Adweek reported on data showing nearly 70% of Super Bowl commercials starred White men, up from 62% in 2023.
This runs counter to data indicating diverse depictions in advertising leads to greater loyalty from brand audiences.
The Super Bowl data also arguably underscores White advertising agencies’ loyalty to exclusivity and systemic racism.
So Many White Men Appeared in Super Bowl 59 Ads
The share of actors with light skin rose to nearly 70%
By Paul Hiebert
The list of famous white men who appeared in ads during Super Bowl 59 is long.
It includes Glen Powell, Adam Devine, Harrison Ford, Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth, Post Malone, Shane Gillis, Matt Damon, David Beckham, Pete Davidson, Gordon Ramsay, and Barry Keoghan. Tom Brady, Payton Manning, and Matthew McConaughey all appeared in more than one commercial.
Overall, the share of light-skinned actors in this year’s lineup of national Big Game spots was 69%, up from 62% in 2023, according to estimates from XR Extreme Reach, a global technology platform that integrates data across creative, media, and production.
That percentage is higher than what appears in government statistics on the group’s size. Recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show white, non-Hispanic people account for 58.4% of the nation’s population.
The shift in more light skin tones appearing in Super Bowl 59 comes at a time when companies are rolling back their policies to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. Nevertheless, experts say brands that feature diverse people in their marketing campaigns are more likely to gain loyalty from viewers of a similar background compared to those that don’t.
“Ultimately, embracing diversity in advertising is not only a moral imperative, but also a strategic advantage for brands,” said Anjali Bal, an associate professor of marketing at Babson College.
Doug Shabelman, CEO of celebrity marketing agency Burns Entertainment, said the increase in white actors during Super Bowl 59 likely isn’t due to a conscious decision among advertisers and their agency partners. Rather, it might be that diversity, while still part of the mix, was not the focus.
“Story may be more important than anything in this current day,” said Shabelman.
At the same time, he added, brands should research who is the best actor to deliver that story to a modern audience, instead of relying on old, preconceived notions about the American population.
Still, some advertisers chose to showcase diverse talent. Burns Entertainment worked on a handful of this year’s Big Game ads, including Intuit TurboTax’s spot starring Issa Rae and the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism’s two commercials featuring Tom Brady and Snoop Dogg.
Angeli Gianchandani, an adjunct instructor of marketing and public relations at New York University, described the overrepresentation of white men in this year’s Big Game as a major mistake.
“Ignoring high-spending consumer segments—especially Black, Hispanic, and Asian American audiences, whose collective buying power will soon exceed $5 trillion—isn’t just an oversight, it’s bad business,” she said.
Gianchandani noted that excluding diverse communities from marketing efforts leads to lower engagement, weaker brand favorability, and reduced purchase intent among those groups of shoppers.
“Inclusion isn’t a favor; it’s a growth strategy,” she added.
Figures from the University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth indicate that while white U.S. consumers still account for the majority of the nation’s disposable income, buying power among diverse groups is rising.
Hispanic shoppers, for example, are on pace to control 12.1% of the country’s disposable income by 2026, up from 7% in 2000.