel a "shimmering, gold and diamond adult playground."
Rihanna headlined the bash, which also featured a surprise performance from Kayne West.
Another first time event was The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard Pre Game Party, which took place in a Scottsdale Airport hangar splashed with gobos on January 31. The invite-only event drew celebrities such as Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, and host Usher drove a Mercedes GTS into the event. Mercedes was a sponsor.
The first-time Neon Carnival event (not associated with Coachella's Neon Carnival), took place on January 30 at Castles n Coasters in Phoenix. With carnival rides and games, the night featured an "Airstream Speakeasy," which was a mobile bar housed in an Airstream trailer. Tequila Don Julio drinks were prepared by New York-based mixologists Marshall Altier and Ben Scorah. Cocktails included the "Big Game Buck," made with orange and lemon juices, ginger syrup, bitters, and tequila.
Animal Planet, which hosted its first activation at the Super Bowl last year, returned to present the Puppy Bowl Cafe. The activation took over a café at CityScape in downtown Phoenix, which was decked in Puppy Bowl-inspired branding. Aired before the Super Bowl on Animal Planet, the Puppy Bowl features puppies playing on a miniature football field.
Guests could watch a replica of the Puppy Bowl live at the downtown activation. Organizers worked with the Arizona Humane Society, which brought in litters of up-for-adoption puppies to the event.
ESPN also returned to host a large-scale Super Bowl bash on January 30 at WestWorld of Scottsdale. Lauren Robinson, ESPN's associate director of sport management, worked with 11-time event producer Tony Schubert of Event Eleven to produce and design the event. The party was meant to conjure a "hip desert retreat" and was decked with mid-century furniture, planters holding cacti, floating staircases, and shadowboxes showcasing sporty images. Other vendors involved in transforming the center into a party-ready space included Felix Lighting, Sound Image, Accurate Staging, Zac Hartog Events, Primo XL, and V Squared Labs; Hired Gun Publicity & Consulting handled publicity.
The event had 400 feet of floor-to-ceiling projections that featured desert scenery and time-lapse content. Tashman handled audiovisual production.
Event Eleven built a 30-foot-tall, 300-foot-wide hand-carved rock wall. Sponsor Mercedes-Benz displayed its AMG GT vehicle in front of a tunnel visual embedded into the wall. Nearby, fellow sponsor Ciroc hosted a circular bar that doled out specialty drinks with thematic names such as the Kickoff. Engine Shop secured sponsors for the evening and handled social media on site.
Other sponsors' names—including Coors Light, Curve Sport, and Omnia Nightclub by Hakkasan Group—appeared on a desert-inspired step-and-repeat that had a sandy tan carpet in lieu of a red one.
Rolling Stone, which has hosted Super Bowl activations in years past, hosted Rolling Stone Live on January 31 at the Venue Scottsdale. Toast, Bookem Danno, and Talent Resources Sports produced the music magazine's event, which had a “raw, gritty, motorcycle-inspired theme with just a bit of Grindhouse,“ according to Toast partner Kimberly Krouse. The event featured rows of Harley Davidson bikes parked at the entrance—“just to let guests know they're not the first ones to the party,” Krouse said.
The evening's headline act was Steven Tyler. Charlie XCX also performed.
Miller Lite was a sponsor, and 24-ounce cans of the product formed an eight-foot decorative wall at the entrance to the venue. As guests entered, brand ambassadors wearing biker-inspired costumes handed them a can.
The event included a "Rock Shop" filled with thematic items available for purchase. Goods included a signed painting of Steven Tyler, a framed Rolling Stone cover of Katy Perry, and a Les Paul guitar bearing Elvis Presley's autograph. A portion of the proceeds benefited the charity Angels on Patrol.
Playboy, a familiar brand on the Super Bowl party scene, hosted its bash at the W Scottsdale on January 30. Sponsor Mini USA brought in three display vehicles of its Mini Hardop 4 Door and staged them front a photo backdrop that depicted the Playboy Mansion. Guests could pose for photos in the space, which was also attended by costumed Playboy Bunnies.
Tabasco sponsored the Maxim Party, held January 31 in a private airport hangar in Scottsdale. The hot sauce brand provided plenty of branded elements, including a bar that doled out drinks including a Tabasco-infused michelada cocktail.
Chef Aaron Sanchez of the Food Network show Chopped created a menu that incorporated ample doses of Tabasco. Items included meatball sliders with jalapeño aioli and Tabasco chipotle sauce.
