Investor and Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary once declared that to succeed in business you must be willing to grind out 25 hour work days. He has since walked back on that idea, calling it, in his own words, sheer stupidity.
In fact: The worst advice I hear young founders talk about all the time is that they want to work 18 hours a day. How stupid is that? OLeary said in a video posted on his Instagram page last week.
The eat-sleep-work lifestylealso known as the 996 schedule first imported from China, which stands for 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a weekhas since gained momentum among Silicon Valley tech companies.
Despite his previous declarations, OLeary says it’s high time to put that idea to bed. Youve got to get some sleep, you have to eat well to stay focused, he says. Thats how youre successful.
Being tired is practically a personality trait in corporate America. Harvard University research found 55% of CEOs get six hours of sleep a night or less.
Yet, research consistently shows that productivity is closely tied to sleep. One 2019 study found that sleep-deprived entrepreneurs were more likely to favor weaker business ventures, failing to look past the surface-level features of new business ideas to understand their long-term potential.
For the sleepless founder, making important decisions also becomes more difficult after a long day of work, as the effects of decision fatigue start to take hold.
Theres lots of evidence that you should make the major decisions right after you wake up when you have the maximum energy and your mind is clear, OLeary says.
Success should not come at the detriment of your health. This idea that you dont get any sleep, as if its good for investors, is sheer stupidity, he says. Eating well, getting sleep, and exercising are his actual secrets to optimization.
O’Leary now sees those founders hustling 18 hours a day (or at least, those who look like theyve been) as poor bets. If you show up looking half-dead, Im not investing, OLeary wrote in the video caption. Youre not a hero, youre a liability.So, the next time you feel pressure to camp out in the office, take a page out of OLearys playbook and:
Go home and get a good night’s rest.
Show up to work looking and feeling fresh.
Tackle your most important tasks first thing.
In doing so, youll not only look better and feel better but maybe most importantly. . .work better.
On Jan. 19, 2025, someone paid $75.35 to buy a Trump meme coin. Today, assuming that investor held the cryptocurrency, the investment has lost 96% of its value.
The crypto market has been more volatile than usual in recent weeks. Last week alone saw daily swings of as much as $10,000 in Bitcoin, the leading digital currency, pushing it down to nearly $60,000, a level not seen since 2024.
Bitcoin has since recovered somewhat, though it is still hovering near $70,000, well below its $122,000 high last October. But as mainstream cryptocurrencies continue to give investors whiplash, meme coin holders have fared even worse.
The Trump coin, in mid-morning trading Monday, stood at $3.39, according to CoinMarketCap. The Melania coin, which once traded as high as $13.73, is down roughly 99%, changing hands for about 12 cents.
The drop in the Trump coin comes roughly a year after it began to lose investor support following Trumps inauguration. Last February, the coins market capitalization stood at $3.5 billion, already well below its $14.5 billion peak on the eve of his second inauguration. Today, it has fallen to $1.78 billion.
Non-political meme coins have also seen steep declines. Dogecoin, which once flirted with $1 per coin, is now trading just over 9 cents. That represents a 25% decline year to date and a 68% drop since last September.
Shiba Inu now costs $0.000006060, meaning that buying 1,650 coins today would cost just under one centa 20% drop from its highs last October. Losses over the past week span the broader meme coin market: Pepe fell 13%. Bonk dropped 16%. Pudgy Penguins declined 20%. And pippin slid 35%. (No, we didnt make any of those names up, and no, its not surprising if you havent heard of several of them.)
Cryptos turbulence comes amid broader market instability in 2026. Wall Street has experienced its own roller-coaster ride, and even precious metals have been volatile, with silver prices swinging between $71 and $115 since Jan. 1.
What makes crypto’s ups and downs particularly noteworthy, though, is the financial stakes held by President Donald Trump’s two eldest sons. Eric Trump and Donald Trump, Jr co-founded American Bitcoin, a publicly-traded bitcoin mining and treasury management company in March of last year. (The stock has fallen from $7.40 per share when it began trading to $1.28 in midday trading Monday.)
Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and 19-year-old Baron Trump are also co-founders of World Liberty Financial, a crypto company that is now generating more revenue for the family than the Trump real estate business. The Wall Street Journal calculates that the company has brought in at least $1.4 billion for the Trump family since Trumps re-election.
The sons of Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also operate businesses with crypto interests. A White House spokesperson told the Journal that there are no conflicts of interest, as the ventures are run independently by the politicians sons.
Meme coins have always been risky investments. All too often, they’re rug pullsget-rich-quick schemes where one entity sees significant returns, but investors are left with useless holdings. And while they might be tied to a pop culture phenomenon or a person, there’s no guarantee there’s any formal relationship between the two.
That could be the case with the Melania meme coin. Last October, a lawsuit was filed alleging that the coins backers orchestrated a large-scale pump-and-dump scheme involving at least 15 cryptocurrencies, including $MELANIA. The complaint alleged that First Lady Melania Trump was used as window dressing for a crime engineered by Meteora and Kelsier.
“Neither Melania Trump nor her representatives knew the project was part of a systemic fraud, and they would not have agreed to any use of her name had they known the truth,” the suit read.
Kroger named former Walmart executive Greg Foran as its chief executive officer on Monday, 11 months after the abrupt resignation of its previous CEO.
Foran has a reputation as a tech-savvy and detail-oriented leader. He led Walmart’s U.S. division from 2014 to 2019, where he focused on cleaning up stores, ensuring items were in stock, and improving the fresh produce selection. He also introduced online ordering and pickup, and accelerated Walmart’s digital capabilities.
Walmart has reshaped itself into a tech-powered retail giant that has leaned heavily into automation and artificial intelligence, and it’s one of the biggest competitive threats to Kroger, the largest stand-alone U.S. supermarket chain.
Shares of The Kroger Co. rose nearly 7% in early trading Monday after Kroger said Foran would lead the company.
Walmart has become a larger challenge to Kroger and other traditional grocers as Americans increasingly pick up their groceries along with other general goods that Walmart sells. Walmart currently controls around 21% of the U.S. grocery market, compared to 8.5% for Kroger, according to the market research company Numerator.
Kroger has also felt pressure from fast-growing discount chains like Aldi and Lidl and online behemoths like Amazon.
Kroger proposed a merger with Albertsons in 2022 as a way to better compete with its rivals. But the Federal Trade Commission and two states Washington and Colorado sued to block the merger in 2024, saying it would raise prices and lower workers wages by eliminating competition. Judges ultimately ruled that the merger should not proceed.
Kroger has struggled to adjust as customers increasingly embrace delivery, pickup and ship-to-home for their groceries. The company said in December that its e-commerce sales jumped 17% in the latest quarter.
In November, Kroger shuttered automated fulfillment centers in Wisconsin, Maryland and Florida and said it would monitor its five remaining facilities. The company said it found that delivering directly from its stores was faster and cheaper than using the automated facilities, where robots pick and pack groceries. Kroger said the closures could help make its e-commerce business profitable this year.
Kroger also recently expanded its partnerships with the third-party delivery services DoorDash and Uber Eats. For years, Kroger had limited what third parties could deliver and instead tried to meet demand with its own delivery drivers.
But Kroger has also found that it needs to tread carefully when experimenting with new technology. When some of its stores switched to digital price labels, which allow stores to change prices instantly, state and federal lawmakers questioned whether the company would use the technology to surge prices.
Kroger also got heat from lawmakers about a partnership with Microsoft that would place cameras in aisles and offer personalized deals to shoppers based on their gender and age.
Foran succeeds Ron Sargent, who has been Kroger’s interim leader since former CEO Rodney McMullen resigned last March. McMullen had been Kroger’s CEO since 2014 and was also the company’s chairman. Kroger said he resigned after an investigation into his personal conduct, which was unrelated to the business but violated its ethics policy.
Sargent will continue to serve as Krogers chairman to ensure a smooth leadership transition.
Greg is a highly respected operator who knows how to run large-scale retail businesses, strengthen store execution and lead high-performing teams, Sargent said in a statement. His leadership style, focus on the customer, commitment to associates, and disciplined approach to execution are the perfect fit for Kroger.”
Foran, a New Zealand native, most recently served as CEO of Air New Zealand, where he also improved digital capabilities, led negotiations with the airline’s union and guided it through the pandemic.
Kroger, based in Cincinnati, has 2,731 stores operating under various brands, including Ralphs, King Soopers, Smith’s and Fred Meyer. It has 409,000 employees.
By Dee-Ann Durbin, AP business writer
It’s the day after Super Bowl Sunday, otherwise known as National Hangover Day. Because, let’s face iteven if you have zero interest in football and can’t even remember who won the game, if you’re like many Americans, you probably at least went to a watch party. (If for nothing else than for the joy-bringing halftime show led by the one and only Bad Bunny.)
But if you’re feeling a little, er, off today. . .you’re far from alone. According to UKG’s annual Super Bowl Absenteeism Survey, an estimated 26.2 million U.S. employees were anticipated to stay home today.
That means, that no matter who wins or loses the Super Bowl, the big loser on Super Sick Monday is the workplace.
According to Amanda Augustine, resident career expert for TopResume and a Certified Professional Career Coach, per a press release, employers should adjust to the anticipated lower attendance. For many Americans, the Monday after the Super Bowl comes with a real post-game hangover, and I dont just mean from the snacks and cocktails. Its a mix of late nights, disrupted routines, and for some, a case of the post-game blues.
Augustine continues, “Instead of forcing employees to power through, employers can get ahead of it by offering simple, creative support, like reminding staff about floating holidays, encouraging half-days for die-hard fans, or even providing small perks like breakfast or coffee to help people ease back into the work week.”
When it comes to who rallies and who stays home, there’s a gender divide. New data from TopResume found the men are far more likely to call in “sick” than women. In fact, 9.11% of men said they were already planning to stay home after this years Super Bowl. Only 3.37% of women said they’d take the day to rest.Some age groups are more likely to suck it up and head to the office no matter how many Bud Heavies they housed while screaming at the TV and inhaling chicken wings.
Only 13.08% of Gen X and 6.82% of Boomer workers say they have ever called in sick after Super Bowl celebrations. Likewise, only 3.49% of Gen Xers said they planned to do so this year and 1% of Boomer professionals said the same.But when it comes to millennials, the group seems to take more liberties at work, at least when football is involved. More than one-fifth (21.17%) have called in sick after Super Bowl celebrations and 8.64% were planning to take the day off this year.
Still, no one is more keen to call out than Gen Z, according to the data. More than one in four Gen Z workers (27.45%) say they have called in sick after Super Bowl Sunday. And 12.42% admit that theyve done so more than once. This year, only 6.54% said they were already planning to stay home in advance. However, 18.3% said their decision would come down to how the night goes, according to the TopResume data.
We’re gonna go out on a limb and say there are a lot of people who are lowkey zonked today, working from the couch, or straight up not working.
With all of the inevitable Hangover Monday absences happening today from coast to coast, the real question is really: why isn’t today a national holiday already?
It’s been a confusing time for people with student loans. Collections restarted, then were put on hold. At the same time, borrowers had to stay on top of changes to key forgiveness plans.
Last year, the long-contested SAVE plan introduced by the Biden administration ended with a settlement agreement. President Donald Trumps Big Beautiful Bill introduced new borrowing limits for graduates and raised challenges to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. While several changes for student loan borrowers will take effect this summer, other key questions remain unresolved.
More than 5 million Americans were in default on their federal student loans as of September, according to the Education Department. Millions are behind on loan payments and at risk of default this year.
Borrowers “genuinely struggle to afford their loans and then to hear that the administration is making it more expensive and taking away some of the tools and resources that help folks afford their loans is really, its panic-inducing, said Winston Berkman-Breen, legal director at Protect Borrowers.
Last month, the Education Department announced that it would delay involuntary collections for student loan borrowers in default until the department finalizes its new loan repayment plans. The date for this is still unclear.
If youre a student loan borrower, here are some key things to know:
If you were enrolled in the SAVE plan
The SAVE plan was a repayment plan with some of the most lenient terms ever. Soon after its launch it was challenged in court, leaving millions of student loan borrowers in limbo. Last December, the Education Department announced a settlement agreement to end the SAVE plan. What is next for borrowers who were enrolled in this repayment plan is yet to be determined.
Seven and a half million borrowers who are currently enrolled in SAVE need to be moved to another plan, Berkman-Breen said.
As part of the agreement, the Education Department says it will not enroll new borrowers, deny pending applications, and will move all current SAVE borrowers into other repayment plans.
The Education Department is expected to develop a plan for borrowers to transition from the SAVE plan, yet borrowers should be proactive about enrolling in other repayment plans, said Kate Wood, a lending expert at NerdWallet.
If you are looking to enroll in an income-driven repayment plan
Borrowers can apply for the following income-driven plans: the Income-Based Repayment Plan, the Pay as You Earn plan, and the Income-Contingent Repayment plan.
They all have similar criteria, and they function similarly. Your payment is set as a percentage of your income, not how much you owe, so its usually a lower payment, Berkman-Breen said.
The payment amount under income-driven plans is a percentage of your discretionary income, and the percentage varies depending on the plan. Since many people are looking to switch plans, some applications to income-driven repayment plans might take longer to process, said Jill Desjean, director of policy analysis at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
You can find out which repayment plan might work best for you by logging on to the Education Departments loan simulator.
If youre working toward your Public Service Loan Forgiveness
There are no changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program yet. Last year, the Trump administration announced plans to change the eligibility requirements for participating nonprofits.
The policy seeks to disqualify nonprofit workers if their work is deemed to have substantial illegal purpose. The Trump administration said its necessary to block taxpayer money from lawbreakers, while critics say it turns the program into a tool of political retribution.
The proposal says illegal activity includes the trafficking or chemical castration of children, illegal immigration, and supporting foreign terrorist organizations. This move could cut off some teachers, doctors, and other public workers from federal loan cancellation.
This is something that obviously is very stressful, very nerve-wracking for a lot of people, but given that we dont know exactly how this is going to be enforced, how these terms are going to be defined, its not really something that you can try to plan ahead for now, Wood said.
While this policy is currently being challenged by 20 Democrat-led states, its expected to take effect in July. In the meantime, Wood recommends that borrowers enrolled in the PSLF program continue making payments.
If your student loans are in default
Involuntary collections on federal student loans will remain on hold. The Trump administration announced earlier this month that it is delaying plans to withhold pay from student loan borrowers who default on their payments.
Federal student loan borrowers can have their wages garnished and their federal tax refunds withheld if they default on their loans. Borrowers are considered in default when they are at least 270 days behind on payments.
If your student loans are in default, you can contact your loan holder to apply for a loan rehabilitation program.
They essentially come up with a payment plan where youre making a reduced payment,” Woods. After five successful payments on that rehabilitation plan, wage garnishment will cease.
If youre planning to attend graduate school
Trumps Big Beautiful Bill has changed the amount graduate students can borrow from federal student loans. Graduate students could previously borrow loans up to the cost of their degree; the new rules cap the amount depending on whether the degree is considered a graduate or a professional program.
Wood said that if you’re starting a new program and taking out a loan after July 1, you will be subject to the new loan limits.
Under the new plan, students in professional programs would be able to borrow up to $50,000 per year and up to $200,000 in total. Other graduate students, such as those pursuing nursing nd physical therapy, would be limited to $20,500 a year and up to $100,000 total.
The Education Department is defining the following fields as professional programs: pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry and theology.
If you want to consolidate your loan
The online application for loan consolidation is available at studentaid.gov/loan-consolidation. If you have multiple federal student loans, you can combine them into a single loan with a fixed interest rate and a single monthly payment.
The consolidation process typically takes around 60 days to complete. You can only consolidate your loans once.
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The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.
Adriana Morga, Associated Press
Whoopi Goldberg has been a household name since she starred in The Color Purple in 1985. Fast forward over 50 years, and she’s still as driven as ever. Goldberg, 70, cohosts daytime talk show The View. In 2024, she founded AWSN, the All Women’s Sports Network. Shes also an author, activist, mother, and grandmother.
And, shes also doing it all solo. Goldberg is happily single and has been for decades. She says that will never change.
In a recent interview with Interview magazine, Goldberg opened up about her solo life, which she happens to genuinely love. So much, in fact, that she says she plans to stay single because, as she put it, “in the last 25 years, I recognized that not everybody’s cut out to be in a relationship.” She continued, revealing that she doesn’t ever “want to live with anybody,” echoing her 2016 statement to The New York Times when she famously said “I don’t want somebody in my house!”
A growing trend
While we don’t hear women talking about how glad they are to be single all that often, the tide seems to be turning. More women are deciding to stay single, and studies suggest that trend will continue.
A 2019 Morgan Stanley study, based on Census Bureau historical data and Morgan Stanley forecasts, found that 45% of prime working-age women (ages 25-44) will be single by 2030. That’s the largest share in history.
That’s why hearing Goldberg’s perspective, and witnessing her joy and continued drive, is refreshing.
It’s also more relevant than ever as some women feel unbothered by not being in a relationship, regardless of the fact that society has long pushed women toward marriage and motherhood.
Are single women more ambitious?
Surely there are plenty of ambitious people in long-term relationships that manage to balance both.
However, Goldberg’s view that that doesn’t work for her, is important to hear. Because, quite simply, no matter what lens you’re looking from, relationships are work, tooand sometimes, they can steal your energy and your ambition.
Likewise, some research has shown that those single women are powerful forces at work. A 2023 Wells Fargo study found that women who aren’t married are becoming an increasingly influential part of the workforce.Despite not living with a partner, Goldberg isn’t lonely, she says. Perhaps because she keeps astoundingly busy.
“Im not good at [romantic] relationships because you have to think about other people, and I have enough to think about with my daughter and her husband and my grandkids and my great-grandkids and all the people at work.”
Some might call it selfish. But, as Goldberg put it way back in 2016, she’s simply “a woman who knows what she wants.” What she wants just happens to be “a home all to her damn self.”
Valentine’s Day is known as the day to celebrate all things loveand also a day for expensive dates. However, a new offering from one of your favorite fast food chains may have you skipping the white table cloths and snagging something from McDonald’s instead.
McDonald’s is serving up caviar this Valentine’s Day. But there’s a catch.
In a Feb. 2 announcement, the chain explained what the latest offering entails. “To be known is to be loved, and we know our fans love pairing our crispy Chicken McNuggets with their favorite caviar,” it said. “Inspired by this perfect match, were dropping our first-ever McNugget Caviar kits featuring premium Baerii Sturgeon caviar on Feb. 10 After all, nothing says ILY quite like a limited drop from McDonalds just in time for your Valentines Day plans.”
[Photo: McDonald’s]
McDonald’s has partnered with Paramount Caviar to bring customers the offering free of charge. “Each kit includes everything you need for an upscale yet effortless celebration: a 1oz tin of McNugget Caviar, $25 Arch Card for plenty of Chicken McNuggets, plus crme fraîche and a Mother of Pearl caviar spoon to top it all off,” it said.
It’s been a tough time for fast food joints, but McDonald’s has managed to stay ahead of competitors, in part, due to meal deals, budget offerings, and nostalgic throwbacks. Plus, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen McDonald’s test out an offbeat partnership. The chain previously linked up with Krispy Kreme donuts, but dissolved the collaboration last year, citing profitability issues.
While it would be nice to grab the offering at your local McDonald’s restaurant, unfortunately, you won’t be able to snack on caviar at the Golden Arches. The offering is only available online at McNuggetCaviar.com. The deal starts Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 11 a.m. EST, so if you’re hoping to get your caviar kit for Valentine’s Day, you better hurry up and place your order. According to the announcement, kits are limited.
If caviar isn’t exactly your jam, that’s okay. McDonald’s says they’ll be providing customers with plenty of other ways to celebrate the day of love, but you’ll have to follow along on their socials to keep up.
A trial focused on the dangers of child sexual exploitation on social media and whether Meta misrepresented the safety of its platforms is set to start in New Mexico with opening statements Monday.It’s the first stand-alone trial from state prosecutors in a stream of lawsuits against major social media companies, including Meta, over harm to children, and one that is likely to highlight explicit online content and its effects.New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued Meta in 2023. His team built the case by posing as kids through social media accounts, then documenting the arrival of sexual solicitations as well as the response by Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.Prosecutors say they’ll provide evidence and testimony that Meta’s algorithms and account features enticed and addicted young people to social media, while also creating a “breeding ground” for predators who target children for sexual exploitation. Prosecutors allege Meta failed to disclose what it knew about those harmful effects, in violation of state consumer protection laws. Meta also is accused of creating a public nuisance.“Meta knowingly exposes children to the twin dangers of sexual exploitation and mental health harm,” the lawsuit states. “Meta’s motive for doing so is profit.”Meta denies any legal violations and says prosecutors are cherry-picking evidence to make sensationalist arguments. On Sunday, Meta called the state’s investigation “ethically compromised” in its use of child photos on proxy accounts, delays in reporting child sexual abuse material and the disposal of data from devices used in the investigation, in social media posts on X by company spokesperson Andy Stone.The company says lawsuits are attempting to place the blame for teen mental health struggles on social media companies in a way that oversimplifies matters. Meta says it has a longstanding commitment to supporting young people, highlighting a steady addition of account settings and tools including safety features that give teens more information about the person they’re chatting with and content restrictions based on PG-13 movie ratings.“For over a decade, we’ve listened to parents, worked with experts and law enforcement, and conducted in-depth research to understand the issues that matter most,” the company said in a statement. “We’re proud of the progress we’ve made.”It’s unclear whether Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify at trial. New Mexico limits the ability to compel out-of-state witnesses to testify in person, while prosecutors can present testimony by Zuckerberg from a deposition.Personal opinions of Zuckerberg and evolving attitudes toward social media loomed over jury selection from a pool of more than 200 residents of Santa Fe County, including several educators, young adults who grew up with social media and others who never signed up.“Quite frankly, he’s the tech bro making money off of all of us,” one person said of Zuckerberg.An attorney for the state warned that there would be “very sensitive and very explicit material discussed in terms of safety to children” during the trial.More than 40 state attorneys general have filed lawsuits against Meta, claiming it is deliberately designing features that addict children to its platforms. The majority filed their lawsuits in federal court, and New Mexico’s case against Meta is the first to reach trial.Opening statements have been postponed in a bellwether trial underway in California against social video companies, including Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube, that focuses on a 19-year-old who claims her use of social media from an early age addicted her to technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts. TikTok and Snapchat parent company Snap Inc. settled claims in the case.Torrez, a Democrat seeking reelection this year to a second term, has urged Meta to implement more effective age verification and remove bad actors from its platform. He’s also seeking changes to algorithms that can serve up harmful material and criticizing end-to-end privacy encryption that can prevent the monitoring of communications with children for safety.
Morgan Lee, Associated Press
Even after the final whistle blew on the Seattle Seahawks 29-13 win over the New England Patriots, Rockets Super Bowl was far from over.
Sure, the brand had a Super Bowl ad featuring Lady Gaga singing a Mr. Rogers classic, but that was just the beginning. At 8 p.m. ET, immediately after Rocket and Redfins Super Bowl spot aired, the brands released the first of six app-exclusive clues that would roll out over the next 48 hours for users to play a contest in order to win a million-dollar home.
This last part of Rockets Super Bowl strategy is perhaps its most important because its not just focused on entertaining audiences or attracting their attention; its about recruiting their participation.
Rocket CMO Jonathan Mildenhall told me last week that Super Bowl strategies must now have pre-game, in-game, and post-game stages, and participation was key.
Were going to ensure that weve got eyeballs on the spot looking for the home, but its only after it airs that the first of six clues are given, and the remaining six clues are given over a 48-hour period to ensure that Rocket and Redfin are in the postgame conversation, Mildenhall said. So the new strategy that I would implore all marketers to be thinking about is youve got three stages of Super Bowl investment, and one of those stages has to be dominated by your audience participation.
The Super Bowl is simultaneously a singular moment for advertisers, and a microcosm of the broader challenges facing brands every single day. Sure, its the biggest, most high profile collective cultural moment we have left, but it retains the same difficulty of standing out, making a mark, and really getting our attention as any other moment. As a result, more brands are working to get audiences involved in some way, shape or form, in order to break through all the noise.
Heres a look at how four brands tackled participation in each stage of the Super Bowl.
Pre-game prep
Comcast Xfinitys Jurassic Park-themed spot is one of the most Super Bowl-y things a brand could do. Bringing back a beloved franchise classicincluding de-aged versions of the original castand putting its own quirky twist on it to tie in its product is not exactly rocket science. Its obvious people will love it. But how do you make sure they really love it and remember it?
Comcasts chief growth officer for connectivity and platforms Jon Geiselman says that the Super Bowl used to be a single, high-stakes moment, now its a runway. Audiences dont just show up on game day anymore, says Geiselman. For marketers, thats changed the job. The ad isnt the finish line; its the centerpiece of a much longer story.
Created with agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (GS&P), Comcast Xfinitys longer story included an in-game NBA take-over at Phillys Xfinity Arena during the Sixers-Bucks game on January 26. Then, in San Francisco in the week leading up to the game there were Jurassic Park Lyft Rides, where the brand turned some Lyft vehicles into the iconic Jurassic Park tour cars, had dinosaur projections light up the citys historic Hobart Building, a motion-sensored T. Rex billboard on Market Street, and taking Baby Tango raptor character outside of Universal Orlando to roam the city and engage with fans.
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GS&P creative director Jen Hart says the pre-game strategy was itself split into stages. The first thing out of the gate was taking down an NBA arena during primetime, with Reggie Miller and Noah Eagle offering commentary on live TV about what was unfolding, says Hart. The next day on social, we invited the world to bring the park back online with an alluring grand prize: a trip back to Jurassic Parks set in Hawaii. We then opened the doors to the parkincluding a lost commercial running on television for a fully functional Jurassic Park, as well as the original cast teasing our Super Bowl spot on social.
In-game action
Getting fans involved during the game is a unique challenge given theres, you know, an actual football game people are watching. But a good marketers job is to find the space, no matter how small, to squeeze in a compelling reason for us to pay attention.
Three brands who worked in different ways to do that this year were Coinbase, OpenAI, and Kraft.
OpenAI released three regional ads before the game, but saved its direct pitch to coders for the big game itself. CMO Kate Rouch says that not only was their ad aiming to be a rallying cry for builders to try its newest version of Codex, but it was littered with easter eggssmall signs within the adfor coders to find and use to get prizes and other goodies.
Actions speak louder than words, so we’re offering Codex for free, and we have this point of view about building and making things, that anyone can do this, says Rouch. So this Easter egg, is actually tied to a behavior in Codex, and you have to participate in the product to unlock the merch. It’s just a small, simple thing, but we wanted to signal that this is about making things, and kind of lift up people who are going to do something.
Crypto platform Coinbase had a lot to live up to. Under former CMO Rouch, the brand made a splash at the 2022 Super Bowl with a bouncing QR code, so current CMO Cat Ferdon knew they needed to continue that legacy of uniquely getting peoples attention. Her solution: why not get people singing karaoke?
The Coinbase ad brilliantly mimicked old school karaoke machine screen to get viewers to sing-along with its adapted version of the Backstreet Boys 1997 hit Everybody.
Coinbase vice-president of creative Joe Staples says that what makes the Super Bowl unique is that there are 120 million people actively watching ads. So you can choose to do the thing you normally do with more famous people, or you can take it as a time to talk to a nation, says Staples. Or you can just acknowledge that everyone’s had six beers and loads of wings, and are in the room with 15 friends watching a commercial.
The participation goal here was to get people laughing and singing with each other. Ferdon says that its about carving out a moment, and making an event out of that moment. Ideally, we’re giving the audience something to participate in so that people in the room, wherever they’re watching, can feel like they’re a part of that event with us, she says. And that in itself is actually the spectacle.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kraft Mac & Cheese (@kraft_macandcheese)
Kraft Heinz didnt have an official big game spot for Mac & Cheese, but it did invest in a celebrity to get people participating during the game. The brand had comedian John Mulaney, who voices its ongoing Best Thing Ever campaign, to respond to every Super Bowl ad in real-timeincluding Coinbases karaokewith custom video ads during the big game on social.
Kraft Heinz CMO Todd Kaplan says the point is to try and engage the audience where they are, specifically, on the second screen during the game. Listen, not all 50 plus ads are going to be home runs, he says. Its about finding the moments to come in a humorous way with a point of view for our brand and just drive a conversation, which is really what our job is as marketers.
Post-game work
This is perhaps the toughest Super Bowl nut to crack. Its also the most recent part of the game that brands have been trying to tap into.
Rocket essentially decided to combine all the trappings of more traditional ad, pack it with an emotional punch, and then do its own version of DoorDash All The Ads. In 2024, DoorDash pulled off a Super Bowl hat-trick in that it had a creative idea that got attention and awareness right awaydelivering a lucky winner everything advertised during the gamewith the short-term pay off of actual DoorDash app downloads. It got more than eight million contest submissions and 11 billion impressions.
With a clue to winning a million dollar home embedded in its Super Bowl ad, Mildenhall says that the contest will drive Redfin app downloadsyu need the app to enter the contestand ideally even provide a post-game boost to its commercial.
I’m hoping that our ad becomes the most-viewed Super Bowl ad this year,” he says. “Because we’re driving people back to it six times so that they can identify which of the homes you’ve seen in the ad is actually available on Redfin tp win.
The world’s biggest social media companies face several landmark trials this year that seek to hold them responsible for harms to children who use their platforms. Opening arguments for the first, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, begin this week.
Instagram’s parent company Meta and Google’s YouTube will face claims that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children. TikTok and Snap, which were originally named in the lawsuit, settled for undisclosed sums.
This was only the first case there are hundreds of parents and school districts in the social media addiction trials that start today, and sadly, new families every day who are speaking out and bringing Big Tech to court for its deliberately harmful products, said Sacha Haworth, executive director of the nonprofit Tech Oversight Project.
At the core of the case is a 19-year-old identified only by the initials KGM, whose case could determine how thousands of other, similar lawsuits against social media companies will play out. She and two other plaintiffs have been selected for bellwether trials essentially test cases for both sides to see how their arguments play out before a jury and what damages, if any, may be awarded, said Clay Calvert, a nonresident senior fellow of technology policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
Its the first time the companies will argue their case before a jury, and the outcome could have profound effects on their businesses and how they will handle children using their platforms.
KGM claims that her use of social media from an early age addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts. Importantly, the lawsuit claims that this was done through deliberate design choices made by companies that sought to make their platforms more addictive to children to boost profits. This argument, if successful, could sidestep the companies’ First Amendment shield and Section 230, which protects tech companies from liability for material posted on their platforms.
Borrowing heavily from the behavioral and neurobiological techniques used by slot machines and exploited by the cigarette industry, Defendants deliberately embedded in their products an array of design features aimed at maximizing youth engagement to drive advertising revenue, the lawsuit says.
Executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are expected to testify at the trial, which will last six to eight weeks. Experts have drawn similarities to the Big Tobacco trials that led to a 1998 settlement requiring cigarette companies to pay billions in health care costs and restrict marketing targeting minors.
Plaintiffs are not merely the collateral damage of Defendants products, the lawsuit says. They are the direct victims of the intentional product design choices made by each Defendant. They are the intended targets of the harmful features that pushed them into self-destructive feedback loops.
The tech companies dispute the claims that their products deliberately harm children, citing a bevy of safeguards they have added over the years and arguing that they are not liable for content posted on their sites by third parties.
Recently, a number of lawsuits have attempted to place the blame for teen mental health struggles squarely on social media companies, Meta said in a recent blog post. But this oversimplifies a serious issue. Clinicians and researchers find that mental health is a deeply complex and multifaceted issue, and trends regarding teens’ well-being aren’t clear-cut or universal. Narrowing the challenges faced by teens to a single factor ignores the scientific research and the many stressors impacting young people today, like academic pressure, school safety, socio-economic challenges and substance abuse.
A Meta spokesperson said in a recent statement that the company strongly disagrees with the allegations outlined in the lawsuit and that it’s confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.
José Castaeda, a Google Spokesperson, said that the allegations against YouTube are simply not true. In a statement, he said, Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work.
The case will be the first in a slew of cases beginning this year that seek to hold social media companies responsible for harming children’s mental well-being. A federal bellwether trial beginning in June in Oakland, California, will be the first to represent school districts that have sued social media platforms over harms to children.
In addition, more than 40 state attorneys general have filed lawsuits against Meta, claiming it is harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms. The majority of cases filed their lawsuits in federal court, but some sued in their respective states.
TikTok also faces similar lawsuits in more than a dozen states.
In New Mexico, meanwhile, opening arguments begin Monday for trial on allegations that Meta and its social media platforms have failed to protect young users from sexual exploitation, following an undercover online investigation. Attorney General Raúl Torrez in late 2023 sued Meta and Zuckerberg, who was later dropped from the suit.
Prosecutors have said that New Mexico is not seeking to hold Meta accountable for its content but rather its role in pushing out that content through complex algorithms that proliferate material that can be harmful, saying they uncovered internal documents in which Meta employees estimate that about 100,000 children every day are subjected to sexual harassment on the companys platforms.
Meta denies the civil charges while accusing Torrez of cherry-picking select documents and making sensationalist arguments. The company says it has consulted with parents and law enforcement to introduce built-in protections to social media accounts, along with settings and tools for parents.
Kaitlyn Huamani and Barbara Ortutay, AP technology writers
Associated Press Writer Morgan Lee contributed to this story.
