The Monday-morning quarterbacking continues across media in adland. We asked SmartBrief editors to offer their take on Super Bowl 2026 ads: What they liked and didn’t like, what stood out and other reaction. If you have a take on the Big Game ads, hit me up and I’ll add it to the insights below.
Ellen Beck
Senior Editor for Health Care Life Sciences
Sometimes it seems like Super Bowl advertisers try too hard to be funny or relevant. They use technology but not in a way that is necessarily witty or interesting. Bring back the Budweiser’s frogs or lost puppy. This year’s eagle ad was pretty good, too, but nothing beats a lost puppy.
Rebecca Child
Editor, Media, Retail, Tech
There were no standouts this time around, nothing that made me forget I was watching a commercial or made me want to say, “Did you see the one… ?” The best part was watching with my 10-year-old and seeing what jokes and references he got.
Jaan vanValkenburgh
Editor and Associate Content Director,
I thought it was so cute when the boy wants to take the fish “to the river” and the father gently warns that he isn’t sure the toy fish will be able to swim. It was so sweet. I laughed so hard, though, when it turned to tragedy. That was brilliant. I so felt for that family (and the car ride)!
I’ll also never again hear Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline the same again, after watching the Hellmann’s ad. (And I do love mayo.) Made me look up last year’s talking cat commercial.
Susan Rush
Content Director, Media, Retail, Tech
Super Bowl LX was all about defense, and I’m not just talking about the game. Several of the AI companies – Google, OpenAI, Meta, etc. – who bought ads during the Big Game were playing some defense of their own, trying to erase the AI “scaries” some people feel when it comes to the technology (Amazon Echo: “Chris Hemsworth Thinks Amazon Alexa+ is Scary Good“).
The ads focused on how good AI is for YOU: it can make your life more fun (Meta: “Athletic Intelligence is Here“); make your work more productive, so you take more time off (Genspark: You Take Monday Off); help you build a better future (OpenAI: “You Can Just Build Things”); and even make life transitions easier (Google: “New Home”).
Overall, these ads did a good job of accomplishing their goal. However, some AI ads were a bit creepy, including Dunkin’s “Good Will Dunkin’,” which was going for a fun ‘90s nostalgia feel but ended up creeping me out 😆 (though my colleagues who shared this post with me disagree).
Michael Domingo
Technology Editor
When I watched the Super Bowl with friends this weekend, most of us were buried in our phones for the most part, since the first three quarters were lackluster. Except when the ads came on, we all paid attention.
“Lackluster” might also have been our collective description of most of the commercials. I can’t speak for the rest of my friends, but I let my high expectations get the best of me. I thought, for the most part, the ads shooting for humor (Dunkin’s “Good Will Dunkin’,” Michelob Ultra’s “Ultra Instructor”) were funny enough but not guffaw-inducing, and the emotional ones (Lay’s “Last Harvest,” Ring’s “Search Party”) were below the bar set by “Mean” Joe Greene’s’ “Hey Kid, Catch” ad for Coke many years ago.
Winner? I didn’t take a formal vote, but just based on reaction, the winners looked to be a toss-up between Budweiser’s “American Icons” and Pepsi’s “The Choice.” Those were the only ones I also personally remember.
On a side note, Ring’s “Search Party” wasn’t a winner, but it’s interesting just on facts: Ring has an AI-enabled feature to help locate lost pets — for someone whose dog is the occasional “runner,” this one might convince me to finally buy one!
Mike Driehorst
Marketing Editor
As expected (if you read our marketing briefs), there was a lot of star-power, AI and Americana-focused tugs on emotion coming from the ads during the national broadcast of Super Bowl 2026 . As one of SmartBrief’s marketing industry editors, I had seen many of the ads released before the game and the teases. So, what caught my eye were the reveals and the ads that were unveiled during the game.
Applause to the anticipation built by Dunkin’ (agency Artists Equity) for its “Good Will Dunkin’” ad and ALL of the celebrities in their mostly AI-generated youth.
Liquid Death’s ad caught my eye – and how could it not with a mostly headless cast. It wasn’t until the end that I knew the brand. Well played on the teaser.
What usually gets me is the emotional appeals. Rocket and Redfin’s “America Needs Neighbors Like You” spot nearly brought a tear to my eyes and as it focused on the neighborly benefit of owning a home, rather than the brands. Ring also focused on the benefit, a new one about using its product to find lost pets.
But my top ad pick for the game? Lay’s “Last Harvest.” Just as in 2025 with “Little Farmer,” Lay’s pays tribute to the farmers who grow the potatoes for its chips. Very endearing, very moving and great storytelling. It’s similar enough that one might think the 2026 spot is a continuation of last year’s ad.
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