{"id":2273303,"date":"2026-02-09T02:01:54","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T02:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2273303"},"modified":"2026-02-09T02:01:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T02:01:54","slug":"why-universal-orlando-didnt-use-stars-for-its-super-bowl-ad-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/why-universal-orlando-didnt-use-stars-for-its-super-bowl-ad-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Universal Orlando Didn&#8217;t Use Stars for Its Super Bowl Ad Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tUniversal Destinations and Experiences\u2019 2026 Super Bowl spot aims to transform guests and how they experience the Florida parks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u200bDubbed \u201cLil\u2019 Bro,\u201d the 60-second in-house Super Bowl LX ad will air on Peacock and NBC just before the Feb. 8 NFL Halftime Show, showcasing Universal Orlando Resort as a week-long vacation destination of four parks, 11 hotels, the entertainment complex Universal CityWalk Orlando, and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u200b\u201cWe were inspired by the transformative moments that can happen at the resort,\u201d says Alice Norsworthy, President, Global Marketing, Universal Destinations &amp; Experiences, about this year\u2019s spot. \u201cPeople are stepping away from the stress and pressure of the world and immersing themselves in the stories and characters they love. As they do that, they connect in real life with the people they care about. So we put those two things together \u2014 the transformation of our destination and the transformative experience you can have in our parks.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Universal Orlando Resort - \u201cLil\u2019 Bro\u201d\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WEV_wDMTCq0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u200bDeveloped in partnership with Lucky Generals and directed by Ben Quinn at Superprime, \u201cLil\u2019 Bro\u201d features a sibling rivalry that begins with tossing a football and ends in the parks, with a kind of role reversal that sparks playful connection and emotional growth. \u201c[The younger brother] gets that little patronizing head rub at the beginning, but by the end, this is his moment. He isn\u2019t the little man anymore. He\u2019s the man,\u201d says Lucky Generals founder Danny Brooke-Taylor of the ad, which primarily features experiences inside Epic Universe and Volcano Bay.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tFor UDX\u2019s president of global marketing, the story taps into how the Florida resort\u2019s parks, entertainment, dining, and hotels can affect guests no matter their age and in ways that aren\u2019t just once-in-a-lifetime but for a lifetime. To that end, Norsworthy and Brooke-Taylor tell The Hollywood Reporter they leaned into authenticity when delivering their distinctive promise of immersion, adventure, and memory-making across UDX\u2019s destinations and experiences. \u201cThis isn\u2019t a transactional thing. It isn\u2019t airbrushed. It\u2019s just honest and real. Be with the people you love, and feel something here at these four parks across a week,\u201d Brooke-Taylor adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThat focus on authenticity also means the ad is absent any A-List star power, despite Universal Orlando Resort\u2019s connection to a storied film studio. Instead, the commercial centers on two young boys as they tap into universal stories. Says Brooke-Taylor: \u201cThese aren\u2019t just shots of people on coasters or people enjoying the food or a water park. It\u2019s about what happens when you connect and re-engage. You come here and be human again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cOur guests are celebrities, so we wanted to showcase the real, authentic experiences that they can have,\u201d adds Norsworthy. \u201cWe think the resort is a catalyst for helping you discover the best version of yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tIn a small evolution from UOR\u2019s movie and thrill-centric marketing history \u2014 in which one <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=paEpM_658sM\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">early 90s commercial<\/a> promises the parks will hurl you, rock you, love you, and put you in the middle of the action and adventure you see on the screen \u2014 much of the featured studio IP serves as a backdrop in the ad versus its central character. According to the duo, in this campaign, the parks that once promised guests could \u201cride the movies\u201d have channeled part of their appreciation for cinema into the spots\u2019 visual style, while filming on location at UOR\u2019s various attractions and hotels.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u200b\u201cWe were always conscious that if we were going to have the Universal logo appear at the end of this, it needed to live up to the experiences of that brand,\u201d says Brooke-Taylor. \u201cSo if you freeze frame [the ad] at any point, yes, it is cinematic, but it isn\u2019t a borrowed story. These are our stories. I\u2019m a big fan of finding the human truth in an experience and then making that a beautiful thing to watch and engage with. We don\u2019t need to shoot that on a phone and make it gritty or action-packed. Let\u2019s find the truth that we all recognize and then capture that with the real craft we all know through the movies.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Universal Orlando Resort \u2013 This Changes Everything\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8l0qxb14Ysw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cLil\u2019 Bro\u201d marks the second release in UDX\u2019s new Orlando Resort campaign, \u201cThis Changes Everything.\u201d The five-part series of 30- to 60-second commercials will continue to roll out over the next month across owned channels and in collaboration with trade and media partners. That includes February sporting events such as the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and NBA All-Star Weekend, and, later this year, the 2026 World Cup in July. Norsworthy says tying components of the campaign to the massive and diverse audiences of major sporting events is an opportunity to use \u201ca big moment to tell something very personal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tUDX has not confirmed the cost of its in-house ad, which follows last year\u2019s promotion of the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/business\/business-news\/epic-universe-marketing-1236140311\/\">opening <\/a>of Epic Universe on Fox. While some late 30-second linear ad buys for Super Bowl 60 <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/business\/business-news\/2026-super-bowl-ads-stars-ai-comedy-1236490270\/\">reached over $10 million<\/a>, given that Universal Resorts is a corporate sibling of NBC and Peacock, it is possible it is part of the block of ads that the Super Bowl broadcaster gives itself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe first campaign spot debuted back in January, a minute-long anthem soundtracked to M83\u2019s \u201cOutra\u201d that features an amalgamation of the four other yet-to-be-released ads, \u201cBlended,\u201d \u201cSmile,\u201d and \u201cSuper Fan.\u201d Footage captures family and friend groups experiencing the Cabana Bay Beach Resort and the Helios Grand, Universal Studios Florida\u2019s Transformers 3D and Islands of Adventure\u2019s Velocicoaster, as well as character experiences in Epic Universe\u2019s Darkmoor and How to Train Your Dragon \u2013 Isle of Berk.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u200bLike \u201cLil\u2019 Bro,\u201d the spots center a unique set of guests, their collective journey, and a key moment that transforms both their vacation and them. In \u201cSmile,\u201d a mother-daughter duo illustrates how the parks can encourage people to reconnect with one another as they shed their fear and insecurity, and simply embrace joy and who they are. \u201cThis is a story of a girl who has braces and doesn\u2019t smile because she\u2019s conscious of how her teeth look. That is the kind of story that\u2019s about any of us,\u201d says Brooke-Taylor. \u201cIn the spot, her transformational moment is that she doesn\u2019t need to conceal her feelings. She can scream with joy and laugh and hug her mom, and all the tension between them from her always keeping her lips [sealed] is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u200bSimilar to last year\u2019s Epic Universe campaign, which included word-of-mouth social marketing tied to pre-opening park previews and a national portal tour, \u201cThis Changes Everything\u201d will also launch additional components. \u201cWhat you\u2019ll see is different lengths of stories being told, and as you did last year, you\u2019ll also see people telling their own version of how they experienced the park,\u201d says Norsworthy. Debuting throughout the year, the first component will launch in February with an X partnership focused on transformative moments during major sporting events, followed by additional content collaborations with platforms like Twitch and TikTok.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u200bAccording to the UDX global marketing executive, this newest campaign has longevity, even as UOR undergoes a series of expansions. That includes Epic Universe additions, the 2027 arrival of the newly announced Fast &amp; Furious Hollywood Drift coaster, and an additional unannounced attraction set to replace the current Fast &amp; Furious \u2013 Supercharged simulator ride. \u201c[The campaign\u2019s] rooted in a basic truth about who we are and why we matter. And that will continue to evolve as we provide new and exciting things to showcase, but I think you\u2019ll see us continue to tell stories in this way, at least for the foreseeable future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u200bThat strategy will extend beyond UOR, touching UDX\u2019s larger slate of destinations and experiences. That includes the second iteration of Universal Studios Hollywood\u2019s FanFest, and its own spin on Fast &amp; Furious Hollywood Drift, set to open this summer as part of the 25th anniversary of the Fast &amp; Furious franchise. The park\u2019s first high-speed outdoor rollercoaster will get its own 30-second Super Bowl spot, narrated by franchise star and producer Vin Diesel.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Fast &amp; Furious: Hollywood Drift Opens This Summer\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HW-SNFJGDRk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tOther 2026 UDX offerings include Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition at Philadelphia\u2019s Franklin Institute and the opening of the first Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas. \u200b\u201cThe truth of what we bring is consistent in whatever any of our experiences are, whether it\u2019s the location-based entertainment or our theme parks. Certainly, those moments of finding yourself, maybe even challenging yourself to do things, and connecting with the people you care about,\u201d Norsworthy says. \u201cWith the [Frisco] park, it was made with younger kids in mind, so it is a park that makes those kinds of emotions and those kinds of transformational moments happen for the little ones. They can have the same type of experiences tailor-made for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.hollywoodreporter.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Universal Destinations and Experiences\u2019 2026 Super Bowl spot aims to transform guests and how they experience the Florida parks. \u200bDubbed \u201cLil\u2019 Bro,\u201d the 60-second in-house Super Bowl LX ad will air on Peacock and NBC just before the Feb. 8 NFL Halftime Show, showcasing Universal Orlando Resort as a week-long vacation destination of four parks, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2273304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[348955],"class_list":["post-2273303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists","tag-nbcuniversal"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Why-Universal-Orlando-Didnt-Use-Stars-for-Its-Super-Bowl.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2273303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2273303"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2273303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2273305,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2273303\/revisions\/2273305"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2273304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2273303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2273303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2273303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}