With rivalry games heating up and conference championships on the horizon, the 2025 College Football (CFB) season is at a turning point — and many brands are similarly assessing their second-half strategies.
EDO analyzed every national TV ad that aired during college football programming through Week 8, measuring how likely consumers were to engage with advertising brands in the minutes after ads aired.
As advertisers prepare for the season’s most critical weeks ahead, see which brands and creative strategies are breaking through with CFB audiences, and what's driving their success.
College football expands its TV advertising lead
According to EDO’s ad engagement data, college football’s fundamentals remain strong, solidifying its place as one of TV advertising’s most valuable playing fields.
Through Week 8 of the 2025 season, the average ad during a regular-season college football game drove 4.7 times as much total impact as the average ad in primetime broadcast and cable — a metric inclusive of both ad effectiveness and audience size. This performance represents a 10% year-over-year increase from the same time period last season. CFB TV ad spend also ticked higher, reaching $580 million through mid-season.
Pharma, tech, and consumer brands take charge
Among brands with significant TV investment (at least 10 airings), the Top 10 leaderboard showcases college football's broad appeal across categories, from Saturday snacks to innovative healthcare solutions.
Pharmaceutical brands claimed three spots—Ozempic (+315%), Nemluvio (+298%), and Cobenfy (+226%) — while consumer staples like Reese's maintained 265% stronger engagement across a market-leading 116 ad airings.
Technology advertisers also found success with Qualcomm (+453%) and T-Mobile Internet, Miller Lite (+198%) placed from the alcohol category, and Marriott led the hospitality sector and all other advertisers with a whopping 1,741% higher average engagement. Elsewhere, CPG brands like Gillette (+295%) and Lunchables (+231%) rounded out the top performers.
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Winning creatives use context, celebs, and products
Successful creative strategies can vary greatly across brands, even within the same category. But 2025’s performance leaderboard reveals a few common themes for putting points on the board during college football broadcasts:
Contextual relevance lifts ad impact by capitalizing on game-day spirit. Marriott's Fairfield "Every Kind of Fan, Football" :15 spot achieved a whopping 4,035% lift, far outpacing any other creative. The ad featuring decked-out fans at various hotels, feeling refreshed and ready for kickoff, resonated with CFB’s viewer base.
Product-focused messaging drives genuine consumer interest as much as brand mantras or spokespeople. Creatives spotlighting novel snack concepts like “Reese’s Oreo Cup” and Arby's limited-time "Steak Nuggets" drove 644% and 385% higher likely engagement, respectively, while Nemluvio's "Unrelenting Itch" product benefits achieved 496% stronger performance.
Celebrity partnerships still help break through the noise, with brands enlisting both athletes and known stars beyond the sports world. Verizon's "Mom Life" spot featuring Lindsay Lohan achieved 382% stronger engagement than the CFB average, showing the impact of star power and relatable messaging.
Tips for winning college football’s second half
College Football's continued growth demonstrates the impact of live sports as one of television's most reliable environments. With the league’s most anticipated matchups coming in the weeks ahead, brands have a critical opportunity to maximize return on investment by measuring and optimizing the effectiveness of their creatives and media.
Want to benchmark your brand's TV performance? Contact our team to learn how EDO's real-time outcomes measurement can maximize your live sports advertising investment.