The Super Bowl remains one of the most-watched television events globally, making it a prime opportunity for brands to capture massive audiences. Year after year, companies invest heavily to showcase their products and services during this event. But what does it cost to advertise during the Super Bowl in 2025?

Since 2017, the price for a 30-second commercial has only increased. In 2024, advertisers paid a record-breaking $7 million for a half-minute slot. In 2025, that number has climbed even higher, with some advertisers paying over $8 million. Simply airing an ad isn’t enough; brands must ensure their campaigns are cohesive, and their online presence is seamless. That’s where an Exact Brand Match (EBM) domain comes in.

Why Exact Brand Match Domains Matter

An Exact Brand Match (EBM) domain is the most intuitive choice that your existing and future customers, business partners and investors expect when they search for a brand online. If a brand is called “Example,” most people will instinctively type Example.com. 

Key Benefits of an EBM Domain

Easy to Find: After watching a Super Bowl ad, people often search for the brand online. If your domain matches your brand, they can find you quickly.

Consistent Branding: A matching .com domain builds trust and makes your brand look more professional.

Competitive Advantage: With so many brands competing for attention, an EBM domain helps yours stand out.

Better ROI: Super Bowl ads are expensive. A strong online presence ensures you make the most of your investment.

Let’s check out some ads that caught people’s attention and see how they marketed their brands and used their domain names effectively.

Rocket Mortgage | Own the Dream

Rocket Companies made Super Bowl history with its “Own the Dream” campaign, an innovative marketing effort that turned its second-quarter ad into a nationwide singalong.

The 60-second commercial paid tribute to the meaning of home, set to a reimagined version of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” The ad showcased everyday moments of people returning to the places that matter most – children playing in backyard sprinklers, veterans reuniting with loved ones, and families cherishing their homes.

As the screen displayed the powerful message, “Everyone deserves their shot at the American Dream. Own the Dream.”, Rocket delivered a Super Bowl first – blurring the lines between advertisement and live experience. When the broadcast returned to the game, more than 65,000 fans at Caesars Superdome joined in a live singalong, creating a moment of shared connection.

From the start, this was more than a commercial. We set out to create a moment that captures the raw, emotional journey of chasing a dream that once felt out of reach. For many Americans, that is homeownership – the foundation for financial security, prosperity and a better future. Tonight, we reminded America that home is something to believe in, fight for and make a reality for everyone.

Jonathan Mildenhall, Chief Marketing Officer of Rocket

Rocket is a prime example of a company leveraging a strong domain strategy to maximise brand impact – just in time for its Super Bowl commercial. In January 2025, the company introduced a new visual identity, unifying its various services under the Rocket brand to create a seamless homeownership experience. As part of this effort, Rocket made a major investment in securing the domain name Rocket.com for $14 million and prominently featured the domain in its Super Bowl ad.

In February of 2025, we will unveil the new Rocket brand identity. The transformation began with our recent acquisition of rocket.com a site that will unify the homeownership experience across home search and mortgage. 

Rocket Companies

With the Super Bowl offering massive exposure, having a clear and intuitive domain allows Rocket to capture traffic efficiently, reducing reliance on third-party platforms and making it easier for customers to engage with the brand instantly. This move highlights the power of a well-planned domain strategy in reinforcing a brand’s presence before a high-visibility event.

Homes.com | Not Saying We’re the Best / Still Not Saying We’re the Best

Homes.com made a strong return to the Super Bowl with two 30-second commercials. The spots – “Not Saying We’re the Best” in the first quarter and “Still Not Saying We’re the Best” in the third quarter – were directed by Taika Waititi and starred brand spokesperson Dan Levy, along with Heidi Gardner and a special cameo by Morgan Freeman.

In the ads, Levy, playing the head of Homes.com, and Gardner, his top executive, attempt to convince their corporate lawyer to let them openly claim that Homes.com is the best. As expected, the lawyer objects, leading them to find increasingly creative ways to get their message across. The humour escalates throughout the two spots, culminating in Morgan Freeman delivering the final statement in his signature authoritative style.

In the second spot, the company jokingly introduces the domain “Homes.comisthebest.com” as a workaround to making a direct claim. (The domain redirects to Homes.com)

The company fully integrates its domain, Homes.com, as its brand name, repeating it throughout the ad to reinforce recognition. 

Using a .com extension as part of a brand name is a common strategy among companies with high-value domains like Crypto.com, Tiger.com, Cars.com, Blockchain.com, Cats.com, and Monday.com. This approach makes brands more memorable, accessible, and independent of third-party platforms. A clear, direct domain also strengthens marketing efforts, particularly during high-visibility events like the Super Bowl.

WeatherTech | Whatever Comes Your Way

For its 12th consecutive Super Bowl appearance, WeatherTech took a fresh and fun approach with its “Whatever Comes Your Way” commercial, airing during the second quarter of Super Bowl LIX.

Instead of its usual patriotic messaging, the 30-second ad featured four adventurous women in their 70s enjoying a wild joyride in a 1963 Lincoln Continental convertible. Set to Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild,” the commercial followed their carefree road trip, filled with playful moments like tagging trucks, flirting at stoplights, and celebrating bingo wins.

Throughout their ride, WeatherTech’s American-made products, such as floor liners and cup holders, kept their car spotless – highlighting the brand’s focus on quality and protection.

The ad was directed by Grammy-winning filmmaker Joseph Kahn, known for his work with Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Our American-made story is well-known to the U.S. consumer through our 12-year history of advertising on the Super Bowl and has helped us build brand recognition throughout the country. This year we saw an opportunity to stand out on advertising’s biggest stage with an unexpected and highly entertaining spot.

David MacNeil, CEO of WeatherTech

The company showcased its domains, WeatherTech.com and the newly acquired WT.com, which it secured in early 2024, in the ad.

Owning WT.com is a smart move – the short, two-letter domain is easy to remember and type, making it more convenient for customers. This strategy ensures that interested viewers can quickly find the company’s website after seeing the ad. Two-letter .com domains are among the most valuable and sought-after digital assets, symbolising prestige and credibility, with only 676 such domains in existence.

OpenAI / ChatGPT | The Intelligence Age

OpenAI made its Super Bowl debut with a 60-second ad titled “The Intelligence Age”. The ad cost roughly $14 million for its first-half placement.

The ad visually captured the timeline of human progress, highlighting breakthrough innovations that shaped civilisation. It depicted fire, the wheel, agriculture, travel by sea, steam locomotives, the light bulb, X-rays, airplanes, DNA research, the internet, and computing – culminating in ChatGPT as the next leap in technological evolution.

Through this sequence, OpenAI positioned AI as the most powerful tool humans have ever invented, just like past innovations that revolutionised the way people live, work, and create. The message was: AI, like these past advancements, is a tool to amplify human potential, not replace it. 

According to the company, while groundbreaking technologies typically take years or decades to reach mass adoption, ChatGPT reached 100 million users in just two months. Today, one in seven American adults uses ChatGPT, and nearly eight in ten of its users are under the age of 35. As OpenAI’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kate Rouch, put it:

The young people who are busy imagining and shaping the future are using AI to do it. The only question is what they’ll create and what problems they’ll solve.

OpenAI’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kate Rouch

The company emphasised that the ad itself was an example of how AI can support, not replace, human creativity. To bring the concept to life, OpenAI’s creative team used Sora, the company’s text-to-video model, as a rapid brainstorming tool. This allowed them to visualise ideas quickly and refine their creative vision more efficiently while working under a tight deadline. The final pointillism-inspired animation was crafted by human artists, ensuring the necessary human touch and storytelling impact.

OpenAI’s mission is to ensure that as AI advances and becomes able to solve harder and harder problems, what’s called artificial general intelligence (AGI), it benefits everyone. As our CEO Sam Altman has written, it won’t happen all at once, but we’ll soon be able to work with AI that helps us accomplish much more than we ever could without it. That starts with the tool getting into the hands of as many people as possible by being not just accessible but inspiring.

OpenAI’s team

OpenAI’s Super Bowl ad supports its push for greater market presence, especially as AI competition grows with companies like Google, xAI, and DeepSeek.

In terms of domain strategy, OpenAI has built a strong portfolio by securing key domains like ChatGPT.com, Sora.com, and Chat.com. The company acquired Chat.com, originally purchased by HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah for $15.5 million, for an undisclosed sum.

Super Bowl ads generate massive brand interest, and companies with strong domain strategies, like OpenAI, leverage this exposure by ensuring their platforms are easy to find, memorable, and directly accessible.

Nike | So Win

For the first time in 27 years, Nike returned to the Super Bowl with its 60-second commercial, “So Win,” airing during Super Bowl LIX on February 9, 2025. The ad highlighted female athletes who have defied expectations and overcome challenges.

Featuring stars from basketball, soccer, track and field, gymnastics, and tennis, the commercial showcased athletes like Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Sha’Carri Richardson, Jordan Chiles, Sabrina Ionescu, Sophia Smith, JuJu Watkins, Aryna Sabalenka, and Alexia Putellas. Their stories reflected resilience, determination, and the drive to push past limits.

Narrated by rapper Doechii, the ad delivered a bold and inspiring message, closing with the line: “Whatever you do, you can’t win. So win”.

Women’s sport isn’t the future, it’s right now. We’re seeing it in packed arenas, in TV ratings, in the way people are showing up for the game like never before. Commanding attention isn’t about being the loudest in the room. It’s about making sure that when you step up, everyone takes notice.

Sabrina Ionescu

Nike is easy to find online with its EBM domain Nike.com. According to Whoxy, Nike, Inc. owns over 23,600 domains across various extensions, including those tied to specific products and services. Like many global brands, Nike prioritises a strong and secure online presence. Managing a large domain portfolio helps protect the brand, supports advertising campaigns, and provides flexibility for sub-brands and products.

On | Elmo and Roger Federer’s letters of the day

Swiss sportswear brand On made its Super Bowl debut with a commercial featuring tennis legend Roger Federer alongside Sesame Street’s Elmo in a playful segment titled “Elmo and Roger Federer’s Letters of the Day.” The ad humorously addresses common misinterpretations of On’s logo, which consists of the letters “O” and “N.”

In the commercial, Elmo, seated in a child-sized umpire’s chair, questions Federer about the lettering on his shoes, suggesting they display a “Q” and a “C.” Federer corrects him, clarifying that the letters are actually “O” and “N,” representing the brand’s name. Elmo responds affectionately, saying, “Elmo loves you, Mr. Roger Federer, even if you don’t know your alphabet yet.”

As On continues to grow, we are always looking for new and inspiring ways to stand out as a sportswear brand. This starts with our logo, which, while simple, is often amusingly misread as ‘QC’ – something we’ve long wanted to clear up in a fun and memorable way. What better way to do this than during one of the most-watched sporting events in the world, alongside our long-time partner Roger Federer and Sesame Street’s Elmo?

Alex Griffin, On’s CMO

The brand name “On” reflects the idea of making people feel like they are “running on clouds.” The logo features the letters “O” and “N”, with a slight uptick on the “O” resembling an old light switch – symbolising the goal of making runners feel “switched on.”

The ad concluded with On’s domain, On.com.

The brand initially launched its business with On-Running.com before upgrading to the two-letter domain On.com. Owning an Exact Brand Match (EBM) domain ensures brand consistency, strengthens credibility, and enhances visibility –  especially during high-profile advertising opportunities like the Super Bowl.

The Importance of Domain Strategy in Super Bowl Ads

In 2025, a 30-second Super Bowl ad costs around $7 million, with some advertisers paying over $8 million – excluding production expenses. This significant cost is justified by the massive global reach of the Super Bowl, giving brands an incredible chance to reach millions of viewers.

With such a big investment, it’s important to have a strong domain strategy. A mismatch between the advertised brand and its domain name can confuse customers, potentially leading to lost sales and a lower return on ad spend.

Challenges of a Domain-Ad Mismatch

Confusion: If your domain doesn’t match your brand name, customers may struggle to find you online and end up on a competitor’s site.

Trust Issues: A mismatched domain can make your business seem less credible, causing hesitation and lost conversions.

Branding Inconsistency: Inconsistency between the domain and brand name makes your brand messaging less clear and harder to recognise.

Investment Loss: A Super Bowl ad is a major investment. If your domain creates confusion, you lose the full impact of your campaign.

Competitor Advantage: Without your EBM domain, competitors with a stronger digital strategy can capture traffic that should have gone to you.

EBM Domains: A Long-Term Investment

With so many brands competing for attention during the Super Bowl, having an easy-to-find online presence gives companies an advantage. Investing in the right domain helps ensure that the traffic and interest generated by an ad turn into long-term success.

Comparing Super Bowl Ads and EBM Domains

Both a Super Bowl ad and an EBM domain offer significant advantages, but they serve different purposes. A Super Bowl ad can create instant brand awareness, while an EBM domain provides a lasting and strategic advantage. Ideally, a brand should invest in both to maximise reach and long-term value. If budgets are tight, prioritising a domain that ensures customers can easily find your brand online may be the smarter long-term choice.

Highlights

It’s no surprise that all the companies on our Super Bowl 2025 list use .com domains, with 55 out of 61 owning its Exact Brand Match (EBM) domain names. This underscores the value of a strong domain in building a lasting online presence. Unlike the steep costs of a Super Bowl ad, acquiring a strong domain often requires a lower upfront investment and minimal ongoing expenses. 

For many business owners, it’s a practical and cost-effective way to enhance brand credibility and visibility, delivering long-term value. 

Notably, none of the companies on the list uses hyphens in their domains, as hyphens make the domain harder to type and less intuitive for users.

While we make every effort to ensure the data on our site is accurate, complete, and up-to-date, we cannot guarantee its reliability. Our data is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal, financial, or other advice. We strongly recommend that you independently verify any information before relying on it.

The right domain name is an important consideration when it comes to building and protecting your brand. If you’re ready to take the next step and invest in a perfect domain name for your business, contact us to learn more about our available options and how we can help you get started.

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