by Hugo Isert
The 30-second black and white MAHA Center Super Bowl ad stood out from the rest.
Mike Tyson filled the screen, his face tattoo unmistakable and his fists clenched in rage. He spoke about his sister dying from obesity at 25 and about his journey of self-hate from when he used to weigh 345 pounds. He then stared down the viewers, who were probably enjoying halftime snacks, bit into an apple, and declared processed food as the enemy.
From a branding perspective, this wasn’t just bold, it was risky. At its core, branding is about emotional association. If you want to influence behaviour, you must create a positive emotional link between the audience and the action you are encouraging. Coca-Cola does not sell sugary drinks. It sells warmth, nostalgia and togetherness. Even charities learned this lesson with adverts of starving children often underperforming because they created guilt and discomfort. People are far more likely to act when the emotion tied to the brand is uplifting rather than accusatory.
Iron Mike Tyson represents raw ferocity, unstoppable power and redemption. His brand equity lies in intense cultural notoriety. He is not a neutral figure, he carries history, controversy and the most infamous biting incident in sports history.
MAHA Center positions itself as the decisive solution to America’s health crisis. As a result, its tone is urgent, moral and confrontational.
On paper, the two brands align. Tyson embodies physical strength and personal transformation, while MAHA Alliance advocates reclaiming national strength through better nutrition. They both share the narrative arc of discipline overcoming chaos.
However, the execution showcased Tyson the fighter, not Tyson the survivor. The clenched fists, extreme close ups and monochrome intensity framed health as combat. While that may energise supporters, it narrows the emotional appeal towards the wider public. Public health movements require trust and empathy, but combat imagery creates enemies.
As for context, Tyson aired during arguably the most processed food-heavy event of the year. It’s likely that millions of Americans at home had just eaten wings, hotdogs or pizza while watching the game. During the same ad break, companies were promoting the indulgence of beer and fast food. The contrasting placement was intentional and unsympathetic. It positioned MAHA Alliance not just against these processed food companies, but against the entire American cultural ritual of the Super Bowl event itself.
Strategically, that brand position is provocative and risks alienation. When your audience is actively consuming the behaviour that you are combatting, they may feel judged rather than inspired. When the message feels accusatory, the emotional association works against the behaviour change you are trying to create.
And then he takes a bite out of the apple.
Symbolically, it is the simplest image of healthy food. But branding is built on associative memory. Tyson is culturally remembered for biting Evander Holyfield’s ear in a 1997 Heavyweight Championship match. Showing him biting anything, even an apple, does not come without baggage. For some viewers it may represent redemption, but for others, it introduces irony into a message that is trying its best to be serious.
The deeper issue is that the ad makes Tyson the story. His trauma. His anger. His confession. Viewers are more likely to remember his face than MAHA Alliance’s agenda. That is the cost of borrowing celebrity brand equity at this magnitude.
We know that brand owned assets beat borrowed celebrity endorsements every time. If you are going to use a celebrity then it makes sense to pick one that is hot in culture and currently relevant. Think Sydney Sweeney and American Eagle for example. Mike Tyson has been around for a while and particularly following his fight with Jake Paul we should ask if he is still culturally relevant or long past his expiry date?
Attention was guaranteed. But attention is not the same as trust. If MAHA Alliance’s long-term objective is institutional credibility and broad support across the American population, tying itself to a hyper combative, polarising personality, a boxer past his sell by date with a chequered past complicates that path.
The ad certainly succeeded in being memorable. But sometimes, the loudest move is not the most strategic one.