The Brand Power Behind SNL50 Was No Laughing Matter

Live from New York, it’s SNL50’s brand partners.

NBCUniversal’s SNL50 celebration over the weekend was a massive undertaking that included musical talents like Bad Bunny and Sabrina Carpenter, former cast members such as Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and fan-favorite celebrity hosts such as Tom Hanks and Emma Stone—with everyone stuffing into Saturday Night Live’s home of Studio 8H to participate and watch the episode live.

And from the SNL50 Homecoming Concert on Friday to the sketch comedy show’s anniversary special on Sunday, brands were a part of the experience every step of the way.

Sari Feinberg, svp of marketing and brand partnerships, NBCUniversal, said the company worked with advertisers for two years leading up to the big event, with sponsors including Capital One, Allstate, T-Mobile, Volkswagen of America, L’Oreal Groupe’s Maybelline NY, and CeraVe.

“We looked for partners that were a great brand fit with the show, but that could also help elevate the relationship beyond a traditional way,” Feinberg told ADWEEK. “Brands that didn’t want to just make content—that really leaned into this from a consumer perspective but that had a sense of humor and trust to work with SNL in a comedic way.”

To take brand support beyond that traditional sponsorship, SNL teamed with the partners to create custom ads featuring SNL talent. For instance, Volkswagen recently debuted a new spot reimagining the classic Californians skit, with Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig reprising their roles.

The custom brand campaigns helped build hype in the months leading up to SNL50, airing across NBCUniversal’s portfolio of SNL episodes, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Big 10 football games, the SNL50 Homecoming Concert, and the Red Carpet special on traditional linear broadcasts, Peacock, and social media channels.

The campaigns were also done mindfully, running in the lead-up to the anniversary event rather than during the actual episode on Sunday, avoiding any confusion between the branded campaigns and SNL’s commercial parody sketches, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Among other creative executions, Maybelline’s 30-second spots featured former SNL cast members like Vanessa Bayer and Cecily Strong using its products; T-Mobile’s 60-second commercial showcased Kenan Thompson and Marcello Hernández performing a song about the company; Allstate aired a spot with digital short trio Please Don’t Destroy alongside the brand’s iconic Mayhem character; and one of Capital One’s 30-second spots starred former SNL cast members Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon with Samuel L. Jackson.

Meanwhile, CeraVe debuted a new commercial in the days leading up to the SNL50 weekend that featured Bowen Yang and Sarah Sherman as band members suffering from excessive dandruff.

Both the Volkswagen and CeraVe spots aired during the Homecoming Concert livestream.

Outside of branded spots with SNL talent, the partnerships gave viewers new ways to access SNL50 through custom behind-the-scenes content that was developed for every platform. NBCUniversal also worked closely with talent to post across their individual social channels leading up to the big night.

“Current and former SNL members put themselves out there in front of fans through these brands,” Feinberg said. “We want to make sure we’re doing this in a great, really smart, and creative way.”

Staying active

Brands also held activations throughout the weekend to continue to build excitement, including a Maybelline Lounge on the red carpet. Plus, Volkswagen deployed an ID. Buzz on-site dropping off attendees, and T-Mobile sponsored a glam bot to catch all those celebrity poses.

Other activations included T-Mobile hosting an event at its Times Square location, which was decked out in SNL50 branding and included Thompson and Hernandez doing a meet-and-greet with fans. Meanwhile, Capital One hosted two events—one at the Capital One Cafe and at the Time Square location—that featured special drinks, photo opportunities, and appearances from Gasteyer and Shannon.

At Advertising Week last October, Mark Marshall, chairman, global advertising and partnerships, NBCUniversal, noted that brand partners had to “let go of some of their control” in order to fit the tone of the show and acquiesce to the SNL talent.

Feinberg reiterated that point, noting that partners were able to customize sponsorships in a way that worked for them as well as the show.

“Everybody leaned in in a different way that felt great for their brand, but of course, it felt right for the tone and the tenor of the show that we had on that night and across the season,” Feinberg said.