Apple Music: Super Bowl Halftime Show - Was it a Game Changer?

The Super Bowl. America’s biggest sporting event. Super Bowl LIX, held on February 9th, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, wrapped up with a nail-biting victory for the Philadelphia Eagles. They stopped the Kansas City Chiefs from making NFL history with a bid for their third Super Bowl win in a row, giving Philly fans their first Super Bowl win in 8 years!

But it’s more than just the championship game – it’s a blockbuster show that captivates the world: the Halftime Show. We’re talking iconic global superstars like The Weeknd, Dr. Dre, and Rihanna gracing the stage. And since 2023, the official sponsor of this legendary show? Apple Music. 🍎

Apple Music’s Super Bowl Halftime Show sponsorship is a seriously interesting marketing move. It’s not just about throwing money around and expecting results. There’s a deeper marketing strategy and future vision baked into this partnership.

🚀 Cultural Branding: Injecting Cool and Taking Flight

Apple Music’s Super Bowl investment goes way beyond just slapping their logo on things. The core strategy is all about music itself and weaving a cultural image deep into their brand. Just look at the recent Halftime Shows – you can see this strategy playing out in real-time. By putting artists front and center, they’re building a solid brand image as one that loves music and respects culture.

Compare them to their streaming rival, Spotify, and it becomes even clearer. Spotify is a giant in music streaming, but they don’t quite have the same “cultural icon” vibe as Apple Music yet. Apple’s built a massive “Apple ecosystem” – from hardware like iPhones and AirPods to software like the App Store and Apple TV+, and all sorts of content. Apple Music is leveraging this ecosystem, using “culture” as a powerful engine, and the Super Bowl sponsorship as its launchpad.

Apple Music’s unique features, like personalized stations, Spatial Audio, and live radio, create incredible synergy with a massive event like the Super Bowl. They’re not just positioning themselves as a “music app,” but as a “cultural platform delivering the ultimate audio experience,” and broadcasting that message to the entire world. Collaborations with icons like Kendrick Lamar and Usher further solidify Apple Music’s image as a brand leading the charge in music culture. Their musical depth and philosophies seamlessly blend with Apple Music’s brand values, creating the impression of a cultural partnership rather than just a sponsor-artist relationship.

Exclusive Content: The Magic of Tapping into Fandom

Let’s be real, all marketing comes down to boosting sales, right? Apple Music’s Super Bowl sponsorship isn’t just about a quick subscriber bump; it’s also a smart strategy for building long-term fandom. And exclusive content? That’s Apple Music’s secret weapon, making their Super Bowl marketing truly special.

Exclusive content tied to the Super Bowl Halftime Show is irresistible bait that sparks fans’ curiosity and desire to explore. Artist interviews, behind-the-scenes stories, exclusive playlists – this stuff, only available on Apple Music, offers real value for fans. Just look at Apple Music Radio programming over 100 hours of Super Bowl-themed specials. That shows you how much effort Apple puts into exclusive content.

This exclusive content keeps existing subscribers happy and, more importantly, acts as a powerful draw for potential new users who haven’t tried Apple Music yet. Super Bowl season is prime time for grabbing new subscribers. While the Halftime Show buzz is still hot, viewers are naturally drawn to Apple Music’s exclusive content. Apple Music isn’t just about “listening to music” – they’re offering differentiated value with “exclusive content,” effectively grabbing both subscriber growth and stronger brand loyalty.

Strategic Alliance with the NFL: Reshaping the Global Music Market

Apple Music’s move to snatch the Super Bowl Halftime Show sponsorship is fueled by the increasingly competitive global music streaming market. Back in 2022, market share showed Spotify leading with 31%, while Apple Music trailed at 15%. To close this gap, Apple set its sights on the Super Bowl, a massive stage watched by over 100 million viewers annually. When Nana-Yaw Asamoah, VP of Partnership Development at the NFL, praised Apple Music as the “perfect partner to inspire the world through the fusion of music and technology,” it wasn’t just empty praise.

Apple’s Super Bowl marketing is a comprehensive, 360-degree strategy. For Usher’s 2024 performance, they highlighted the collaborative playlist feature, emphasizing the experience of sharing music with friends in real-time. In 2025 for Kendrick Lamar’s show, they linked up with Shazam. Fans searching for Kendrick Lamar’s music through Shazam were rewarded with Apple Watch faces and iPhone wallpapers from the Apple Music Super Bowl event page – maximizing synergy across their hardware and services ecosystem.
Apple isn’t just using the Super Bowl sponsorship to promote their music streaming service; they’re actively using it as an opportunity to boost the value of the entire Apple ecosystem.

The difference between the previous sponsor, Pepsi, and Apple Music is striking. Pepsi focused on one-way communication through TV ads. Apple, however, is integrating location-based content, like embedding local culture from New Orleans and LA into Apple Maps guides for Super Bowl host cities.
For Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 show in New Orleans, they even dropped playlists curated by local artists, spotlighting the local music scene. Apple Music is turning the Halftime Show from a one-off event into a sustainable cultural movement connecting local culture and music.

Apple Music Radio’s 100-hour special programming has truly ushered in a new era of live music broadcasting. During Usher’s performance, they extensively featured music from past Halftime Show icons. For Kendrick Lamar’s show, they broadcast in-depth programs analyzing key moments in hip-hop history chronologically. This content strategy goes beyond just promoting the performance. It positions Apple Music as a “music knowledge curator.” They’re offering not just a listening experience, but a learning and discovery experience, differentiating themselves from competitors and building a premium image.

Local Culture: A Delicate Touch to Capture Global Fan Hearts

Apple Music’s Super Bowl Halftime Show strategy isn’t just about global fans; they’re meticulously catering to the local culture of the host city too. For Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 show in New Orleans, they exclusively released club music mixtapes by local DJs on Apple Music Radio and incorporated Mardi Gras festival elements into the performance set design – a nod to New Orleans’ vibrant culture.

Furthermore, through Apple Maps’ “Hyperlocal Guides,” VP Lisa Jackson personally curated and showcased New Orleans’ hidden gems, delivering a rich experience blending online and offline elements.

This localization strategy acts as a bridge connecting the global Super Bowl event with the local community. It significantly reinforces Apple Music’s image as a brand that respects culture and contributes to local communities. It’s a savvy yet warm strategy, building strong ties with local communities alongside their global brand presence.

📈 Data-Driven Success, and the Future

The impact on the music industry is also substantial. Streaming numbers for songs linked to the Halftime Show skyrocket by an average of 650%. The day after the performance, around 30% of the top 100 songs on major charts are tracks by the Halftime Show performer. In 2025, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” hit 187 million streams in the 24 hours following his performance, topping global charts. This isn’t just a flash-in-the-pan effect. It proves that the Halftime Show is a powerful platform that elevates an artist’s value and broadcasts Apple Music’s content power to the world.

✨ Super Bowl: Opening a New Chapter for Apple Music

Apple Music’s Super Bowl Halftime Show sponsorship strategy has successfully created a brand experience centered on “music” and “culture,” moving beyond simple advertising. They built a solid foundation with Usher’s 2024 show and further refined it with Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 performance, demonstrating a constantly evolving content ecosystem. It really shows how well they’re leveraging their ecosystem.

If they keep innovating like this, the Super Bowl will become more than just a sporting event for Apple Music – it’ll be a “land of opportunity” opening up new possibilities. It will be exciting to see what incredible marketing strategies Apple Music will unleash through the Super Bowl stage in the future.