The Super Bowl has always been more than a game. It’s the most-watched cultural moment in America and one of the most valuable sponsorship platforms in the world. But heading into Super Bowl LX, the playbook for brands must adapt to today’s reality.

Case in point — the NFL’s selection of Bad Bunny for the halftime show has already sparked cultural and political debate and even led to an “alternative halftime” event to counter it. For the NFL, NBC and major advertisers, this creates a highly polarized, high-visibility environment where every decision and creative choice will be interpreted through a political lens.

This year’s game underscores what our teams across FleishmanHillard Sports and Crisis, Issues & Risk already know: Brand activations and storytelling live in a 360° risk environment — one where culture, politics, fandom and identity collide in real time.

Why This Matters and What it Means for Advertisers, Sponsors and Opportunistic Brands

For advertisers, sponsors and even those brands looking to jump into the Super Bowl conversation, this isn’t just about managing risk — it’s about navigating a cultural flashpoint skillfully, strategically and confidently.

That’s because Super Bowl LX is more than just a marketing showcase — it is a real-time reputational stress test for every brand involved. Audiences are more polarized than ever, athletes and artists are cultural flashpoints and sponsors and advertisers are under heavy scrutiny to demonstrate value to stakeholders, as every moment will be instantly amplified.

Anticipate, Adapt and Lead Under Pressure

For decades, FleishmanHillard has helped guide brands on the biggest stages – from the Olympic Games to FIFA World Cup and Super Bowl. We bring together event-tested expertise and relationships across sports sponsorship, issues navigation, and brand reputation to help clients anticipate risks, prepare for what’s ahead, and play to win.

Brands should consider the following elements from our ever-evolving Playbook as they work through their “Big Game” communications plans:

Always on situational awareness. Understand that the environment surrounding the game is more complex than ever — a fragmented, emotional and politicized audience where every move is scrutinized in real-time.

Act with clarity and purpose. Brands should be grounded in who they are and what they stand for. Decisions and scenario planning should be anchored in brand identity and long-term objectives — not reactions to political noise or short-term controversy. Purposeful action signals confidence and consistency, even in a polarized environment.

Pressure-test everything. Great creative ideas are only as strong as their ability to withstand the cultural moment. The best brands pressure-test their ideas before launch — understanding how different audiences might interpret tone, imagery or associations. Use research and audience intelligence tools, including Sage Synthetic Audiences, to preview how different segments — from fans to policymakers to Gen Z — might react. FleishmanHillard’s Risk Radar, a forward-looking telemetry system that helps organizations spot reputational issues before they break, can be used to evaluate risks tied to creative, activations, partnerships and messaging.

Plan for the “what ifs.” When the moment comes, speed matters — but so does discipline. The most effective brands build Super Bowl–specific playbooks that define who acts, who approves and how decisions are made when the pressure hits. From monitoring protocols to escalation matrices and stakeholder communications, these should be tested well before game day — not written during it. The FleishmanHillard Crisis Simulation Lab can be leveraged to rehearse these scenarios in a realistic, dynamic environment that mirrors real-world pressures — social chatter spiking, a sponsor calling or a halftime controversy trending. Practicing the response, not just writing it, helps teams move faster, stay aligned and communicate with confidence when a 15-second moment becomes a headline and days’ worth of conversation.

Super Bowl LX is the ultimate pressure test. The best brands won’t avoid risk; they’ll embrace it strategically, purposefully, and be prepared to win on the world’s biggest stage.

Steve Hickok is the Global Lead of FleishmanHillard’s Sports practice. He’s led award-winning and business building campaigns for more than 20 years surrounding the Super Bowl for brands including Visa, State Farm, Buffalo Wild Wings, Amazon, Little Caesars and Lindt.

Rebecca Rausch, FleishmanHillard’s Americas Crisis Lead, is a trusted expert in reputation management and crisis communications, advising sports organizations, leagues, athletes, and brands through high-stakes issues and reputational challenges. She’s led crisis and issues planning and management for global sporting events including the FIFA World Cup, Olympic Games, Super Bowl, major international tennis and golf tournaments and more.