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.
