Since Rihanna’s SuperBowl halftime performance, searches for “Fenty Beauty” have increased by 883%. The singer, who wasn’t paid for the show, took the opportunity to plug her brand in the middle of her performance. Tweets showed more positive sentiments than negative ones. Rihanna’s promotional move allowed her to capitalise on the multi-million-dollar commercial fees other brands pay for SuperBowl ad break features.
Positive sentiment towards Fenty Beauty
According to data from Meltwater, tweets about Fenty Beauty have more positive sentiments than negative ones, with 29% positive versus 5% negative. CARMA, a media intelligence agency, reported that the brand has a lot of support from consumers, 94.9% of whom are millennials and Gen-Zers. These digital natives tend to share favourable reviews and content about brands they love online. CARMA added that social conversations referencing Fenty link directly to Rihanna, whose persona and public profile are very closely tied to the brand.
Rihanna’s smart marketing move
Rihanna’s promotional tactic allowed her to meander around the expensive commercial fees that other brands pay for SuperBowl ad break features. According to Nielsen, the 2023 SuperBowl brought in an average of 113 million viewers. Thirty seconds of ad time during Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl LVII sold for as much as US$7 million. Rates vary depending on when the ad time was purchased and the number of spots purchased, as well as the brand’s relationship with the advertiser.
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Rihanna’s SuperBowl promotional push
Before the SuperBowl, Rihanna had been hyping up her performance by pushing out a TikTok video showcasing Fenty Beauty’s foundations, including a collection of footballs. The video received over 13 million views and 1.7 million likes. After her halftime show, Rihanna posted another TikTok video of her blotting her face, which was viewed over 18 million times, and received over 2 million likes. Additionally, Fenty Beauty’s Instagram account posted a breakdown of Rihanna’s makeup look from the SuperBowl, highlighting all the products she used.
Apple Music sponsors SuperBowl halftime show
Pepsi passed the baton to Apple Music as the official sponsor of the SuperBowl halftime show last year. According to a statement by the NFL, the streaming platform has signed a multi-year partnership beginning in 2023. When the deal was signed, Apple’s VP of Apple Music and Beats, Oliver Schusser, said that music and sports were important to the streaming platform. Apple Music has also been showing greater interest in sports as it struck a deal with Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer, making Apple TV the exclusive app to watch these matches beginning in 2023.
