Let’s get real, the Super Bowl hasn’t been about the game for a long time now. And good thing, because this year’s blowout was the most lifeless NFL championships of the past decade. Today Super Bowl Sunday is all about the ads, halftime shows and social media. This year’s game shattered rating records with 111.3 million viewers. The broncos didn’t show up on Sunday, but electronic dance music did in several ads that broadcasted during the most-watched television event in U.S. history.

The Super Bowl is the olympics of commercials, and for many viewers the ads are the highlight of the game. These commercials are not only some of the best ads of the year, but companies show consumers what to expect in the upcoming year. Advertising has always been a reflection of popular culture, and the presence of EDM in this year’s super bowl ads was loud and clear.

 

This year some of EDM’s most renowned personalities were on display for millions of viewers to see. Ellen DeGeneres was getting down to Dillon Francis’ track “IDGAFOS” in Beats Music ad, and Dillon Francis’ music made another appearance when “Masta Blasta” was featured during a commercial for Canadian beer maker Labatt.

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Along with Labatt, another notable beer brand used three different EDM songs in their ads. After a 2013 hiatus, Bud Light returned with a bang debuting Afrojack’s new single “Ten Feet Tall” in one of their ads offering free downloads to the first 500,000 fans who Shazam the song.

In a separate commercial for Bud Light Platinum, Zedd’s most recent track “Find You” got a 30-second showcase, which debuted in a commercial during the Grammys last weekend. Zedd made on-screen appearance for Bud Light Platinum in a different spot, replacing Avicii who endorsed the brand in 2012.

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Krewella also did a surprise preformace courtesy of Bud Light at the end of halftime at a bar in New York City. It is plain to see that Bud Light has caught onto the recent popularity of EDM recognizing that a lot more EDM will be seen in the future. It comes to no surprise that they picked Krewella for a secret performance, since the group has become increasingly popular among younger fans and their music has been getting airtime on Top 40 radio stations all over the country.

On top of that, Hudson Mohawke composed music for Under Armour’s SpeedForm Apollo shoe ad. Dance-music icon Giorgio Moroder updated his soundtrack-styled piece from 1969 for a Volkswagen ad.

These Super Bowl ads just demonstrate the impact EDM is having and the tractableness of the genre as a whole when it comes to marketing and advertising. With the popularity of electronic music on the rise, this won’t be the last time EDM is used to promote products and services. These commercials tell us present trends, and what will be well-received in the future. Before we know it we might see an electronic music artist preforming for the halftime show.