The hype cycle around Super Bowl advertising grows every year, and 2026 was no exception: AI, nostalgia, celebrity, and humor dominated the creative landscape. But more airtime and bigger budgets didn’t necessarily translate to more effective work. What cut through was clarity of idea, cultural relevance, and emotional resonance, not just spectacle.
- Culture and Humor, Thoughtfully Applied
Pringles delivered a standout moment by leaning into pop culture in a way that felt natural to the brand, turning its quirky personality into something genuinely entertaining rather than superficial buzz.
Uber Eats found a fresh angle by tying food directly to the way people actually experience game day. The celebrities supported the joke, but the idea worked because it was grounded in a real, relatable behavior.
Grubhub took a known behavioral friction, fees, and made it the creative hook. By leaning into a category truth with humor, the brand turned transparency into a moment that people talk about after the game.
Instacart delivered one of the night’s most memorable concepts by pairing entertainers with a retro-styled creative tone that felt distinct. That said, its heavy teaser campaign before kickoff undercut some of the spot’s freshness, serving as a reminder that momentum can diminish if audiences feel like they’ve already seen the punchline.
Hellmann’s again stood out for creative consistency. The brand executes on a clear, recognizable world: pop culture is filtered through a familiar, nostalgic lens, so the work feels fresh while still anchored in brand identity. This kind of owned world-building creates long-term memory without needing to reinvent the wheel each year. This is a noted trend observed across coverage and examples of top ads.
Brand takeaway: Humor and cultural relevance are strongest when they stem from a brand truth rather than trend chasing. - Nostalgia With Purpose Beats Nostalgia Alone
Ads that drew on familiar references performed better when they earned that nostalgia with new relevance.
Levi’s, for example, used cultural touchpoints across eras and genres in a way that felt timeless and authentic, not just derivative. The brand also benefited from powerful contextual alignment. As one of San Francisco’s most iconic brands, airing during a Super Bowl played at Levi’s Stadium added a layer of local relevance that amplified impact. The moment marked the brand’s return to Super Bowl advertising after more than 20 years, and that physical and cultural proximity made the comeback feel intentional rather than opportunistic.
Some of the highest-ranked ads this year leaned into sentiment or shared cultural memories, proving that when nostalgia is used with narrative purpose, it can be more engaging than humor alone.
Brand takeaway: Nostalgia only resonates when it adds insight into the present moment, rather than simply repeating what worked in the past. - Celebrity Still Works, but Only When It Enhances the Idea
Celebrity appearances were ubiquitous in 2026, with scores of spots featuring well-known faces.
When leaders such as Ben Stiller and Benson Boone for Instacart or Bradley Cooper, Matthew McConaughey, and Parker Posey in the Uber Eats spot were integrated into the story, the work felt cohesive.
But celebrity alone isn’t enough. Ads that leaned too heavily on recognizable faces without using them to advance meaning, or that felt overly reliant on spectacle, landed less effectively. The balance between star power and narrative must be purposeful.
Brand takeaway: Talent should amplify message, not carry it. - Where Creative Choices Didn’t Pay Off
Several spots drew criticism this year for execution choices that undercut their effectiveness:
Svedka’s AI-driven ad was widely panned for feeling unsettling and failing to showcase either product or lifestyle in a compelling way. Critics noted that AI-generated visuals, when not grounded in clear emotional or product context, can feel hollow or tone-deaf.
Massive Bud Light and Poppi spots leaned into celebrities and familiar humor, but the executions were viewed as forgettable or overreliant on star power rather than strong insight. Both fell into the trap of familiarity without depth, drawing less praise than work with clearer narrative intent.
Brand takeaway: Creativity without clarity, especially in high-investment environments, risks being memorable for the wrong reasons. - AI is Everywhere, but Humanity Won
Super Bowl 60 was saturated with AI messaging, but very few tech-forward ads sparked genuine emotional connection. Many leaned heavily on functionality or spectacle, leaving viewers impressed but unmoved.
Anthropic emerged as a clear standout by taking a more self-aware approach. Instead of overselling its technology, the brand tapped into existing consumer skepticism around AI, especially fears about commercialization and ad intrusion. By framing its message around trust and restraint, Anthropic didn’t just explain what its product does – it addressed how people feel about AI right now. That emotional relevance helped it rise above a crowded field of similar-sounding tech messages.
Meanwhile, other AI-driven spots struggled by putting technology ahead of storytelling. The conversation around AI was loud, but the emotional impact was muted.
A broader pattern emerged across categories: many brands appeared to be marketing to each other rather than to consumers. Insider humor, industry spectacle, and celebrity stacking often felt engineered for social chatter instead of human connection.
The hot take of the night: Bad Bunny was one of the most effective marketers of the evening. Through simple, emotionally resonant storytelling, he created a genuine connection with the audience. No overproduction, no gimmicks, just narrative clarity and cultural authenticity. It was a reminder that attention doesn’t equal impact, and that storytelling still outperforms spectacle.
Brand takeaway: In categories crowded with innovation, differentiation comes from empathy. The brands that win aren’t the ones that explain the most, but the ones that listen best.
Final Takeaways for Everyday Marketing
- Ground creativity in brand truth. The most memorable ads weren’t the flashiest, but the ones with a clear idea at their core.
- Don’t overplay hype. Teasers can build anticipation, but too much early reveal dilutes impact.
- Integrate talent with intent. Celebrity presence should deepen engagement, not act as filler.
- Context matters. Nostalgia, pop culture, and even humor work best when they connect to what your brand stands for today.
- Be human first. Audiences respond to work that feels relatable, thoughtful, and emotionally grounded, even against a backdrop of big budgets and big tech.
