2026 Super Bowl Advertising Review
It was a great year for Super Bowl advertising. Prices reached a new high, with some ads being reported to sell for more than $10 million for thirty seconds. The overall quality was high. Companies wisely kept the focus on the product this year; this approach avoids controversy and makes for more effective spots.
Once again, a panel of students at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management evaluated all the ads. Here are the scores and our thoughts on some of the spots.
The Best Spots: A
This is the fourth time Google has held the top spot in the Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review, a remarkable accomplishment. This year’s spot about moving to a new house was essentially a product demonstration showing all the different functions Gemini can perform. Linkage was strong and there was a clear benefit. The beauty of the spot is that it also moves into the emtional space; it tapped into very human feelings around moving and transitions, with Google Gemini helping ease concerns.
Novartis
Last year Novartis had the top spot with an ad about breast cancer screening. This year Novartis was back with a different effort, now a campaign to increase PSA testing. The ad, featuring NFL tight ends, attracted attention and broke through the clutter. One of the benefits of advertising a test, as opposed to a drug, is that you don’t have to list all the side-effects.
Bosch
It is hard to get better linkage than this spot from Bosch. The product name was emblazoned through the ad. The spot manages to cross categories, showing tools and appliances. And it did all of this with a playful hook: a normal guy that uses Bosch becomes Guy Fieri – glamorous, exciting, edgy.
Anthropic Claude
The strategic game is changing in AI. It is now less about introducing and building the category – this is already happening. Now, brands face a classic marketing problem: differentiation. This terrific Super Bowl spot from Anthropic cleverly shows a clear point of difference: advertising is coming to some AI platforms, but not Claude.
Michelob Ultra
Last year Michelob Ultra had one of the top spots with an ad focused on pickleball. This year the brand was back with an ad about skiing. The storyline for the brand is a great fit: Ultra is all about sports and fitness. And the message, “Last one down buys the Ultras,” is perfect. It is worth competing for an Ultra.
TurboTax
TurboTax embraced a simple benefit in its Super Bowl spot: avoid the drama when doing your taxes. Adrian Body was perfectly cast, seeking to build the drama. The spot shows a classic creative tension, between dynamic creative and a product focused message.
Levi’s
Breakthrough and branding – that sums up the Levi’s ad. The spot featured butts, one after the next, all in well-branded Levi’s.
Pepsi
Perhaps the best moment in a Super Bowl lacking football drama was Pepsi’s parody of the Coldplay kiss-cam scandal. Pepsi embraced the Coke polar bears to dramatize its superior taste. We wonder, however, if Coke might benefit more than Pepsi from this spot.
Very Good Spots: B
Lay’s
Perhaps the sweetest spot this year was from Lay’s. The brand’s first ad focused on a famer’s retirement and celebrated family farms. Clearly, Lay’s is trying to make people feel good about the brand.
Lay’s ran a second spot later in the Super Bowl that didn’t perform as well; the message was harder to follow and the ad included a QR code that was on screen for just a few seconds.
Budweiser
This year’s popular favorite was Budweiser. It is hard to go wrong with a story about the friendship between a horse and an eagle. The storytelling in this spot was tremendous. It is interesting to see Budweiser, after a few years of appearing lost in the desert, to have potentially found their way.
Ring
We live in a polarized time, but hopefully most of agree that it is a good thing to return lost dogs to the children that miss them. In its Super Bowl spot, Ring highlighted a new technology that allows Ring cameras to look for missing pets. This spot was unique and communicated a clear benefit.
Hellmann’s
In recent years Hellmann’s has become a Super Bowl regular, and the brand often finishes near the top of the list. For this year’s spot, the brand rolled out “Meal Diamond” singing about sandwiches. Linkage here is strong, and benefit. It also gets your attention.
Microsoft Copilot
Copilot followed Google’s product demonstration approach this year, with an ad demonstrating Co-Pilot’s ability to sift through and process data. The spot clearly delivers the positioning, but it was not the most memorable ad on the field.
Squarespace
We had a mixed reaction to this spot. It scored well with the Kellogg panel, and the message that you can register a domain at Squarespace was news. And, in past years, people had trouble remember what the Squarespace ad was about. Still, registering a domain name feels like old news.
Uber Eats
In terms of execution, the Uber Eats spot scores high. This is an engaging, fun spot that makes tremendous use of celebrity talent.
We just aren’t convinced by this overall strategy. When delivery firms are battling for orders, how does talking about whether the NFL is just a plot to remind us to eat build Uber Eats relative to the competition?
Grubhub
The message in the Grubhub spot was clear: no fees on orders over $50. The brand delivered the news in a fun way, with George Clooney providing the key line. It’s possible that Grubhub won the strategy this year compared to rival Uber Eats. However, how much staying power this one piece of news has remains to be seen.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile had excellent linkage and branding in this remarkable spot with the Backstreet Boys.
The problem? The spot was a jumble of messages. The ad talked about quality, price, switching and more. A simple, more focused message might have led to an ultimately more impactful execution.
Meta
With any new technology, there is always a basic question to be addressed: when would we use it? The Oakley Meta spot provided a clear message: Oakley Meta glasses are for people doing active sports, the adventure seekers. The ad cleverly showed different ways an active person might use the technology.
Other Bs: Fanatics, Xfinity, Wix, Pokemon, Red Bull
Other Spots: Cs and Ds
Liquid IV: C
One of the top spots for distinction and attention this year was the ad from Liquid IV. Singing toilets aren’t common on the Super Bowl—we cannot remember the last time we saw one– so this ad stood out. Toilets, however, are not the most positive-inducing stimulus, so we worry a little about amplification. In addition, the dehydration message is fine but doesn’t highlight how Liquid IV is better than water or other options.
Amazon: C
This is perhaps the strangest ad on the Super Bowl. To highlight the power of Alexa, the brand showed different ways the technology could kill you. We found this to be a bizarre message in a world where people already are nervous about AI.
Wegovy: C
This spot from Novo delivered a simple message: you can now get a GLP-1 in a pill form. However, one issue is was the massive amount of time spent on side-effects. These are required for branded advertising, and understandably so, but represent a questionable message for the Super Bowl. Disease state advertising seems to work better.
Dunkin: C
For star power, you have to admire what Dunkin was able to pull off. What a remarkable collection of celebrities! Branding was strong, and linkage. The benefit just seems lacking. Why go to Dunkin? One explanation is that they are established enough that they have decided to focus solely on building an affinity with their fans.
Salesforce: D
Mr. Beast apparently agreed to be in Salesforce’s Super Bowl ad if he could control the content. The result: a great spot for Mr. Beast and a very weak spot for Salesforce. The ad communicated that Mr. Beast has created a puzzle but says nothing about Salesforce. This ad should be a lesson on working with influencers.
Instacart: D
This ad scored low with the Kellogg panel y. The clever band scene is distinctive and there is a benefit: with Instacart you can choose your bananas. Perhaps the problem is that the funny moments in the spot aren’t really about the product, so where attention is focused could be a problem.
Svedka: D
Svedka aired an AI generated spot that was generally unpleasant. What is the benefit?
Other Cs: Apartments/Homes.com, Liquid IV, Toyota, Dove, Universal Orlando Resort, Pringles, Anti-Defamation League, Hims and Hers, Wegovy, Nerds, Base44, Ro, Dunkin, Bud Light, Toyota, Genspark, State Farm, Draft Kings, Detect the SOS (BI), Cadillac, Kinder Bueno, Weathertech, Amazon, Chat GPT
Other Ds: Ritz, MAHA, Poppi, Instacart, Redfin/Rocket Mortgage, Salesforce, HeGetsUs.com, Svedka, VW
Poor Spots: F
Coinbase
One of the most unfortunate ads on the Super Bowl was from Coinbase. The ad was basically an 80s karaoke song. This was initially confusing (“Wait, what am I supposed to do here?”). By the end, it was all interesting enough but told us next to nothing about Coinbase. What is the firm? Why should we use it?
Ai.com
This is a new company – so the priority is clarity. Yet our panel was left with questions. What is this company? Why should we care about it? The ad was just a call to register a name. It wasn’t clear why we should register.
Overall, the 2026 Super Bowl featured a lot of good advertising. While a couple brands missed the mark, we think most advertisers will walk away pleased with their creative.
Tim Calkins and Derek D. Rucker
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