Despite flight to fame, celeb talent isn’t as sure a bet as CMOs think

Benson Boone and Ben Stiller for Instacart. Adrian Brody for Intuit TurboTax. Emma Stone for Squarespace. Odd-couple pairings between celebrity talent and consumer brands aren’t a novelty for Super Bowl ads, but the sheer number of brands relying on a famous face to help them cut through with viewers at home this year was notable. 

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of Super Bowl ads featured one or more celebrity talents this year, according to data from TV measurement company iSpot. Back in 2011, only around a quarter of ads included an A-lister, but a reliance on Hollywood names has been typical of Big Game ads since the start of this decade.

It’s part of a broader pattern. The “built-in affinity” a top name can bring means it’s “an easy place to go,” said Mike Hayward, chief creative officer at agency Copacino Fujikado.

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