famous characters win big at superbowl lvII
It’s no secret that Super Bowl advertising requires a frightening amount of investment. How can advertisers minimise the risk of that investment not paying off?
Brands are increasingly recognising that one of the best ways to get bang for your buck is by bringing back loved characters from film and TV. The surprise element of seeing a popular famous character from the past in an unexpected setting creates a winning formula of nostalgia, entertainment, and talkability.
It’s crucial that the chosen character makes sense for the campaign and is not lazily shoehorned into creative. This year advertisers successfully leveraged the generational popularity of loved characters from film and TV in standout creative that made sense for both the character and the brand messaging.
Cher Howowitz from Clueless x Rakuten
Cher Horowitz from 1995 film Clueless was the perfect match for Rakuten’s campaign centred around shopping. The spot opens with Alicia Silverstone and Elisa Donovan reprising their roles as Cher and Amber, recreating the classic debate scene from the loved movie. The pair debate whether "fiscally responsible shopping" is an oxymoron, with Cher highlighting the ease of earning Cash Back when shopping with Rakuten.
Derek Zoolander x Pepsi
Ben Stiller plays various roles in this Pepsi spot (including an action hero, an astronaut, and a man proposing to his girlfriend), but it’s no surprise that the headlines in the press focused on his reprisal of the character Derek Zoolander from the hit 2001 movie. Pairing loved characters with A-list talent is almost guaranteed to secure share of voice.
Jesse and Walt from Breaking Bad x Popcorners
Fans of the show have been longing for a reunion of Jesse and Walt. This spot for Popcorners brilliantly delivers bringing back the pair with a hilarious spoof that also features popular character, Tuco
Captain Pike, Dora the Explorer, Beavis & Butt-Head x Paramount+
We love this example of bringing together famous characters from different universes. The combination of animation characters interacting with live action characters on Paramount’s ‘mountain of entertainment’ further adds to the spot’s uniqueness. The spot brings together Captain Pike from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Beckett Mariner from the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks, Dora the Explorer, Reno 911’s Lt. Dangle, and Beavis and Butt-Head. Sylvester Stallone and his daughters are the cherry on the top promoting new reality show ‘The Family Stallone’.
These are our favourite examples of using famous characters for this year’s Super Bowl spots but we wanted to give a shout out to some other examples that leveraged entertainment IP with a different approach. Michelob Ultra’s homage to Caddyshack featuring Serena Williams is a brilliant follow up to last year’s homage to another classic, The Big Lebowski. For T-Mobile, John Travolta, Donald Faison, and Zach Braff put their spin on the song ‘Summer Nights’ from the loved musical Grease, with a Saturday Night Fever pose thrown into the mix. Both campaigns license thematic elements of popular movies to get the attention of their target demographics.
Born Licensing is launching its Character Licensing Workshop series to help agencies confidently navigate the world of entertainment IP, turning a complex process into a clear, practical creative opportunity. Designed for creatives, producers and business affairs teams, the sessions demystify character licensing and unlock its full potential in advertising.
In a digital world where fraudsters rely on urgency, panic and split-second decisions, sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is pause. That's the thinking behind Take9's new "Count Before You Click" campaign, which enlists one of the world's most recognisable number enthusiasts: Sesame Street's Count von Count. Created in partnership with Sesame Workshop and developed by Bully Pulpit International (BPI), the campaign uses the beloved character to encourage consumers to take a simple nine-second pause before responding to suspicious online messages, emails or alerts.
Another year, another hugely successful week at Licensing Expo in Las Vegas — and if this year proved anything, it’s that the licensing industry continues to thrive. From entertainment and gaming to fashion, publishing and experiential, the appetite for character-driven storytelling and brand partnerships feels stronger than ever.
We’re pleased to share that “It’s Pixel, actually” — our campaign with Google Pixel and Love Actually — has been nominated for Best Advertising Campaign Featuring a Licensed Brand at the 2026 Licensing International Excellence Awards.
Born Licensing is launching its UK Character Workshop series to help agencies confidently navigate the world of entertainment IP, turning a complex process into a clear, practical creative opportunity. Designed for creatives, producers and business affairs teams, the sessions demystify character licensing and unlock its full potential in advertising.
Launched under Twix’s new global brand platform, “Two is More Than One,” the campaign invites audiences to reflect on a simple question: when else is one good, but two is better?
Optimism without irony, humour without edge. Paddington offers brands something rare in modern advertising: trust. Here's why the bear from Peru is a natural for brand storytelling.
Born Licensing is proud to announce that we now represent Mr. Men Little Miss as licensing agents in the advertising and marketing space, working alongside Sanrio to bring the iconic characters into bold, personality-led brand storytelling. With over 50 years of cultural relevance, the brand offers a powerful, playful way for advertisers to connect with audiences through instantly recognisable character and emotion.
Few characters in children’s storytelling have achieved the cultural reach of The Gruffalo. First published in 1999, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s instantly recognisable creation has become a true modern classic, adored by families around the world. Together with The Gruffalo’s Child, the books have sold more than 38 million copies globally, been published in 107 languages, and earned a permanent place in the collective imagination.
From multiple 5.9-star System1 campaigns to record-breaking festive launches, Born Licensing explores why character-led storytelling remains one of the most effective tools in Christmas advertising.
There are few comedy duos as universally recognised or as timelessly beloved as Laurel & Hardy. From slapstick silent shorts in the late 1920s to feature films and animated series that continue to entertain audiences around the world, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy shaped the very DNA of physical comedy. Nearly a century after their first screen appearance together, their appeal hasn’t faded: it has become a cultural touchstone spanning generations.
Christmas is rarely predictable, and The AA’s latest festive campaign leans into that truth with a playful character-led twist. This year, the brand has partnered with Elves Behavin’ Badly, bringing the nation’s favourite mischievous duo into its well-known platform, “It’s OK, I’m with The AA”.
Google Pixel’s ‘It’s Pixel, actually’ campaign reunites Love Actually stars to showcase the Pixel 10’s cinematic capabilities in a warm, nostalgic festive moment — with Born Licensing managing the entire licensing process behind the scenes. The result is a joyful blend of modern craft and beloved holiday storytelling.
IAMS and the Garfield collaborate to raise awareness on the issue of overweight cats. With Born Licensing helping bring the partnership to life alongside Paramount and adam&eveDDB, this partnership proves how iconic characters can elevate ad campaigns.
Candy Crush Solitaire and the Care Bears have joined forces for a month-long in-game celebration of love, color, and kindness. With Born Licensing helping bring the partnership to life alongside King and Cloudco Entertainment, this crossover proves that even in gaming, caring is still the sweetest win of all.
Ghirardelli teamed up with SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star for a campaign celebrating iconic pairs, with Born Licensing managing the clip licensing and approvals process with Paramount. The result was a sweet, nostalgic spot that perfectly paired beloved characters with Ghirardelli’s new chocolate and caramel squares.
The Born team attended BLE 2025 in London. Over three days packed with meetings, presentations (and characters!), we caught up with over 30 licensors — including industry heavyweights like Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros., Sanrio, Pokémon, Canal+, LEGO and The Roald Dahl Story Company, among many others. It’s always an incredible opportunity to connect face-to-face with the people behind the IPs that continue to define culture, spark creativity, and shape campaigns across industries.
Born Licensing won Best Licensed Promotions Campaign at the 2025 Licensing Awards for Sainsbury’s x the BFG Christmas campaign
Licensing doesn’t stop at advertising — it’s a global industry shaping products we see on shelves every day. With Learn to License, we’re opening up that world to newcomers, giving them the tools to navigate product licensing with confidence.
Sainsbury’s 2024 Christmas campaign, starring the BFG and colleague Sophie, has been shortlisted for both the IPM Awards and UK Licensing Awards 2025
Eleven years ago, Born Licensing began with nothing more than a laptop, a studio apartment in Melbourne, and a belief that advertising could be better when powered by characters people already loved. There was no investor pitch deck, no neatly laminated business plan – and there was a lot to learn! What was there, however, was a head full of ideas and a deep passion for the emotional shorthand that iconic IP can bring to a campaign.
It’s been nearly three decades since Adam Sandler first brought Happy Gilmore to life, and now the golf-club-wielding fan favourite is back. Netflix has just released Happy Gilmore 2, bringing a fresh wave of nostalgia to one of the most iconic sports comedies of the ’90s - and this time, the brand partnerships are as bold as Happy’s swing.
In May 2025, the Born team touched down in Las Vegas to attend the biggest licensing event of the year, the 2025 Licensing Expo. And, of course, to snap some pictures with our favourite characters!
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Born Licensing welcomes Emmet Wright to the team as Licensor Manager for North America, Australia and New Zealand-based campaigns.