No one event is more synonymous with advertising than the Super Bowl. With 30 to 60-second spots going for millions of dollars every year, brands go big and pull out all the stops. Naturally, licensing is a huge part of that, and at Born Licensing, we know a good one when we see it. After all, we’ve been there, done that, and led the way in meaningful partnerships that stand out in a sea of big-time partnerships. Curious to know who’s done it best (with a little bit of our own work sprinkled in)?
Here are my 11 favorites from the past decade:
1. Facebook x Rocky (2020): Facebook’s first ever Super Bowl campaign went BIG, and we should know, since we managed it! The ad was a Herculean undertaking, but worth the effort given the clever way they used IP in advertising. Utilizing thematic elements from the Rocky films starring Sylvester Stallone, as well as the iconic stairs to complement the various rock-themed groups on display, this ad, ahem, rocked:
2. Jeep x Groundhog Day (2020): Was any ad more fun than this one? Bill Murray reprising his role in the classic film was a tremendous coup from both a cultural and licensing standpoint. Out of all the campaigns I’ve not been involved with, this is the one I wish I could’ve worked on the most. Because, I mean, come on! It’s Phil and Phil, back at it again! With a film this classic it would’ve been easy for this one to fall flat, but they totally nailed it:
3. Mountain Dew x The Shining (2020): Some scenes are simply iconic. Like this Bryan Cranston and Tracee Ellis Ross take on that classic creepy moment from The Shining. Sure, they could’ve maybe tried to recreate it wholecloth, but having A-List celebrities recreate it adds another layer of fun for the audience.
4. Pringles x Rick and Morty (2020): Do you know how long bespoke animation takes? Spoiler alert: a LONG time. But leave it to RIck and Morty to do just that with their meta—and therefore totally authentic—branded Pringles spot. Self-aware and just unhinged enough, what fan of the series could be mad about this? And if they are? Throw some Szechuan sauce at them and call it a day.
5. Discover x Various (2020): Another fun way licensing shows up in commercials? Through the use of clips. Discover collected a bevy of scenes where famous characters say “no.” And while that may seem like a simple task on the surface, it’s actually anything but: each celebrity and clip featured needs to be cleared and paid for separately. No small task, but hey: Advertisers live to spend money on Super Bowl ads.
6. Doordash x Sesame Street (2021): Sesame Workshop is extremely selective about the companies they work with and how their characters can appear in third party advertising. (Which they should be! They’re an iconic kids show!) The reason I love this one is because it’s a sweet concept and a great initiative that felt very true to Sesame Street.
7. Cadillac x Edward Scissorhands (2021): Timothée Chalamet playing the son of Edward Scissorhands is truly inspired casting, isn’t it? And to get Winona Ryder to reprise her role? Five stars, a perfect ad campaign (no wonder it stirred up so much hype)!
8. Rakuten x Clueless (2023): Alicia SIlverstone and Elisa Donovan reprising their Clueless characters for a pitch-perfect recreation of their iconic debate? AS IF there could be anything better. Rakuten really pushed our nostalgia buttons with this one.
9. Pepsi x Zoolander (2023): Real talk: celebrities reprising iconic characters in an ad campaign is seen most commonly in Super Bowl ads because the budgets are high enough to allow for someone like Ben Stiller to be paid, as well as those that hold the rights to the Intellectual Property (IP) involved. Otherwise all they’d be able to afford is…ants!
10. Popcorners x Breaking Bad (2023): It’s unlikely this would ever have been agreed to by the Rights Holder while the series was live, but bringing the iconic characters of Breaking Bad back 10 years after the finale was exactly the right move:
11. Booking.com x The Muppets (2025): Having worked with The Muppets before on a campaign for Barclaycard Entertainment, I know how complex it can be working with these iconic puppet characters. There are a lot of moving parts that people wouldn’t even begin to consider unless they had extensive knowledge of how to work with these Jim Henson creations, so whenever I see a campaign with the Muppets go live, I have full respect for the people involved.
