NerdWallet Debuts at Super Bowl, Going Deeper into Live Sports

Money experts Nerd Wallet-who have built a brand synonymous with penny pinching -see the expensive Super Bowl as a good investment, announcing their first Big Game ad today.

NerdWallet plans to run a 30-second ad from a leading agency Germanduring the third trimester. Fox has already sold out its inventory for the flagship event, raking in $7 million for 30 seconds of Super Bowl 59 airtime.

The Feb. 9 media buy comes after NerdWallet spent the past few years expanding its reach with campaigns such as “Future You,” a series of cheeky, musical spots with a dystopian theme and a Sesame Street tie-in. Count character obsessed with numbers.

The Super Bowl spot is part of a “strengthening strategy,” according to Alison McCoy, NerdWallet’s vice president of brand marketing.

“It’s a decision that’s been a long time coming — the data has given me the belief that the Super Bowl is a great opportunity for us,” McCoy told ADWEEK. “We have now reached a level of awareness where people are aware of our brand, which allows us to go further, connect with people in a more meaningful way and participate in the cultural conversation surrounding the event.”

Taking a cue from other Super Bowl marketers, the NerdWallet program will be “part of a much larger, 360-degree campaign” aimed at extracting as much value as possible, McCoy said.

In addition to broadcast television, the effort will focus on streaming, TikTok, Instagram, “online and offline and across an advertising ecosystem like podcasts, audio and digital,” according to McCoy.

The spot has not been finalized, but it was filmed recently in an undisclosed location. While McCoy doesn’t offer any insight into the creative direction, she said her goal was to maintain the brand’s light-hearted tone, allowing NerdWallet to “present itself as an approachable brand in an otherwise intimidating category.”

The move follows a deeper dive into sports, particularly live game shows, and a series of NIL deals, which have helped NerdWallet build momentum during high-engagement programming, McCoy said.

Among its sports forays, NerdWallet has advertised during the NFL’s AFC and NFC championships, as well as sponsored teams in Major League Soccer, the NFL and the NCAA.

Name, image and likeness deals with college talent include Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter, University of Southern California basketball star JuJu Watkins, and former University of Kentucky (now Minnesota Timberwolves) point guard Rob Dillingham.

Cumulatively, marketing fulfills the company’s mission to “help people make smarter financial decisions,” McCoy said. “We’re trying to get people to demand the best financial products in the same way they demand the best electronic products, the best plane flights, the best hotel rooms. Comparison shopping is a typical behavior in many sectors, but there is still a high percentage of people who don’t demand it for the very products that fuel all of these passions and lifestyles.

NerdWallet, which competes with Credit Karma, WalletHub and Mint, among others, estimates that U.S. consumers are “leaving $55 billion on the table by having suboptimal financial products,” McCoy said.

So far, NerdWallet Joins Other Newbies for Super Bowl 59 which include Totino’s Pizza Rolls, Ritz crackers, Instacart, Coffee mate and Häagen-Dazs.