Ads for soft drinks and snacks pair perfectly with football, and Food & Beverage brands reaped the benefits during the 2024-25 NFL season, according to EDO’s 2024-25 NFL TV Outcomes Report.
Over the course of the regular season, advertisers spent an estimated $121 million on 7 billion impressions, which were 8% more effective than the average Food & Beverage ad across broadcast and cable — with engagement measured by online interactions with the brand following airing. The postseason was even better, with an average ad effectiveness that surpassed the category’s Convergent TV average by 34%.
Here are the brands that won big in the Food & Beverage category during the 2024-25 NFL season.
PepsiCo brands bubble to the top
In addition to its iconic cola, PepsiCo had three other brands in the top 10 most effective brands in the Food & Beverage category last season: Gatorade came in at number two, Pepsi jumped five spots year-over-year to three, Mountain Dew was four, and Tostitos dropped three spots to nine.
It was M&M’s candies, however, that took the number-one ranking, up one spot from last year.
A year of celebrities and mascots
Remember the M&M’s Santa commercial? Of course, you do, because the brand has been airing it annually since 1996. This past season, it was the No. 2 most effective NFL creative in the Food & Beverage category, outperforming the category average by 436%. It goes to show that old creatives can drive powerful results when paired with the right programming.
While M&M’s leaned into their spokescandies, brands like Gatorade featured Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in “Rehydrate, Replenish, Refuel,” which was 194% more effective than the average Food & Beverage ad during the NFL this past season.
The most effective creative belonged to Pepsi, which tapped NFL stars Josh Allen, Derrick Henry, Justin Jefferson, and Travis Kelce alongside rapper Megan Thee Stallion for a highly engaging cross-promotion with the Gladiator II movie. The spot was 500% more effective than the average NFL Food & Beverage ad.
Invest in your NFL advertising strategy with TV outcomes data
From new snacks to new cars, the NFL season remains the pinnacle of TV ad engagement.
At EDO, we’re dedicated to helping our clients maximize their impact with the most accurate and actionable data, based on our proprietary predictive outcomes measurement.
With another NFL season just on the horizon, download the free 2024-25 NFL TV Outcomes Report and get ready to edge out the competition regardless of which industry you’re in.