You know what's better than a $7 million Super Bowl ad? Knowing exactly what people think about it 30 seconds after it airs.
Hey there, welcome back to What The Data Said.
I'm Jazmin, and for two years at PepsiCo, I helped run war rooms for Mountain Dew during the Super Bowl. We had commercials running both years, and our goal was simple: be the most talked-about ad of the night.
Here's the thing: If I was going to run my own war room for a brand today – whether I had a spot in the game or not – this is the exact playbook I'd use.
Because the Super Bowl isn't just for brands with Super Bowl budgets anymore. Every year, scrappy brands tweet something brilliant, ride the cultural wave, and get more engagement than companies that spent millions. The difference? They showed up prepared.
So today, I'm breaking down exactly how to set up and run a Super Bowl war room – from the team structure to the 90-second decision framework that keeps you from posting something you'll regret.
Two perspectives. One playbook. Let's get into it.
📌In This Issue:
What Is a War Room, Actually? – And why you need one even if you're not "in" the Super Bowl
The Two Playbooks – If you have a Super Bowl ad vs. if you don't (and how to win either way)
The Comment Section Strategy – Why your replies might matter more than your posts
What to Track When It's Over – The 6 metrics that actually matterrics that actually matter
What Is a War Room, Actually?
A war room is a dedicated space (physical or virtual) where your team monitors, responds to, and capitalizes on real-time conversations during a major event.
In our case at Mountain Dew, it looked like this:
10-12 people in a conference room from the brand a
Multiple screens showing social listening dashboards
Pre-approved content ready to deploy
Group chat for rapid-fire decisions
A singular focus: win the conversation
The goal? Be ready to react to anything in minutes, not hours.
Why You Need One (Even If You're Not "In" the Game)
If you HAVE a Super Bowl ad: Your war room helps you amplify your investment. You didn't spend $7M just for 30 seconds. You spent it to own the conversation. The war room is how you extend that moment into hours, days, and weeks.
If you DON'T have a Super Bowl ad: The Super Bowl is still the biggest cultural conversation of the year. 100+ million people watching TV while scrolling their phones. Brands spending millions. Memes being born in real-time. This is your chance to ride the wave without buying the board.
Either way: If you're not listening and ready to move, you're missing the opportunity
The Two Playbooks
PLAYBOOK A: You Have a Super Bowl Ad
Your mission: Maximize ROI on your $7M investment by dominating the conversation.
Your advantage:
You have a moment people are expecting
You can plan around your exact air time
You have budget for tools, team, resources
Your challenges:
High expectations (everyone's watching)
You can still lose even with the ad
Competitors are gunning for you
Your war room focus:
Pre-game hype – Tease the ad, build anticipation
Real-time amplification – The second your ad airs, flood social with content
Ride the momentum – Keep the conversation going for 24-48 hours
Monitor and respond – Track sentiment, engage with fans, address criticism
Competitive defense – If competitors try to hijack your moment, be ready
PLAYBOOK B: You Don't Have a Super Bowl Ad
Your mission: Insert yourself into the conversation without spending millions.
Your advantage:
Low risk, high reward
No one expects you to show up (surprise factor)
You can be more nimble and cheeky
Your challenges:
You have to work harder for attention
You can't force relevance
You have to be genuinely clever, not try-hard
Your war room focus:
Trend-jacking – Jump on viral moments from the game or other ads
Real-time commentary – React to what's happening with your brand's voice
Community management warfare – Live in the comments (more on this below)
Strategic silence – Don't post just to post; wait for your moment
Brand banter – Engage with other brands in clever ways
The Comment Section Strategy: How to Win a Moment You're Not Part Of
Let's be real: most brands aren't running Super Bowl commercials.
And that's actually good news. Because here's what we learned at Mountain Dew: the comment section is where brands without ads can steal the show.
Every year, some brand drops a perfectly-timed reply under a viral tweet/thread and gets MORE attention than brands that spent $7 million. That comment gets screenshot, shared, and becomes the moment everyone's talking about the next day.
That brand just won the Super Bowl without buying a ticket.
This is comment section warfare. And it's how you capitalize on a moment no one even thought your brand was part of.
The Strategy Is Simple: Live Where the Attention Already Is
Here's your game plan:
Log every ad using a Super Bowl Ads Tracker like this one.
Monitor these specific moments:
When big brands post their Super Bowl ads
They drop the ad, everyone floods the comments
First 100 comments get the most visibility
Your witty reply can become THE comment
When something viral happens in the game
Insane catch, controversial call, unexpected moment
NFL, ESPN, sports accounts post about it
Drop a comment that ties it to your brand (if authentic)
When brands start bantering with each other (Threads is the goldmine for this!)
Two brands going back and forth
Jump in as the third voice
Make it a conversation, not you forcing yourself in
When an ad goes viral (good OR bad)
People are already talking about it
Add your take in the comments
Bonus points if you can be self-aware about not having an ad
Your Comment Section Win Condition
You win if:
At least one of your comments gets screenshot and shared
You're included in "best brand banter of the night" roundups
Other brands engage with YOUR comment
Your comment gets more engagement than some standalone posts
People didn't know you were "in" the game, but now they do
That's a Super Bowl W without the Super Bowl budget.
In moments like this, you usually have 90 seconds max to decide if you're jumping in.
Ask yourself:
Is this relevant to our brand? Can we insert ourselves authentically? What's the risk? Can we execute in under 5 minutes?
For comments specifically, you have even less time – first 100 comments get visibility, so aim for 30-60 seconds from opportunity to posted comment.The Reality Check
Not every comment will go viral. Most won't.
But here's the thing: one viral comment can deliver more ROI than most paid campaigns.
It gets screenshot. Shared. Talked about the next day. Included in marketing case studies. And it cost you $0 and 30 seconds.
What to Track When It's Over
Here are the 4 metrics that actually matter:
1. Brand Mentions Over Time
Track your mentions at four key intervals to see if you created sustained buzz or just a quick spike:
During game window (kickoff to 2 hours post-game)
Immediately after game ends
24 hours post-game
48 hours post-game
The best campaigns keep momentum for 24-48 hours, not just during the game.
2. Sentiment Breakdown
A lot of mentions means nothing if everyone's roasting you:
Positive mentions (%)
Neutral mentions (%)
Negative mentions (%)
Aim for 70%+ positive. Below 50%? Something went wrong.
You can have 10K mentions, but if your competitor had 100K, you lost:
Your mentions as % of total category mentions
Your rank vs. direct competitors
Did you trend?
This tells you who actually owned the conversation.
4. Comment Performance on Brand Ads
If you don't have an ad, this is your PRIMARY metric:
Total comments you dropped on other brands' posts
Engagement on YOUR comments (likes, replies)
Which comment got the most traction
Any comments that got screenshot/shared
Mentions in "best brand banter" roundups
One viral comment can deliver more ROI than most paid campaigns.
Pull these metrics at three intervals:
Post-game: Quick snapshot (did you win the night?)
24 hours: Did momentum sustain?
48 hours: Full analysis + team debrief
Document everything for next year's playbook.
TLDR: Win the Super Bowl (Without the Super Bowl Budget)
✅ Define your win – Most mentions? Best comment? Be specific.
✅ Live in the comments – Where brands without ads win moments they're not part of
✅ Speed is everything – 90 seconds for posts, 60 seconds for comments
✅ Be self-aware – Own that you're not "in" the game
✅ Track 4 metrics – Mentions over time, sentiment, share of voice, comment performance
✅ Pull metrics at 3 intervals – Post-game, 24 hours, 48 hours
The reality? Whether you have a $7M spot or a $0 budget, you can win the Super Bowl on social if you show up prepared, listen in real-time, move fast, live in the comments, and say something people actually want to share.
That's what the data said this week.
Planning your war room yet? You should be. And when you execute on game day and drop that perfect comment that gets screenshot 10,000 times? Tag me on LinkedIn. I want to see how you stole the show without spending a dime.
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