Super Bowl and Web3—how brands are using the metaverse and NFTs despite lack of crypto ads

Limit Break, a blockchain gaming company, is giving away 10,000 NFTs as part of its official spot, which is set to air during the game’s first commercial break. The fledgling company, founded a year and a half ago, is hoping to stir up excitement ahead of launching its first mobile game later this year.

Meanwhile, the NFL and Intuit unveiled a virtual world inside Roblox, where players can simulate the experience of being an NFL team owner. The activation will also feature an official “Super Bowl concert” by rapper Saweetie that will re-air every hour until game day. 

Doritos, a mainstay of Super Bowl marketing, will tie its official spot to a metaverse activation inside Decentraland called “Doritos Triangle Studios,” where users can create custom beats based on sounds from the commercial. A contest will award beatmakers blue-chip NFTs worth over $5,000, such as from the Meebits and RTFKT collections.

These efforts speak to advertisers’ continued interest in Web3 despite its numerous headaches and headwinds.

“The majority of Web3 is still interesting for consumer brands,” said Avery Akkineni, president of Vayner3. “It has to be part of their whole strategy.”

Although Reddit is not airing a spot this year, the online forum collaborated with the NFL on a collection of NFTs that are themed around the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles and general Super Bowl imagery. The drop is the first extension of Reddit’s collectible avatar program, which saw early success after launching last summer. It will also be promoted by a billboard takeover in Times Square.

“The Super Bowl is a moment that generates excitement and eagerness to participate from fans across the globe,” said Rachel Weber Callaway, director of product marketing at Reddit. “The more that Web3 can be leveraged in global moments, the more accessible it becomes.”