Patricia Manos, a senior vice president of marketing and consumer experience at Curion, specializes in developing strategic marketing initiatives and partnerships. Opinions are the author’s own.
The Super Bowl is the biggest stage in American advertising. In 2024, Super Bowl LVIII broke records with 123.7 million viewers, generating a jaw-dropping $650 million in ad spend, according to Sports Business Journal. It was the most-watched program in U.S. television history.
For brands, it’s a golden opportunity to launch a new product and make a statement. Brands like Budweiser and Doritos have shown us how a strategic brand extension can electrify new audiences. And, for those eyeing a brand extension, it can be the perfect launchpad to reach new audiences fast.
Some companies take this chance to jump into totally different categories, using their brand equity to tap into untapped markets. When this is done right, brands can see massive returns in awareness and revenue. But if brands skip consumer insights, that “big idea” they’ve been planning for could become a high-profile flop.
At Curion, we help brands test and refine their brand extensions so they appeal to consumers before products get launched and seen by millions. With the Super Bowl right around the corner, we’re discussing what it takes to launch a brand extension and exploring real-world examples of brands that successfully introduced a brand extension on the big stage.
Brand stretch research: A consumer-centric approach to brand expansion
A brand extension is a strategic move that builds on existing brand equity to venture into new categories. It can unlock new revenue, energize core offerings, and keep a brand relevant in a market where consumer preferences and tastes evolve fast. A bold move into a new territory often opens the door to rapid growth and positions brands as innovators. Beyond growth, it signals a brand’s willingness to lead and claim bigger space in the industry.
Patricia Manos, senior vice president of marketing and consumer experience at Curion
Permission granted by Curion
To ensure its success, brands must do their diligence to ensure their brand equity can stretch into new categories. We call this front-end research brand stretch and it identifies the following pieces of information:
- Master brand equity: Consumer interviews seek to identify the core equity attributes and associations for the master brand. We then apply mind-mapping techniques to determine how far the brand can stretch and guardrails associated with those stretch categories to guide innovation.
- Competitive landscape assessment: We leverage a variety of tools and techniques to determine key associations for top competitors in the new categories to identify areas of overlap and gaps in the market that the brand can uniquely fill.
Successful Super Bowl brand extensions
Brands that leverage their equity through well-timed Super Bowl launches are more likely to see significant boosts in sales and consumer engagement, as these standout examples illustrate.
In 2022, Uber Eats used its Super Bowl commercial to highlight its expansion into delivering non-food items like groceries, alcohol, and household essentials. The campaign, “Uber Don’t Eats,” features a humorous take on this shift, with celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Coolidge and Trevor Noah comically pretending to eat non-edible items. The high-profile spot, paired with digital, social media and outdoor ads, reinforced the push beyond restaurant delivery.
Doritos reintroduced Doritos 3D during the 2021 Super Bowl, tapping into the nostalgic and novelty attributes of the master brand. The product experienced a 500% increase in sales since its reintroduction, indicating strong consumer demand.
During the 2020 Super Bowl, Anheuser-Busch launched Bud Light Seltzer by capitalizing on their existing brand equity and capturing a new audience in the rapidly growing seltzer market. The product quickly gained traction, contributing to the company’s presence in the hard seltzer segment, which was estimated to generate close to $20 billion annually as of 2024.
This year, Cheetos is launching its new Cheetos Puffs Cheese Pizza Flavor, just in time for the Super Bowl 2025, bringing back a fan-favorite taste that hasn’t been on shelves since 2005. This launch highlights Cheetos' equity as a game-day tradition, offering fans a fresh, playful flavor option that keeps the brand top-of-mind during one of the busiest snack-shopping seasons.
The role of deep insights in successful brand extensions
For brands considering a similar brand extension, leveraging a brand stretch strategy paired with the right consumer insights can deliver meaningful results to the brand and success in the market.
Advanced market research methods help to identify gaps and opportunities in the marketplace that the master brand can uniquely own. By analyzing trends and assessing the potential for new products, brands can make informed decisions about where and how to stretch into new categories.
Before debuting a new product, it's crucial to ensure the full proposition resonates with target audiences. In-depth sensory and consumer-centric product testing evaluates everything from taste and texture to packaging and branding, ensuring the new offering aligns with consumer expectations.
It’s also notable to add that a successful Super Bowl ad needs creativity as well as being deeply connected with audiences. Brands need the right market and consumer insights to test and refine messaging, ensuring that campaigns effectively communicate the benefits and excitement of the new product.
How to execute a brand extension
Executing a successful brand extension involves careful planning and strategic alignment:
- Brand stretch research: Brands must identify gaps in the market where their equity can make an impact. This involves understanding consumer needs, competitive landscapes and emerging trends.
- Concept testing: Multiple iterations of product concepts, branding and messaging are tested with target audiences to fine-tune the offering.
- Product development and sensory testing: The new product must align with the parent brand’s quality and values. Sensory and usability testing ensures that the new product meets or exceeds consumer expectations.
- Integrated marketing campaigns: An integrated campaign spanning TV, digital and social media platforms ensures maximum visibility and engagement. Super Bowl ads often serve as the campaign’s centerpiece, generating buzz and excitement.
- Post-launch optimization: Consumer feedback, sales data and brand metrics are analyzed to adjust and optimize the product and marketing strategies.
The work doesn’t end after the Super Bowl. Brands need to track post-launch analysis through consumer response and sales performance, providing actionable insights to fine-tune strategies and maximize ROI for the new product.
Measuring a brand extension’s impact starts with pre-launch surveys and focus groups that gauge consumer receptiveness, followed by post-campaign tracking of awareness, favorability, and relevance. Trial and repeat purchase rates show whether the extension truly resonates. Social media engagement and sentiment analysis provide real-time feedback, while sensory and usability testing confirm the new product meets consumer needs.
What’s in store for this year?
The Super Bowl is a golden opportunity for brands to extend their reach and redefine their offerings. This year, look for clever marketing campaigns from brands like Doritos, Budweiser, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Taco Bell, Stella Artois, Hellmann's, just to name a few. Meanwhile, from Post Malone and David Beckham to the Mannings, Doja Cat and the Chiefs, a celeb-filled lineup has been confirmed, hinting at the big storylines sure to grab viewers’ attention.
With a carefully planned brand extension strategy, companies can capture new markets.
Are you ready to score a touchdown?
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