How brands win the Super Bowl: Get a mention from Beyonce

Budweiser wasn’t the only brand that benefitted from a free plug this Super Bowl. 

The Big Game was like one giant easter egg of hidden brand plugs, from a plethora of Apple products to the Transitions lenses worn by one coach to Beyonce’s shoutout to Red Lobster in her “Formation” lyrics. 

And that all before Peyton Manning’s now-infamous plug of Budweiser — putting the beer next to family and God — and warm hug towards Papa John’s — neither of which seemed to include an exchange of money. 

This all adds up. The attention from one viral moment can float a brand for weeks, if not months, on the tide of popular opinion. If Manning had accepted money from Budweiser for the exposure, the plug would be estimated to be worth $3.2 million, according to Apex MG Analytics.

This kind of easy money also has to burn all the companies that paid nearly $170,000 per second for their commercials to reach their share of the 112 million people who watched the game. 

Here are some of the products and brands that were gifted with a Super Bowl bump this week:

Red Lobster

FILE – In this June 20, 2005, file photo, a Red Lobster restaurant is seen in Fairview Heights, Ill. . (AP Photo/James A. Finley, File)

Beyonce’s man isn’t the only person she’s taking to Red Lobster.

The halftime performer’s “Formation” lyric about going to the seafood chain after good sex drove sales up 33% compared to the same Sunday a year ago, according to a statement released by the company.

“Cheddar Bey biscuits,” indeed.

Airbnb

Beyonce’s $50 million Airbnb listing.

Red Lobster wasn’t the only brand that benefitted from the power of Queen B this weekend.

The singer also opted to stay in a 12-acre mansion about 30 miles from the site of the Super Bowl that was rented through Airbnb. That stay won the home rental service a prominent shoutout on Beyonce’s Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Airbnb confirmed the listing to Mashable, but would not say whether the singer was paid to endorse the business on social media, even though Beyonce tagged the home rental company on Facebook

“We’re huge fans of Beyoncé and we’re thrilled to see her Facebook post and hope she was crazy in love with her Airbnb listing,” a rep told Mashable.

Transitions Lenses

Carolina Panthers’ head coach Ron Rivera is seen on the sidelines against the Denver Broncos during the NFL Super Bowl 50 football game Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

Denver Broncos head coach Ron Rivera’s choice of eyeglasses led to a huge social media boost for lens company Transitions.

The company said Twitter chatter about the game led to a 500% increase in social media mentions, the majority of which came from people commenting on Rivera’s glasses.

“For a brand that is not typically highly talked about during one of the biggest nights in sports, the social chatter helped up our own game and thrust us unexpectedly onto a national stage,” said Patience Cook, the company’s director of North America Marketing, in a statement. 

Apple

While Apple didn’t pay for its own Super Bowl spot, the brand managed to sneak its products into the commercials of several of the advertisers that did.

The Cupertino company’s music streaming service, car dashboard interface, iPhone 6S and smart watch appeared in Super Bowl ads from T-Mobile, app game Mobile Strike, Kia and Hyundai.

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