Salesforce is making a seismic shift in its Super Bowl advertising strategy, ditching the polished Hollywood formula that defined its Big Game presence for the past two years in favor of creator-led storytelling centered on YouTube megastar MrBeast. The enterprise software company’s decision to partner with Jimmy Donaldson, the world’s most-subscribed YouTube creator, signals a broader trend in how legacy B2B brands are evolving their approach to premium advertising moments.
The collaboration emerged organically in late December when MrBeast posted on X that he’d been “sitting on an amazing Super Bowl commercial idea for years” and was searching for a brand willing to bring it to life. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff wasted no time responding, publicly inviting the creator to develop what he described as a wild Salesforce-Slack “love child” spot for Super Bowl 60. That swift reply set in motion what would become one of the most unconventional Big Game advertising partnerships in recent memory.
Rather than keeping the collaboration under wraps until game day, Salesforce released a teaser that documents MrBeast’s journey to the Super Bowl in a distinctly creator-friendly format. Styled as an influencer vlog, the clip follows Donaldson from his initial tweet all the way to Salesforce’s San Francisco headquarters, where he arrives in person to pitch his commercial concept. Inside the office, Salesforce employees react with the kind of cool detachment typically reserved for internet culture, ultimately agreeing to the partnership with a single condition: the company’s products, particularly Slack and its AI-powered tools, must be woven into the spot’s narrative.
The move represents a notable departure from Salesforce’s recent Super Bowl playbook. For the past two years, the company leaned heavily on actor Matthew McConaughey to deliver messaging that critiqued AI hype while positioning Salesforce as the grounded, enterprise-safe alternative. That approach, while celebrity-driven, maintained a more traditional advertising sensibility. The MrBeast partnership abandons that formula entirely, embracing what might be called the democratization of Super Bowl storytelling.
What makes this partnership particularly noteworthy for the out-of-home advertising industry is the scale of audience engagement MrBeast commands. His videos routinely accumulate tens of millions of views within hours, a reach that rivals—and often surpasses—traditional movie stars in contemporary cultural influence. For Salesforce, this translates into access to a fundamentally different kind of consumer attention than celebrity endorsements typically provide. MrBeast’s audience is deeply engaged, digitally native, and represents the demographic increasingly important to enterprise software companies seeking to expand beyond traditional corporate buyer personas.
The authenticity of the partnership strengthens its marketing appeal. According to Salesforce, Donaldson has been a longtime customer, using Slackbot for employee onboarding and coordinating complex video production workflows. This isn’t a paid endorsement from a celebrity unfamiliar with the product—it’s a genuine user partnership that reflects how digital creators now manage substantial enterprises requiring enterprise-grade tools. The company’s marketing materials emphasize that managing the world’s most-subscribed YouTube channel alongside a growing business requires sophisticated infrastructure, something Salesforce’s platform provides.
For the broader advertising landscape, Salesforce’s decision carries significant implications. As legacy B2B brands compete for attention in an increasingly fragmented media environment, creator-led storytelling offers a pathway to authentic cultural relevance. The company is essentially betting that in 2026, YouTube creator clout carries more persuasive power than Hollywood polish—at least for its intended audience.
While Salesforce has declined to reveal details about the full Super Bowl spot or the complete roster of products that will feature in the advertisement, the teaser alone has already generated considerable industry discussion. That pre-game buzz, driven organically by creator culture rather than traditional publicity machinery, may prove to be the partnership’s most valuable asset when the actual commercial airs during Super Bowl 60.
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