:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Kiss-From-A-Lime-SEAL-super-bowl-ad-020525-b2980b369ee14435802a6c4d0a3858e0.jpg)
Wait, which Seal?
If you’re searching for the "Super Bowl commercial with Seal," you’re probably thinking of the British soul singer with the velvet voice and the iconic scars. Or maybe you're thinking of the actual pinniped—the blubbery, adorable marine mammal. Interestingly, Super Bowl history has room for both. But let’s be real: most people are hunting for that specific, spine-tingling moment from Super Bowl 50 when Seal (the human) helped create one of the most memorable "Super Bowl Babies" campaigns in the history of the NFL.
It was 2016. The Denver Broncos were facing the Carolina Panthers. But for a few minutes during the commercial breaks, the focus shifted from Cam Newton’s struggle to a bunch of kids singing "Kiss from a Rose."
The "Super Bowl Babies" Choir: A Marketing Masterstroke
The NFL basically looked at data and realized something hilarious: winning a Super Bowl leads to a localized baby boom in the winning city nine months later. They decided to lean into the "reproduction" angle, which is a bold move for a family-friendly sports broadcast. They gathered groups of "babies" born in the years following specific Super Bowl wins—the Dallas Cowboys (1993, 1994, 1996), the Chicago Bears (1986), and the New York Giants (2008, 2012), among others.
Then they brought in Seal.
The aesthetic was simple. A sunset backdrop. A bunch of kids and adults wearing team gear. And Seal, standing there in a white shirt, looking like a guardian angel of pop music. They sang a re-written version of "Kiss from a Rose" that focused on the fact that they were all conceived because their parents were stoked about a football game.
It was weird. It was endearing. It was peak Super Bowl marketing.
Why "Kiss from a Rose" Was the Perfect (and Weird) Choice
Music choices in Super Bowl ads are never accidental. "Kiss from a Rose" is a song that everyone knows but nobody actually understands. Seriously, have you ever looked at the lyrics? "There used to be a greying tower alone on the sea." What does that even mean? Seal himself has been notoriously vague about the song's meaning for decades, once mentioning it was written about a "feeling."
👉 See also: Album Hopes and Fears: Why We Obsess Over Music That Doesn't Exist Yet
By putting it in a Super Bowl commercial with Seal, the NFL tapped into a collective nostalgia. The song peaked in 1995 (thanks to the Batman Forever soundtrack), which aligns perfectly with the childhood of many current NFL fans who are now parents themselves. It was a meta-commentary on the passage of time.
The contrast between the operatic, dramatic intensity of Seal’s voice and the sight of a toddler in a Green Bay Packers onesie created a "viral" moment before we were totally exhausted by the word viral. People weren't just watching a commercial; they were experiencing a weirdly emotional piece of performance art.
The Other Seal: When the Animal Takes Center Stage
Sometimes, people aren't looking for the singer. They’re looking for the animal.
Over the years, various brands have used seals (the animals) to sell everything from beer to tech. Why? Because seals are the "dogs of the ocean." They have high "EQ" in the eyes of consumers.
In 2022, PETA actually ran a controversial "message" during Super Bowl Sunday (though often in local markets or digital pushes rather than the $7 million national slots) featuring a CGI seal. The goal was to highlight animal cruelty. It was a sharp pivot from the lighthearted vibe of a choir.
Then there’s the Budweiser history. While they are famous for the Clydesdales and the "Whassup" guys, they’ve dabbled in various animal cameos. However, if you're looking for a funny seal ad, you might be thinking of the 2013 Bridgestone "Expect the Unexpected" campaign or various "talking animal" tropes that pop up when brands run out of celebrities to hire.
The Economics of a Seal Cameo
Hiring Seal—the singer—for a Super Bowl commercial isn't cheap. In 2016, a 30-second spot cost around $5 million. That’s just for the airtime. Adding a Grammy-winning artist and a massive choir of "Super Bowl Babies" likely pushed the production budget into the stratosphere.
✨ Don't miss: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads: Why This Live Album Still Beats the Studio Records
Why do brands do it?
- Brand Recall: You probably don't remember every insurance ad from 2016, but you remember the "Seal baby song."
- Emotional Connection: Music bypasses the "selling" part of the brain and goes straight to the "feeling" part.
- The "Meme" Factor: The NFL wanted people to tweet (now X) about it. They wanted the conversation to extend beyond the four quarters of the game.
Honestly, the "Super Bowl Babies" ad was a risk. Talking about the "conception" of fans is a bit "edgy" for a league that tries to stay very corporate. But having Seal there provided a layer of class and humor that made it work. It didn't feel dirty; it felt like a celebration of fandom.
What Most People Get Wrong About That 2016 Ad
A common misconception is that the ad was just a one-off joke. In reality, it was a massive multi-generational casting call. The NFL actually went out and found real families who could prove their kids were "Super Bowl Babies." They vetted these people. It wasn't just actors in jerseys.
The authenticity of the "Bears Babies" (who were then 30 years old) standing next to the "Seahawks Babies" (who were toddlers) gave the ad a weight that a standard celebrity cameo lacks. Seal wasn't the "star" as much as he was the narrator of a timeline of American sports history.
The Legacy of Seal’s Super Bowl Moment
We don't see ads like this much anymore. Lately, Super Bowl commercials have become incredibly cluttered. Usually, it's six celebrities in one 30-second spot, all shouting over each other. Think of the recent Uber Eats or Dunkin' ads. They're funny, sure, but they’re chaotic.
The Super Bowl commercial with Seal was different because it was simple. It was one song, one singer, and one message: football is part of your family's DNA. Literally.
Since that ad, Seal has leaned into his "legend" status. He’s appeared on The Masked Singer (as the Leopard, ironically) and continues to tour. But for a specific subset of sports fans, he will always be the guy who sang about their existence during a halftime bathroom break.
🔗 Read more: Wrong Address: Why This Nigerian Drama Is Still Sparking Conversations
How to Find the Exact Commercial You’re Looking For
If you’re trying to track down a specific "seal" ad and the 2016 NFL one isn't it, check these possibilities:
- Pringles (2023): They often use "stuck in a can" humor that involves various animals or weird scenarios.
- Discovery Channel: They frequently run promos during the game (or the Puppy Bowl) featuring actual seals.
- Toyota or Subaru: These brands often use "outdoorsy" themes where a harbor seal might make a cameo in the background of a Pacific Northwest driving shot.
But 99% of the time, it’s the singer. It’s the white outfit. It’s the kids. It’s the "Kiss from a Rose" parody that lives rent-free in the back of your brain.
Actionable Takeaways for Super Bowl History Buffs
If you're diving into the world of iconic ads or trying to explain this specific commercial to a friend who missed it, here is how to contextualize it:
- Watch the "Making Of": The NFL released a "behind the scenes" look at the Super Bowl Babies ad. It shows Seal interacting with the kids, and it’s actually more wholesome than the commercial itself.
- Check the Lyrics: If you listen closely to the ad version, they changed the lyrics to "Our teams won the cup / and then our parents... got it on" (basically). It’s a masterclass in how to rewrite a classic song for a corporate brand without making it cringe.
- Look for the "Super Bowl Babies" follow-up: A few years later, some of those kids were featured in social media campaigns to see how they'd grown.
The intersection of celebrity, sports, and weird biological facts is a narrow one, but Seal occupies that space perfectly. It remains a benchmark for how to use a legacy artist in a way that feels fresh rather than dated.
Next Steps for Research
To get the full picture of how this ad impacted the NFL's branding, look up the "Super Bowl Babies" campaign case study on marketing sites like AdAge or Adweek. You can also find the full 2:00 minute extended cut of the commercial on the NFL’s official YouTube channel, which includes several verses not seen in the original TV broadcast. If you are more interested in the animal variety, searching for "Best Animal Super Bowl Ads" will usually lead you to the 2013-2015 era of Bridgestone and Budweiser, which were the peak years for non-human cameos.