Mark Fischbach, better known as Markiplier, in the Super Bowl pre-game commercial for Prime. LoganPaulShorts/YouTube
- YouTube superstar Markiplier made a surprise appearance in a Super Bowl commercial on Sunday.
- Mark Fischbach, better known as Markiplier, had a cameo promoting influencer-owned drink Prime.
- He has complained about being marginalized by the media – but the ad makes him a huge celebrity.
YouTube superstar Markiplier made a surprise appearance in a Super Bowl commercial, wowing his fans and also helping to establish him as a real celebrity.
Markiplier, real name Mark Fischbach, had a cameo promoting influencer-run sports drink Prime.
Fans flocked to social media to express their excitement at having the player, who has 34.4 million subscribers, appear on their TV screens during the pre-game promotion for the drink.
Prime was developed by YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI, who were the focus of the ad. Prime brought in $250 million in revenue in 2022, Bloomberg reported.
Fischbach appeared for barely a second of the half-minute ad but immediately began trending on Twitter. At the end of the video, he takes a sip from the distinctively colored bottle and says, “Oh, that’s good.”
The moment was all the more striking as it propelled Markiplier, albeit briefly, to the center of mainstream American culture.
He has spoken in the past about the media’s reluctance to treat him and other creators like other celebrities, despite their large fan base and professional accolades.
“Markiplier had 1 second in a Super Bowl ad and I ate it,” one fan tweeted. Another said, “I can’t believe Markiplier won the Super Bowl.”
“I thought it was pretty cool to see a creator-led Super Bowl ad for the first time,” one person wrote. “Especially with the Markiplier cameo at the end.”
With over 5,000 videos and more than 19 billion views, Fischbach is one of the largest gaming creators on YouTube.
Over his decades-long career as a content creator, he has built a large and dedicated fan base that supports his ambitious projects, which often extend beyond his core subject of gaming.
One of them, his pick-your-own adventure series In Space With Markiplier, was nominated for an Outstanding Interactive Media Award at the recent Children’s and Family Emmys.
After the awards ceremonies, Fischbach said in a video on his channel that the Emmy event itself was “extremely overwhelming” and “awkward” — not least because he felt reporters at the event were ignoring him.
“What amazed me is that if any of them interviewed me and put those videos on YouTube, they would do exceptionally well for their channels,” he said in a livestream the next day.
Fischbach said he wasn’t offended, but his treatment highlighted a “fundamental disconnect” in which the mainstream media underestimates content creators.
“They realize that I and none of my peers who create content need it in any way,” he said. “And the moment they acknowledge that reality, it kind of all falls apart for them, and it’s really hilarious.”
The reaction to the Super Bowl ad supports Fischbach’s criticism and was a big night for internet creators in general.
The Prime commercial was the first creator-led brand to run a Super Bowl commercial, and another YouTuber was later spotted as well. Jimmy Donaldson, better known as YouTube’s biggest singles creator MrBeast, had a cameo appearance in the NFL commercial “Run With It,” which was about women in football.
In it, Donaldson tries to film Mexican soccer player Diana Flores on his cell phone as she runs through Glendale, Arizona, but she’s going too fast. Just as the camera pans to him, Flores runs by and Donaldson says, disappointed, “I missed it.”
WATCH NOW: Insider Inc.’s Popular Videos
Loading…