Super Bowl LVI: Cautious Americans Will Avoid Parties But Hope For Laughs

Super Bowl LVI will see the Los Angeles Rams meet the Cincinnati Bengals at the Rams' So-Fi Stadium on Feb. 13 and Americans are hoping for a festival of entertainment and amusement for both sporting and non-sporting reasons.

With the Omicron variant currently impacting on the nation's morale, the public is changing its behavior accordingly. This means there won't be so many big Super Bowl parties in 2022, but it hasn't dampened our desire to have a good laugh during the event — particularly at the commercials, with nearly two-thirds wanting advertisers to tickle their funny bone.

Super Bowl LVI will be less social than pre-pandemic events

While most Americans plan to watch the big game, many will avoid the customary large gatherings. Data from Attest's Super Bowl LVI 2022 Survey shows that 62 percent plan to tune in — with only 13 percent saying they will "definitely" not watch — and Covid caution means that this Super Bowl won't be enjoyed in the same way as pre-pandemic events.

Fifty-five per cent of people will watch Super Bowl LVI at home with members of their household only, while 15 percent said they would watch the action on their own. Despite 41 percent of Americans feeling 'comfortable' to attend a Super Bowl party, just 14 percent say they plan to attend a large in-person gathering. Thirty-one per cent said that they would not be comfortable attending such an event. Just 3 percent have plans to watch the game in a public venue such as a bar.

Those who are actually holding a Super Bowl LVI party will mostly be looking after the catering themselves, with 48 percent planning to do this; while 10 percent will be using a food delivery app and 8 percent ordering directly from a local restaurant. There are still 17 percent of party hosts who still haven't made up their minds about how to cater for the gathering.

While most — 57 percent — will be watching the action on their TV sets, more than one quarter plan to watch the game online. The NFL has only been providing a live stream of the Super Bowl for just over a decade, and in that relatively short period of time the online audience has grown to an impressive 27 percent. Surprisingly, there is only a tiny minority of Americans (1 percent) that plan to record the game and watch it later.

Americans want laughs in the commercial breaks

The Super Bowl is, of course, one of the highlights of the year for many Americans for non-sporting reasons too. Advertisers fork out $6.5 million for a 30-second TV ad during the game, and regardless of what happens on the pitch during the game Americans are demanding to be entertained by the commercials.

It's impossible to overstate just how important a part advertising plays in the appeal of the Super Bowl. Just under one in five (18 percent) said that the commercials were their top reason for tuning in to the game, compared to 36 percent who are more focused on the football itself, and 17 percent who want to see the half-time show.

Previous research uncovered the public appetite for more humor in advertising in 2022, most likely as an antidote to the ongoing pandemic and economic uncertainty, and Americans feel similarly about the type of commercials they want to see at Super Bowl LVI. The vast majority — 63 percent — said that they want ads to be humorous. This is a long way ahead of the 12 percent wanting to see motivational messages and the 4 percent hoping for thought-provoking commercials.

Outside of brand messaging, 29 percent of Americans want to see celebrity-driven ads, followed by 14 percent wanting commercials to support a social cause. Unsurprisingly, 46 percent say they don’t like or appreciate Super Bowl ads taking a political tone, a sign that the polarization caused by political events in the past few years has upset many Americans.

In another sign of changing times, a small but not insignificant number of Americans plan to gamble on the outcome of the game, with 4.5 percent saying that this is what they’re looking forward to most. Sports betting is being legalized in more and more states throughout the country, and there certainly looks to be a strong appetite for it among the American public.

Super Bowl LVI looks set to be a family-focused event, with many Americans hoping that it will put a smile on their face after a challenging few years. Regardless of the outcome, the brands that make the audience laugh on February 13 will likely be the biggest winners, while any commercials that put too much focus on politics could seriously backfire. Hopefully the event will have a strong feelgood factor that can galvanize the nation and power us through the recovery from the devastation caused by COVID-19.

(Jeremy King is the CEO and founder of Attest)