Can YouTube challenge the Superbowl?

If you haven’t heard of Jimmy Donaldson, AKA MrBeast, you either don’t have children or access to the internet – or both. The most subscribed YouTube channel of all time, the North Carolina native has been known for many things during his long online career – from hosting a real-life Squid Game to giving away a chocolate factory (yes, you read that right). However, the internet man of the moment made headlines earlier this year for something other than his YouTube antics, instead going viral for a tweet about the Super Bowl adverts.

The battle in Arizona between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles was one to remember, as Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes slugged it out for the Lombardi trophy and singer-songwriter Rhianna delivered a spectacular performance. Many viewers, however, got their snacks ready to not watch the football, but for the Super Bowl adverts. With over 113 million viewers tuning into the NFL finale, Super Bowl ads have become a cultural phenomenon alongside the game itself – with prices to match. In addition to the huge reach and diverse audience, Super Bowl adverts are a rare commodity around an iconic, memorable sporting events – even sprouting polls from the likes of USA Today on who did it best.

Queue ‘Huddle Up’ founder, Joe Pompliano. The sports business personality tweeted about the rising cost of 30 second SuperBowl adverts, costing just $42,500 in 1967 and up to $7 million in 2023. A surprising, but expected tweet for someone within the verticals that Joe Pompliano encases himself in. However, MrBeast entered the chat, replying to the tweet saying “Crazy. If anyone wants to reach 100M people for less than $7M just let me know”. With 185,000 likes on his reply, it’s clear to see that Twitter saw the funny side of Jimmy’s comment, but a question remains, how cost efficient are traditional methods of advertising – even at such a pinnacle cultural event?

Donaldson has over 133,000,000 subscribers on his main channel, with an average of 109,000,000 views on his last ten videos. The newly crowned king of YouTube clearly knows how to draw consistent attention to his videos through engaging titles, clearly defined thumbnails, and fast video pacing – with the audience in mind throughout. Likely a tongue in cheek, passing comment from MrBeast, but brands are likely taking note and refocusing on the murky world of influencer sponsorship as a cheap(er) alternative to sell themselves.

Rewards can be promising, but in an instant it can all come crashing down. One misstep from the talent and your brand could potentially be ruined with millions of consumers around the world, no matter how closely linked they were. Honey, long-time sponsor of MrBeast have reaped the rewards of a close partnership with rising talent, unlike Pepsi, who saw huge backlash with their insensitive advert featuring model Kendall Jenner.

Traditional advertising is clearly still the safe option for brands. They know what they’re getting, who they’re broadcasting to with few factors out of their control. As MrBeast states, however, roll the dice with modern online personalities and you may well just get more bang for your buck.