Given that the Super Bowl is also known as the Ad Bowl, we marketers really enjoy analyzing the ads and tracking the buzz that brands build with their campaigns. Here are our favorites from this year’s big game, along with simple takeaways for business owners and marketing professionals.
Novartis: “Relax Your Tight End”
It can be challenging to make pharmaceutical ads funny, and Novartis nailed it by promoting prostate cancer screenings with a literal take on NFL tight ends relaxing in hilarious situations. It cleverly shares the message that men can relax, since the first step in prostate cancer screenings is a simple blood test. Narrated by coach and prostate cancer survivor Bruce Arians, it struck the perfect balance between humor and an important health message.
Know where your audience is: The Super Bowl is the perfect channel to reach men who might otherwise avoid this conversation and the ad is relevant and memorable in this context.
Anthropic: “Can I Get a Six-Pack Quickly?”
“Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude.” Without directly naming its primary competitor, Anthropic took a direct shot at OpenAI’s decision to introduce ads in ChatGPT, using funny spots that show therapy sessions and fitness advice derailed by awkward sales pitches from characters playing AI assistants.
The timing was strategic in the AI tech battle. OpenAI recently began testing ads in its free and new lower-priced tiers of ChatGPT, which has raised user concerns about trust in conversational AI outputs. While OpenAI stated ads will be clearly labeled, served in the right context and separated from answers, Anthropic’s campaign tapped into the skepticism many users already feel, promising that its AI tool, Claude, won’t even go there.
Product positioning: If you want your positioning to resonate, go beyond promoting features and instead articulate exactly what your audience is worried about.
Jeep: “Billy Goes to the River”
While not a Super Bowl ad, this was a strategic online-only spot that dropped during the biggest advertising week of the year. Jeep brought back Big Mouth Billy Bass (yes, that singing fish from the 90s) for a father-son adventure that takes a wild turn involving a bear and an eagle. The eagle ties into Jeep’s support of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, reinforcing its status as the number-one most patriotic brand for over 24 consecutive years.
AI creative done right: The spot used AI-powered post-production to blend real footage with digital animals and was also used to develop Billy’s singing voice, demonstrating how technology can enhance creativity rather than replace it.
Squarespace: “Unavailable”
This dark, film-inspired spot features a villainous Emma Stone in a gothic mansion. She has a full meltdown when she discovers the domain “emmastone.com” is taken by someone else. Her rage is hilariously over the top as she destroys numerous laptops. The cinematic production is eye-catching and the message lands perfectly: “Get your domain before you lose it.”
Domain importance and drama: If you still need to secure your web domain, do it now (laptop intact). And sometimes, a little dramatic flair is just what you need to get the message across.
Budweiser: “American Icons”
The Clydesdales return alongside an eagle in this patriotic spot celebrating America’s 250th and Budweiser’s 150th anniversaries. Set to “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, it follows the friendship between a Clydesdale and an eagle as they journey across American landscapes. The spot features a real Budweiser barley farmer, grounding the “Made of America” message in authenticity.
Legacy brand loyalty: When you’ve built decades of emotional connection with your audience, consistency becomes your competitive advantage. Budweiser knows what works and delivers it year after year because its customers expect and want it.
Ramp: “Multiply What’s Possible” ft. Kevin from The Office
Brian Baumgartner is featured in his role as the beloved accountant Kevin Malone from The Office, but multiplied. Ramp’s finance software is positioned as a powerful solution to manual accounting work through an office filled with Kevin clones efficiently handling expense reports. This campaign also included a direct mail component, a lookalike contest judged by Baumgartner and a tailgate in San Francisco where two Super Bowl tickets were given away.
This isn’t Baumgartner’s first campaign with Ramp. In October 2025, the company pulled off a stunt in NYC, putting Baumgartner in a glass office, where he acted as Kevin, livestreaming as he manually processed expenses in a race against Ramp’s software (he even officiated a real wedding during the stream). The activation generated over 100 million views, a powerful example of turning a B2B product demonstration into entertainment.
Pop culture and product: Connecting your product to a beloved character helps make even the most mundane services memorable and shareable.
Lay’s: “Last Harvest”
A retiring potato farmer takes his daughter on one last harvest, blending present-day moments with flashbacks of her childhood on the farm, culminating with the father’s retirement celebration. The emotional storytelling centers on the generational knowledge passed down in family farming, honoring the hard work of America’s potato farmers.
Authenticity matters: While this spot is sentimental, some viewers from farming backgrounds pointed out that farmers rarely actually retire. It’s a helpful reminder to understand your audience, especially when you’re telling someone else’s story.
Pepsi: “The Choice”
In a bold move, Pepsi uses Coca-Cola’s iconic polar bear mascot as its main character. The bear faces an identity crisis after choosing Pepsi Zero Sugar over Coke in a blind taste test. The spot includes therapy sessions and a Jumbotron moment where the bear and his girlfriend are caught drinking Pepsi, referencing the viral 2025 Coldplay-cam incident.
Competitive confidence: A little friendly competition can be impactful in brand messaging, especially when you commit to the bit this hard and tie in relevant pop culture moments.
Rocket Mortgage: “America Needs Neighbors Like You”
While most Super Bowl ads leaned into humor, Rocket Mortgage chose a different path. Two families moving to the same neighborhood at the same time initially feel unwelcome. A storm’s aftermath brings them together, showing how simple acts of kindness can build community. Lady Gaga’s rendition of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” underscores the message about bridging divides through human connection.
Emotional storytelling: When done right, brands that tackle meaningful themes earn positive customer sentiment.
Coinbase: “Everybody Coinbase”
Coinbase transformed a traditional commercial break into an unexpected karaoke moment. As the Backstreet Boys’ “Everybody” plays, lyrics and retro graphics appear on screen, turning millions of viewers into simultaneous singers. The simplistic, nostalgic karaoke visuals stand out from typical high-production spots. This spot prioritized creating a shared moment of joy while emphasizing that crypto is for everybody.
Shared cultural moments: Coinbase flipped the script from promoting a product to encouraging participation. Making people share a positive moment in such an unusual way is powerful for brand building.
Liquid I.V.: “Take a Look”
In a year where bathroom humor showed up repeatedly in Super Bowl ads, Liquid I.V. was no different, promoting its hydrating electrolyte drink mix through choirs of singing toilets.
Memorability through absurdity: Sometimes being weird enough to get people talking is the entire strategy.
Uber Eats: “Hungry for the Truth”
Matthew McConaughey returns as a conspiracy theorist trying to convince Bradley Cooper that football exists solely to sell food. The “Football Is for Food” campaign leans into various food puns, with the top joke being the Pro Football Hall of Fame shaped like a juicer.
Clever brand associations: When your messaging consistently and creatively pushes a connection as clear as food and football, audiences will begin to develop valuable brand associations that keep you top-of-mind.
Fanatics Sportsbook: “Bet On Kendall”
Kendall Jenner embraces the internet joke that the Kardashian-Jenner women “curse” the men they date, revealing she’s been betting against all her basketball player exes and winning. For the Super Bowl, she announces she’s betting on the Patriots and challenges viewers to bet with or against her for a 100% profit boost. It’s a clever way to lean into pop culture conversation while driving action.
Off-screen engagement: The real strategy here is driving app downloads and participation. The ad is just the entry point.
State Farm: “Stop Living on a Prayer”
A celebrity-packed cast teams up for intentionally bad singing and theatrical antics around “Halfway There Insurance” to the tune of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.” The spot tackles insurance pain points with humor and delivers a clear “you get what you pay for” message about choosing quality coverage.
Address the pain point: The best product messaging acknowledges the real frustrations customers face and positions your solution as the answer.
Dove: “The Game Is Ours”
Dove returns to the Super Bowl with its focus on girls’ body confidence in sports. The spot opens with a jarring statistic: one in two girls who quit sports cite body criticism as the reason. What follows is a high-energy celebration of girls in motion, competing and enjoying sports regardless of body type.
Purpose-driven marketing: Dove makes the message actionable by directly tying purchases to its Body Confident Sport program, turning awareness into impact.
Our Super Bowl Takeaway
This year’s Super Bowl ads proved that the best campaigns do one of three things: tap into what audiences already feel, create genuine cultural moments or commit so fully to the creative that you can’t look away. Whether you’re spending millions on the big game or strategically dropping content during ad week like Jeep, the lesson remains the same. Know your audience, understand what they care about and give them something worth talking about.
