Every year, brands spend $7+ million for 30 seconds of Super Bowl airtime, and that doesn’t include production, celebrity talent, or the social media blitz that follows.
Yet every year, at least one brand learns the hard way that creative brilliance without PR risk management is a gamble. One tone-deaf joke. One misread cultural moment. One poorly timed message, and suddenly your “big win” becomes a case study in crisis communications.
At Fletcher Marketing Communications, we call this decision-making under pressure – and it’s where PR earns its keep.
Let’s break down why even the biggest brands still need a PR safety net—and what every company can learn, even if you’re not buying a Super Bowl ad.
Why PR Risk Management Is as Important as Creative
Marketing teams ask: Is it clever? Memorable? Shareable?
PR teams ask: What could go wrong, and how fast?
That difference matters.
PR risk management looks at:
- Cultural context and timing
- Audience interpretation (not just intent)
- Potential backlash scenarios
- Stakeholder impact (employees, partners, communities)
- How the message plays once it leaves the TV screen and hits social media
When brands skip this step, they’re betting millions on optimism.
Super Bowl Campaigns That Went Sideways
Pepsi & Kendall Jenner (2017)
In April 2017 Pepsi released a commercial titled “Live For Now” featuring model/TV personality Kendall Jenner. In the ad, Jenner leaves a high-fashion photoshoot to join a vague, upbeat protest march filled with happy, smiling demonstrators carrying generic signs like “Join the Conversation.”
As the march approaches a line of police officers, Jenner walks up and hands a police officer a can of Pepsi. The officer drinks it, the tension magically dissolves, and the crowd cheers — as though a soda solved world problems.
Why It Was Controversial
- Tone-Deaf Use of Protest Imagery
Critics argued that the ad trivialized serious social justice movements, including Black Lives Matter and real protests against police brutality, by suggesting that handing a can of soda could resolve such conflicts. - “White Savior” Optics
Positioning Jenner (a wealthy white celebrity with no activist history) as a peacemaker in a protest setting added to the perception that the commercial was co-opting real struggle for commercial gain. - Mass Backlash Followed
Within hours, social media erupted with ridicule, criticism, and calls for boycott, so much so that Pepsi pulled the ad within one day and apologized.
Pepsi’s official response included:
“Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly we missed the mark…”
PR Lesson You Can Use
This ad is a textbook example of why PR risk management is essential before launching even seemingly “positive” marketing. Without evaluating the social context and potential interpretations, a campaign meant to unite instead united everyone against the brand.
Just For Feet – “Kenyan Mission” (1999)
A classic example of how unexamined cultural assumptions can torpedo a multimillion-dollar ad buy, and why PR risk management is mission-critical.
What the commercial showed:
Just For Feet, a U.S. athletic-footwear retailer, aired its first Super Bowl ad during Super Bowl XXXIII featuring a barefoot Kenyan runner being chased by white men in a Humvee. The premise: the runner is eventually given shoes (a supposed “benefit”), but the execution leaned into colonial tropes of white saviors and African stereotypes.
Why it sparked backlash:
- Critics called it neo-colonialist and culturally insensitive for reducing a Kenyan athlete to a caricature and centering white figures as benefactors.
- The imagery and narrative were interpreted by audiences and analysts as offensive rather than humorous or uplifting.
Aftermath:
The ad became widely criticized across media and industry circles, damaging Just For Feet’s reputation at a time when Super Bowl ads were becoming cultural touchstones. PR commentators later cited it as a cautionary tale on representation and context ignorance in advertising. Not only did it get backlash from consumers, it even led to a lawsuit.
PR Lesson:
Creative teams must engage cultural and contextual risk assessment, especially when an ad touches on identity or social groups. Without it, millions in media spend can generate headlines, but for the wrong reasons. Sensitive themes require expert review, diverse perspectives, and audience testing before launch.
Budweiser – “Born the Hard Way” (2017)
Budweiser aired this Super Bowl LI ad during the Big Game to celebrate the founder’s immigrant journey to the U.S. in the 1800s – a narrative meant to underscore the American Dream. The 60-second spot traces Adolphus Busch’s dangerous voyage, ending with his arrival, handshake, and the start of brewing what would become Budweiser beer.
Why it sparked controversy:
The timing — just days after a highly controversial immigration executive order by the Trump administration — caused many viewers to interpret the ad as a political statement, even though Budweiser executives said the spot was developed long before those policies were announced.
Critics on both sides emerged:
- Some praised the ad as a positive immigrant story.
- Others, especially supporters of the travel ban, vowed boycotts and criticized Budweiser for what they saw as an unprompted political stance.
PR Lesson:
This case shows that even when a brand’s intent is not political, current events can alter audience perception dramatically. Without strong pre-launch risk management that tests reception in multiple social contexts, an ad can become a discussion about politics, not the product, and the brand may have no quick way to back-pedal once it airs.
The Real-Time Danger Zone: Social Media
Super Bowl ads no longer live in isolation. They explode instantly across:
- X (Twitter)
- TikTok
- Slack channels you’ll never see, but journalists will
This is where social listening + rapid response protects massive ad investments.
PR teams monitor:
- Sentiment shifts in real time
- Influencer and journalist reactions
- Emerging narratives that could escalate
The difference between a brand that recovers and one that spirals is often speed, tone and preparedness.
What Non-Super-Bowl Brands Should Learn
Here’s why this matters for you:
You don’t need a $7 million ad buy to face marketing risk.
Every campaign (product launch, rebrand, influencer partnership, viral video) carries reputational exposure.
Smart PR-driven decision-making includes:
- Pre-launch risk audits
- Scenario planning (“If this is misinterpreted, then what?”)
- Clear internal approval structures
- A crisis communications playbook before you need one
That’s how earned media stays positive and why online reputation management is inseparable from modern marketing.
The Bottom Line
Big Game ads make headlines, but PR keeps brands out of the wrong ones.
At Fletcher Marketing Communications, we believe great marketing should be bold and protected. Creativity thrives when risk is understood, not ignored.
Whether you’re launching a national campaign or a regional initiative, PR risk management isn’t optional, it’s strategic insurance.
And no, you don’t need a Super Bowl budget to benefit from it.
Want a Smarter Safety Net?
If your brand is investing in visibility, growth, or earned media, it’s time to think like a PR agency, not just a marketing team. Contact us today to see what Fletcher can do for you.
