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Mizzou | Culture

Breaking Down 2026 Super Bowl Commercials

Sydni Marshall Student Contributor, University of Missouri
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Mizzou chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

The Super Bowl is a big event for everyone in various ways. Football fans look forward to it every year, and some people tune in just for the halftime performance. For some people, me included, I couldn’t tell you a single thing about football, but I look forward to something different: the commercials. This year’s Super Bowl had some that were memorable, good and bad. Here are the top 3 that stood out to me. 

Processed Food Kills, Eat Real Food

Mike Tyson’s 2026 Super Bowl Commercial, which was funded by Make America Healthy Again (MAHA), sparked a lot of controversy on the internet after airing. Tyson promotes eating real food, biting into an apple in the commercial, saying that processed food kills. While sending this message, the commercial sparked controversy due to the negative words Tyson uses while sending his message. Calling himself “fat and nasty” while talking about when he was overweight, and saying America has “fat and fudgy” people. While it is true that processed food can be harmful, his delivery of the message has sparked a large amount of discussion. 

Svedka- Shake Your Bots off

Svedka Vodka also sparked controversy with their ad marketing their classic vodka. The commercial featured two dancing robots, producing bottles of vodka and making drinks. This commercial marks one of the first nationally aired, primarily AI-generated commercials, which brought a lot of criticism. The commercial was supposed to signify the future of the world, with a shift towards AI use in companies growing, but the turnout was not what Svedka had hoped for. Many viewers, myself included, thought the commercial was unsettling, uncanny and just creepy. 

Pepsi- The Choice

One commercial from the Super Bowl that I loved was Pepsi – The Choice. This ad featured a polar bear, which is an iconic mascot for their competitor, Coca-Cola. The polar bear appeared to do a blind taste test and picked Pepsi instead of Coke. The polar bear was sad, and even went to therapy, but then found another polar bear who shared the same love for Pepsi. This commercial, as opposed to the others mentioned, was lighthearted and funny. It even featured a reference to the CEO affair from the Coldplay concert, which was an iconic moment from the past year, and added a nice touch to the commercial. Pepsi has had controversy with previous commercials in the past, and I think they’ve done a good job of erasing that reputation. Keeping the commercial lighthearted and fun was a good direction for them to go, especially for a typical family event like the Super Bowl. 

Sydni is a junior at Mizzou, majoring in public health and earning a minor in human development and family sciences. Sydni is originally from Wentzville, MO, just about 45 minutes outside of St. Louis. When not writing for Her Campus, she enjoys doing hot yoga, playing sand volleyball, or hanging out with her friends and cat!