USHER's Spotify streams soars and A-list stars make comeback amidst Superbowl

American singer USHER saw a nearly 550% increase in streams of his music on Spotify in the United States (US) following his highly anticipated Super Bowl performance over the weekend.

According to Spotify, on February 11, between 6pm and midnight in the US, there was a 2,000% increase in US streams of the song Caught Up by USHER. There was also a 1,200% increase in US streams of USHER'S song U Don't Have to Call. In tandem, the songs Love In This Club and Bad Girl saw 1,100% and 1,050% increases in streams respectively.

My Boo, a song USHER worked on with Alicia Keys, saw a 690% increase in streams while Yeah, a song done by USHER, Lil John and Ludacris, saw a 520% increase. 

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Additionally, USHER's performance was reportedly the most viewed Halftime Show in history.

According to People Report, USHER's performance drew 129.3 million viewers. These are huge numbers considering that artists don't actually get paid to perform at the Super Bowl. 

This is also why it is crucial for brands advertising at the Super Bowl to bring out their biggest and most creative works because it is there that it gets some of the biggest eyeballs. 

While the marketing industry is all about influencer marketing, this year's superbowl ads also bring back focus on the biggest A-list celebrity names.  Some other ads that have captured the attention of the world include those for brands such as Verizon, Uber Eats, BMW and Dunkin'. Below is a list of some of the star-studded ads we loved:

1. Jennifer Aniston, David and Victoria Beckham for Uber Eats

Jennifer Aniston and Victoria Beckham's ads for Uber Eats certainly turned heads this year. The commercials, which also feature David Beckham, Friends actor David Schwimmer and USHER, revolve around people who have forgotten key moments in their lives. 

In the ad with Aniston, she is seen bumping into Schwimmer and forgetting that she spent 10 years working with him on the set of Friends.

In a second ad, both the Beckhams struggle to remember the name of Victoria's incredibly popular girl group, the Spice Girls. 

2. Michael Cera for CeraVe

Another ad that has been making the rounds is skincare brand CeraVe's stunt with actor Michael Cera. Over the last few weeks, CeraVe has been teasing its ad by posting 'fan' sightings of Cera going around and signing bottles from the skincare brand at random shops. 

The hilarious stunt came to an end at the Super Bowl with the brand hilariously showing Cera trying out CeraVe's products and telling the company that it would nice if people thought he made it. 

The ad ends by proclaiming that CeraVe is developed with dermatologists and not Cera. The ad, which included significant social media activations, also saw dermatologist Dr. Shah participating to debunk claims that Cera created the product. 

3. Beyoncé for Verizon

While Beyoncé did not get on stage at the Super Bowl, she did make waves with her ad with Verizon. In the ad, the star tries different things such as performing in space and running for president in order to break Verizon’s 5G network. When that doesn't work, Beyoncé ends the add by announcing that she will be dropping new music. 

While these ads certainly turned heads, other brands, such as eCommerce site Temu, have been trying to play catch up. At the Super Bowl, Temu put out a "Shop Like a Billionaire" ad. The ad saw a Temu shopper dancing through bargains in the 30-second broadcast spot.

The ad aired six times and offered up to US$10 million in giveaways as the app looks to reignite American interest in it as it contends with falling sales. 

The ad managed to beat out other major brands such as Volkswagen and Disney, according to promotional products company Pens. In fact, it was found through an analysis of Google Trends search data that the word "Temu" increased in usage by 1,139% in the US on 11 February after its ad played at the Super Bowl.

Pens added that the ad caused the most online attraction, pushing its visibility in the US.

“Already averaging a volume of 4.6 million online searches a month in the US alone, Temu is steadfast in its pursuit of becoming America’s leading shopping app. In 2023, the brand was estimated to have paid $1.7 billion in marketing alone," it said in a statement. It added that it was likely that the ad spot cost the brand between US$6.5 million to US$7 million, highlighting the importance of marketers showing up at Super Bowl and getting the right spots.

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