Kendrick Lamar Proved My Point About Paid Advertising
ICYMI, the Super Bowl was last night. I grew up in Pittsburgh and am a lifelong Washington Commanders fan, so I'm actually physically incapable of saying "Go B**ds." See, I tried to type it and I don't know what happened. Nevertheless, the Philadelphia Eagles won the Big Game and snuffed Kansas City's dreams of a threepeat. Good for them!
But there was a bigger winner on the field yesterday than the city of Philadelphia, and his name was Kendrick Lamar.
Ads and Music
I watch the Super Bowl, religiously, ever year. I watch it every year even though, from day 1 of each NFL season, there's a 94% chance it wont include either of my teams. But still, every February, I block out my calendar. Why? For the ads and the music.
I consider the Super Bowl to be just as much about the commercial breaks as it is about the broadcast, if not more so. I'll spare you the history of television advertising, but here's an interesting article about how Super Bowl ads have evolved over the years. Long story short, the Super Bowl has the highest concentration of American viewers across any night in television and advertising slots are insanely expensive. That means brands leave everything on the metaphorical field to make the most memorable and impactful commercial possible.
On the flip side, while brands are shelling out $8m at minimum for screen time, the halftime performers are barely paid. That's right, whether it's Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, The Black-Eyed Peas or The Who, these artists are out there shakin' it for just north of Union minimum.
So what?
Budweiser, Hotels.com, Marvel Entertainment, and Coffee Mate, paid LITERALLY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS for a 30(ish) second advertisement. Kendrick Lamar did a 12-minute halftime show for effectively free. What have you seen more discussion about on social media today? The ads? or Kendrick Lamar?
If you're social media looks anything like mine, and I'm willing to bet it does, you're seeing a lot more Kendrick discourse than discussion around Willem Dafoe playing pickleball. Do you even remember Willem Dafoe playing pickleball? I'll straight up Venmo you a dollar if you can tell me which brand's commercial focused on pickleball without googling it.
But Kendrick, well everyone's talking about Kendrick. Maybe they loved the halftime show, maybe they hated it. Maybe they don't understand hip-hop, maybe they're engrained in the Kendrick v Drake drama. Either way, everyone is talking about Kendrick.
And isn't that what you want?
For everyone to be talking about your business, right?
Kendrick Lamar's halftime show was genuine. It was specific, niche and nuanced. It was divisive, poignant and, quite frankly, not for everyone. In many ways, the 2025 halftime show was more minimal than years past and involved far less collaboration. It also cost LITERALLY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS LESS than Willem Dafoe playing pickleball and people will be talking about it for the rest of the week.
Is your brand's messaging more like Kendrick Lamar or Willem Dafoe playing pickleball? Is it genuine, niche, nuanced, divisive or poignant. Or is it an expensive swing to the middle that is, let's call a spade a spade, largely forgettable?
A final note
I've never met Kendrick Lamar and I wasn't in the room when he planned his halftime show, so I can't say for sure, but I have a feeling I understand his ethos. I have to imagine that, at some point in the planning process, Kendrick said, "Not everyone will get this. But the people who will get it, need it." It probably sounded cooler because Kendrick Lamar said it, but the point stands. I'd encourage you to approach your messaging with the same mentality. I certainly try my best to.
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