The Super Bowl has always been the height of advertising—where corporations pay millions of dollars for 30 seconds of fame. But 2025 is different. Although old-fashioned TV commercials remain in the limelight, it's TikTok that's grabbing the attention of sports marketing.
From branded challenges and viral moments to athlete collabs and TikTok Shop sales, the Super Bowl ad playbook is being rewritten for Gen Z. And for sports brands, tiktok shop management services, affiliate marketing with tiktok, and short-form video ads are becoming the MVPs of digital engagement.
Welcome to the era when a 15-second TikTok ad beats a $7 million Super Bowl ad in reach and conversion. It's because TikTok is rewriting the playbook—and how your brand can be a home run in 2025.
⚡ Wanting to execute a TikTok campaign that will compete with Super Bowl brands?
Collaborate with The Short Media—a TikTok-first agency providing official TikTok Shop management services and sports brand influencer strategy.

Why TikTok is Changing Sports Marketing Forever

TikTok's hold on the world of sports advertising is no accident. The app's combination of viral content, e-commerce, and fan fixation makes it the ideal destination for advertisers during major events such as the Super Bowl.

1. Less Costly Than Broadcast Television Advertising

The average 30-second Super Bowl TV ad in 2025 will cost around $7 million or more. Compare that to TikTok, where brands can organically reach millions or spend money on performance-based ad campaigns for pennies on the dollar.
Why it works:
  • Micro and mid-level influencers offer high engagement at no big-budget cost
  • Advertisements can be targeted by interest, behavior, and place with high accuracy
  • TikTok's CPMs are still behind YouTube and Meta platforms

Smaller sportswear brands, fan apparel manufacturers, and even local gyms are using TikTok to compete against each other during the Big Game on a non-big budget.

2. Increased Participation With Interactivity

While a television commercial is a monologue, TikTok is a two-way performance. People aren't just viewing—they're remaking, duetting, commenting, and sharing. That's what makes Super Bowl commercials go viral as conversations.
Examples of engagement strategies:
  • Creating challenges related to game prediction
  • Carrying out interactive polls aligned to real game time
  • Enabling fans to express team spirit through customized audio and branded sound effects

This type of engagement provides brands constant visibility, long after the last touchdown.

3. AI-Powered Targeting Reaches the Right Fans

TikTok's algorithm is likely the strongest tool in digital marketing. With its ad targeting through AI, brands are able to target sports enthusiasts—on the basis of:
  • What they support (athletes, teams, leagues)
  • What they're reading/listening to/looking at (fitness, highlights, fan edits)
  • Purchase behavior tied to TikTok Shop integrations

By partnering with an experienced tiktok ads agency, brands are leveraging this intelligence to place products in front of target fans at game time.

How Brands Can Leverage TikTok for Super Bowl 2025

The Super Bowl is now no longer a television event—it's a TikTok takeover. Here's the way the biggest brands are now shifting their campaigns with TikTok's latest updates and collaborations.

1. Use TikTok Shop Affiliate Agency for Live Sports Merchandise Sales

Super Bowl watchers crave instant fulfillment—and TikTok delivers. Through a TikTok Shop Affiliate Agency, brands can engage with sports influencers and athletes to:
  • Include clickable product links in videos and livestreams
  • Have creators earn commission on affiliate marketing on TikTok
  • Align merchandise promotions with in-game moments and viral content.

This strategy turns chatter into actual purchases—straight from the feed.

2. Partner with Influencers & Athletes for Branded Content

In 2025, campaigns driven by influencers are outperforming stylish brand ads. Sports brands, take note: the message is clear: partner with TikTok-born athletes, creators, and fans to share your story.
Best practices:
  • Hire athletes to conduct "Game Day Fits," pre-game stretches, or post-game conditioning
  • Allow sports manufacturers to open or inspect limited Super Bowl items
  • Boost leading-performing influencer videos using a TikTok ads agency as Spark Ads

This people-first philosophy feeds authenticity—and the algorithm rewards it.

3. Develop Viral Challenges & Entertaining Sports Content

If you're not producing on the basis of engagement, you're missing TikTok's inherent magic. Brands are launching during Super Bowl 2025:
  • MVP prediction contests ("Guess the MVP and win!")
  • Touchdown dance remixes (triggered by players or mascots)
  • "Show us your setup" campaigns with home viewing parties

Add that with top-notch TikTok Shop management services and watch your content not only go viral—but convert.
Original Idea: Organize a "Halftime Fit Check" challenge where influencers and fans show off their football apparel with a trending TikTok song—straightly linked to your Shop.

Case Study: A Super Bowl Ad Winner That Won the TikTok Ad Race

Brand: Adidas US
Campaign Tag: #AllInForTheGame
Agency Partner: Top tiktok advertising agency and TikTok Shop affiliate partner
The Strategy
Rather than spending on a Super Bowl TV ad in 2025, Adidas bet the house on TikTok with:
  • A TikTok-only NFL superstars-only athlete influencer marketing campaign
  • A TikTok Shop integration with clickable product tags on pre-game fits
  • A participatory "Choose Your MVP" contest where fans selected their most valuable player and wrote in why

They partnered with a TikTok Shop Affiliate Agency to bring on over 100 creators to their affiliate program—each with different product lines.
The Results

  • The social media campaign gained 250M+ views in 72 hours
  • Their TikTok Shop cleared 3 limited-release cleats within 36 hours
  • Over 4,000 affiliate sales were reported from creator videos
  • Spark Ads generated a 7.1x ROAS on promoted ads.

This campaign demonstrated that you don't need a stadium-sized budget—you just need strategy, creativity, and the proper tools.
⚡ Do you want your Super Bowl ad to generate real-time sales like Adidas?
The Short Media offers end-to-end TikTok Shop management and affiliate strategy tailored specifically for sports brands.

Conclusion

Super Bowl advertising has reached a new phase—one characterized by short-form video, real-time interaction, and social commerce. TikTok is not replacing the Super Bowl ad—it's transforming it into something more interactive, more social, and more shoppable.
Whether you are a giant sportswear company or a small fan merchandise business, success in 2025 involves:
  • Adding TikTok Shop integrations
  • Partnering with a TikTok Shop Affiliate Agency to increase reach
  • Operating interactive, sport-star-driven promotions
  • Relying on expert tiktok ads agency support with ROI-driven implementation

TikTok is this new playbook's MVP—and there's really a good chance that sports marketing will never be the same.

FAQs

Why are sports brands turning to TikTok instead of classic Super Bowl commercials?

TikTok offers more engagement, lower pricing, and real-time commerce capabilities that TV doesn't. And it reaches younger, mobile-first sports fans where they already live.

What are TikTok Shop management services?

These services aid brands in creating, managing, and optimizing their TikTok Shop presence, including product listing, affiliate partnerships, ad integration, and performance tracking.

How does affiliate marketing on TikTok benefit sports brands?

Brands can allow creators and athletes to monetize products through TikTok's affiliate capabilities. They receive a commission on every purchase, and the brand benefits from increased reach and conversions.

What constitutes a successful TikTok Super Bowl campaign?

An effective campaign will be interactive, influencer-led, rooted in real-time in-game experiences, and feature clean purchase flows via TikTok Shop or affiliate links.

How do I find a TikTok Shop Affiliate Agency for my sports brand?

Look for agencies that possess ecommerce proficiency, large influencer networks, and track records of tiktok ad success and shop management—like The Short Media, an end-to-end TikTok growth partner

Saeed Shaik
Saeed Shaik

Skilled in Ecommerce Strategy, TikTok Ads, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Facebook Ads, Social Media Marketing and DoubleClick. A strategic leader who built high performance teams grounds up generating multi-million dollar revenue streams in several startups.

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