Rocket's All-American Return To The Super Bowl

Drive down Water Street in Worcester, Mass., any Saturday evening when the college crowd’s around and for less than $15 — adjusted for inflation — the shared euphoria of belting one of America’s favorite drinking songs could be yours, too.

Still, those who spent the roughly $7,000 it cost to attend the NFL's marquee event this year, hosted at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., were treated to something a little bit different.

“From the start, this was more than a commercial. We set out to create a moment that captures the raw, emotional journey of chasing a dream that once felt out of reach,” said Jonathan Mildenhall, Chief Marketing Officer of Rocket Companies, in a press release, describing the “integrated marketing campaign” launched during the game’s second quarter. which included a

Set to John Denver’s 1971 anthem, “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” a 60-second televised ad intended to function as a tribute to “the meaning of home” ended with the return of the televised broadcast and thousands of fans in attendance singing along live to the song as it played around the stadium. Reports indicate that the average cost for a 30-second Super Bowl ad slot was $8 million.

“Tonight, we reminded America that home is something to believe in, fight for and make a reality for everyone,” Mildenhall added about Rocket’s “Own the Dream” ad and “historic singalong,” which was intended to showcase “how homeownership can unite the nation.” The televised portion of the ad featured what Rocket describes as “everyday Americans returning to the places that matter most,” such as children playing in backyard sprinklers and military veterans reuniting with loved ones.

Sunday’s splurge on a viral moment at the Super Bowl was the culmination of a series of announcements that Rocket has made in 2025 as the company strives to position itself as “one of the most inclusive brands in America.”

In mid-January Rocket rolled out a refreshed logo and rebrand of its broker channel, Rocket Pro (formerly Rocket Pro TPO), as well as its in-house title, settlement, and appraisal services provider, Rocket Close (formerly Amrock). Rocket has centered its broker partners as it leans into its self-described mission to become “America’s homeownership company.”

“We are rethinking how we go to market and connect with consumers and mortgage professionals because we have those lofty goals,” Rocket Pro General Manager Dan Sogorka told NMP at the time, explaining the mission to unify Rocket and the country under one banner.

A week later, Rocket launched its all-in-one homeownership platform, Rocket.com, which combines a number of traditionally siloed processes for the searching and buying of homes. User experience of the website is enhanced by AI-powered tools, and homeowners with loans being serviced by Rocket can also use the platform to manage their mortgages.

At the end of January, the company announced that former Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME) CEO and chairwoman, Katie Sweeney, was joining Rocket Pro as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Broker Advocacy.

“There are a lot of misconceptions about who Rocket has been and where they want to go,” Sweeney told NMP in an interview after Rocket announced the hire. So far in 2025, Rocket has made a concerted effort to regain control of its public image and push for market share.

Inclusivity, accessibility, and authenticity characterize Rocket’s push for brand dominance as the mortgage industry consolidates among the industry’s top lenders. And yet, accessing homeownership has perhaps never been more challenging than it is 2025 for typical Americans.

Those who spend thousands of dollars on Super Bowl tickets are likely not the Americans who Rocket thinks need reminding of the power of homeownership and the challenges many face to "Own the Dream," but the millions of people who watched the game while sitting at home, or in their rentals, or at bars across the country, likely are.

As the broader business environment responds to the Trump administration’s anti-DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) agenda by eliminating DEI-oriented programs and scrubbing websites and press releases of any language that carries the whiff of equity, Rocket has embarked on a mission specifically inclusivity-oriented, and thus counter-cyclical to the market’s broader moves.

Whether this proves a winning strategy is measured in market share. As difficult homebuying conditions persist in 2025 and 2026, Rocket has let its competitors know, the game is on. Keep watching.