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12 Hours Later: Our Latest Findings from Super Bowl 2022

With brands spending over $7 million for a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl and 184.5 million U.S adults watching, it’s clear that activating at the big game requires a major investment to capture the attention of consumers.

Suzy surveyed more than 1000 U.S consumers directly after the 4th quarter to learn who came to the party, which brands they brought, and how they felt about the ads. Based on our findings, the top five brands that stood out the most to consumers during the game were Doritos/Cheetos, Amazon Alexa, Budweiser/Bud Light, Lay’s, and Avocados from Mexico.

But commercials aside, here are the top insights we learned in the 12 hours after the game:

1. 75% watched from the comfort of home, but surprisingly only 12% had food delivered.

With over half of states seeing a major decline in COVID since the Omicron peak, people are more ready than ever to gather again with over 77% of people watching this year’s big game in a group setting. That said, the Super Bowl still remains something that most people want to watch from the comfort of home—with 75% of those people watching it from their homes and 19% watching at someone else’s home.

Surprisingly, only 12% of consumers had food delivered from a restaurant during the big game. With the food delivery market doubling during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a massive opportunity for both restaurants and fast-food chains to double down on advertising delivery options during these tentpole moments.

2. 28% of consumers purchased new food and beverage products for the Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl is a time for discovery and exploration for consumers—especially with 28% of consumers purchasing new food and drink items for this year’s game. These consumers mostly explored snacks (60%) and beer (40%). We also saw that 16% of consumers tried out a new recipe while preparing for the game this year. With that said, the top 5 food categories that people purchase mostly remained Super Bowl favorites:

Chips (49%)
Pizza (36%)
Dips (32%)
Desserts (31%)
Wings (27%)

3. 31% of people purchased less this year when compared to previous years, mostly due to inflation concerns.

With inflation surging 7.5% on an annual basis, the highest rate since 1982, consumers are very much feeling the pinch in their grocery stores. 31% of people purchased less this year when compared to previous years, with over 55% of people spending under $100 in preparation for the Super Bowl. When asked, 44% of people purchased less because of the “rising cost of food”.

4. Despite the growth of online shopping, only 10% bought their groceries online.

45% of consumers leaned heavily into mass retailers such as Walmart and Target to prepare for the Super Bowl, followed by 41% shopping at their local grocery stores and 18% at warehouse or club stores. Despite all the reports of increased use of online grocery shopping, only 10% of people purchased their groceries online to prepare for the game this year.

5. 50% purchased soda for the Super Bowl, but healthy options rose.

Soda reigns as the leader of the pack, with 50% of people purchasing it for the games, but healthier options such as water (40%) and juice (23%) rose into the top three. Interestingly, 47% of people did not purchase any alcohol this year for the Super Bowl. Of those who did purchase alcoholic beverages, 40% bought beer, 14% purchased hard seltzer, and 11% purchased ready-to-drink beverages.

6. 9% of people purchased a new TV for the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is one of the largest televised events, so it makes sense that consumers welcoming people into their homes want the most optimal viewing experience, with 9% of people purchasing a new TV for the Super Bowl. This 9% increase is in line with record projected growth in Consumer Electronics, and will likely contribute to the record $505 billion in retail sales revenue this year for the U.S. consumer technology industry.

7. 57% of consumers are still paying attention to the commercials, nearly on par with the 72% who focused on the half-time show.

Consumers still care deeply about the commercials, so it’s important to create ads that are buzz-worthy, capture consumers’ attention, and are memorable for the brand. 57% of consumers paid attention to the commercials, almost on par with the 72% who focused on the half-time show. Interestingly, when it came to the commercials themselves, there was a 6% increase in audience appeal over last year with 36% of people finding the 2022 Super Bowl commercials to be appealing vs. 30% last year.

8. 63% of people were on their phones during the Super Bowl, with a majority on social media sharing content.

Whether you had a Super Bowl Ad or not, you can still have a major presence at the big game. 63% of consumers were actively on their phones during the Super Bowl. Of those on their phones, 75% were on Facebook, 65% on Instagram, and 32% on TikTok. Consumers weren’t just scrolling through their newsfeed either—with 22% resharing content about the Super Bowl. Brands who create buzz-worthy content on and off the screen have an opportunity to land on social media feeds and still win over consumers. For brands who have invested heavily in a TV ad, it’s still important to create an omnichannel approach to ensure you’re winning over consumers at every touchpoint.

9. 64% of consumers liked the half-time show and other celebrity appearances.

More than half of consumers (64%) liked the half-time show this year, with 18% of people saying that Snoop Dogg was their favorite celebrity appearance of the entire Super Bowl. Additionally, 49% of consumers actually felt that a commercial was more memorable if a celebrity starred in it. Other favorite celebrity appearances during the show included Jim Carrey, Dolly Parton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Hart, and Jennifer Lopez.

What’s your game plan for the rest of 2022?

If you want to go to market with confidence throughout the year, it’s key to make sure that you’re always keeping on the pulse with your consumers. Reach out to Suzy today to learn more about our end-to-end consumer insights platform that is powering research for over 300 of the world’s leading enterprise companies and get insights to power your business within hours.

Post-Game in Real-Time: Consumer Insights from This Year’s Super Bowl