Some people watch the Super Bowl for the football, some for the Halftime show performance, and others for the commercials. The Super Bowl is known for its iconic ads that showcase corporations, products, and organizations itching to gain popularity from viewers. The 2026 Super Bowl featured 66 advertisements with stars like Charli xcx, Hailee Steinfeld, Matthew McConaughey, and Sabrina Carpenter. Here are some of my favorites from the broadcast.
- “Good Will Dunkin’” from Dunkin’
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Dunkin’ Donuts’ commercial merged the movie Good Will Hunting with famous sitcoms such as Friends, Cheers, Seinfeld, and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Many celebrities had cameos, including Jennifer Aniston, Tom Brady, and the face of Dunkin, Ben Affleck. The commercial was filled with references that any pop culture nerd would geek out to. The vibes were impeccable, and the marketing strategy felt successful, because it got me to order Dunkin the next day.
- “Stop Livin’ on a Prayer” from State Farm
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This year’s State Farm advertisement included three music legends: Katseye, Hailee Steinfeld, and Jon Bon Jovi. Starring Steinfeld, the commercial follows her meeting with two insurance guys who call themselves “Half Way There Insurance,” since they aren’t remotely as qualified as State Farm. They break into song with their own personal rendition of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Suddenly, Katseye appears with all the girls lined up in formation. Bon Jovi and Jake from State Farm arrive just in time to swoop Steinfeld up. The video’s marketing strategy combines comedy with iconic entertainment.
- “The Game is Ours” from Dove
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In comparison to the previous ads, Dove employed a simpler strategy to spread their message. Their advertisement featured young female athletes from a variety of sports clapping together and spreading joy after a statistic displayed, “1 in 2 girls who quit sports are criticized for their body type.” By depicting strong, young women celebrating their bodies, the commercial empowered individuality and invincibility. Dove’s technique of pathos illustrated how their brand contributes to the strength of female athletes today.
- “Vibes” from Poppi
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For Poppi, all they needed was for a girl to take a sip of their product to be teleported into a world of music, dancing, and good vibes. The ad features the iconic duo Charli xcx and Rachel Sennott dressed to impress, each with a Poppi in hand. The whole video feels like a 2016 house party, and the Poppi logo was everywhere on screen. I definitely enjoyed the vibe I got from this party-girl commercial.
- “The Choice” from Pepsi
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Pepsi’s controversial ad blended pop culture references with a solid amount of shade towards its competition, and I absolutely loved it. The commercial centers on a CGI polar bear (representing the Coca-Cola ambassador) and his midlife crisis: enjoying the taste of Pepsi more than Coke. The bear has to see his therapist, who’s also the director of the commercial, Taika Waititi. Finally, he finds another polar bear who embraces her love of Pepsi, and the two end up at a Pepsi convention in the same pose as the couple from the Coldplay affair. The technique here left me speechless, as it was able to throw shade at Coca-Cola in two different ways: one, for their signature polar bear preferring a Pepsi, and two, because the polar bear was entirely CGI, throwing shade on Coca-Cola’s common use of AI in its commercials.
All in all, the 2026 Super Bowl spotlighted advertisements from a variety of brands, songs, and celebrities. The beautiful thing about the range of commercials is that everyone can find ones they relate to and love, even if they differ from their friends’ favorites. Unfortunately, this year saw a significant increase in the number of advertisements that used AI. Some people are even calling it the “A.I. Bowl,” bringing more focus onto the ads than on the actual game. Here’s what I say to this uptick: keep the artificiality out of my advertisements, because these are my favorite parts of the Super Bowl season.