Instacart.
Commercials at the 2026 Super Bowl united with one idea: Entertain the viewer at any cost.
This led to a cluster of celebrity cameos, quick gags and some strong creative ideas, according to industry creatives.
Notable winners of this year include Uber Eats 'Foodspiracy', Claude's non-ad advertisement and Instacart's spot with Spike Jonz.
Special group creative directors Sian Binder & Lea Egan told AdNews that America needs big 80s tracks, lots of lols and some production sparkle.
“You can tell a lot about the state of America from this year's super bowl ads. This is a country that sorely needs entertainment (and distraction),” they said.
“Agencies and clients have an entertain-at-any-cost mentality with big splurges on directors.
“But a lot of this entertainment has come at the expense of ideas, which seem to be pretty light on.
“The Uber Eats Football is For Food spot from our Special friends in the US stands out to us for at least having a strong idea behind it. It really ups the game on the spots from the previous years."
Publicis Australia creative director Lee Griffin said that this year’s batch of ads yet again reminds us of something else that isn’t new, "the importance of an idea, a story, a truth."
"That will always shine through. Be it a cave painting, a Merle Haggard song, or the latest Pepsi Max Superbowl spot - execution has never been an idea, and an idea has never been an execution," said Griffin.
"The Claude series is my personal standout. Topical, entertaining, sad, funny, enlightening, sans-celebs - all at once! Sharp writing, exemplary craft, all around a simple idea and a 2026 truth we can all subscribe to.
"No matter how smart we get, our dumb feelings remind us we’re all still humans just like everybody else. So, while dollars and the amazing capabilities of AI might let us flex our executions, a real idea that punches, tickles, hugs, or whatevers your heart will still always win. "
Saatchi & Saatchi Australia chief creative officer, Avish Gordhan, also found Claude's work to be a standout.
"No celebrities. No crutches. Funny, memorable and refreshingly brave enough to take on the competition on advertising’s biggest day," said Gordhan.
“Can I get a six pack quickly?” and “How do I communicate with my mom?” made me laugh while also making me question ChatGPT’s integrity. Most importantly, it proved you don’t need a superstar when you’ve got a strong idea and an opinion."
Clemenger BBDO creative director Becky Morriss said W+K London’s Absolut Vodka’s advertisement for its new Tobasco flavour felt confident, cinematic and unmistakably Absolut.
“It wasn’t spectacle for spectacle’s sake,” Morriss said.
“The visual language, a clear nod to the iconic footage captured by Katia and Maurice Krafft, gave it a gravitas that made it feel closer to art than advertising. It was beautiful and filmic, with a subtle sense of humour.
“In a year where so many Super Bowl ads leaned hard into lacklustre celebrity cameos or rapid-fire gags, Absolut slowed everything down. It trusted surrealism, confidence and visual wit, which are exactly the things that have always made the brand special."
M+C Saatchi creative director, Daniel Borghesi, said this years winners are bringing joy in simple, visually striking ways.
“For me, Instacart is hard to beat. Wonderful craft, and I don't think there will ever be a funnier line than 'I need more lift',” Borghesi said.
“Then you've got Claude's spots, a masterclass in performance and restraint. Uber is back again with another banger, but did we expect anything less?
“And of course, there's XFinity's brilliant take on Jurassic Park. Cultural hijacking at its best. And as someone with a Jurassic Park Jeff Goldblum tattoo, I feel personally vindicated.”
Howatson+Company executive strategy director Will Millar said that there was a lot of AI noise at the Super Bowl this year.
"The battle to humanise complex products has come thick and fast as brands have tried to scale," Millar said.
"Anthropic has a really clear promise and without directly naming OpenAI, they’ve certainly sparked a wider discussion around trust that both the category and consumers have reacted strongly to.
"Comedy always does well at the Super Bowl and the timing and delivery here perfectly captures the sometimes awkward, inorganic conversations we have with AI. It feels like a real human reaction rather than a scripted punchline, which helps it land.
"The simpler structure, pacing and casting also helped it stand out among a barrage of celebrity cameos and music driven approaches that often shout at us during every commercial break."
Leo Australia executive creative directors, Hilary Badger and Tim Woolford, also enjoyed the Instacart spot.
"In a year when AI companies had beef and AI productions were debated, this stood out to me as kooky, weird and human, but not crass," Badger said.
"I've also enjoyed the shift from "Super Bowl Ad" to "Super Bowl Campaign", with many brands launching their ads well before game day.
"And many created a multi-part story to engage with, like Squarespace's series with Emma Stone. These ads have created talkability beyond just the hugeness of the game day - they rewarded the audience with a craft and a narrative."
Woolford said that the Uber Eats and their ‘Football Sells Food Conspiracy’ set the brand apart for its non-traditional idea.
"Uber is letting people create their own Super Bowl ad inside their app. Special and Uber understand that the game is not just on the screen, it’s in your hand," he said.
Enigma creative director, Aldo Ferretto, said the Uber Eats ‘Hungry for the Truth’ and Pringles' ‘Pringleleo’ delivered the strongest.
"McConaughey torturing Cooper with every food-adjacent NFL term is comedy gold. But the real win?
“They built an in-app experience with 1,000+ ad combinations. Most brands are chasing virality. Uber Eats built something people actually want to play with, and I just can't help but respect that," Ferretto said.
"Sabrina builds a boyfriend out of Pringles who gets destroyed by her fans on the red carpet. Absurd, perfectly crafted, and they shot it on film to match her thing. This wasn't 'let's get Sabrina.' This was 'let's make something Sabrina would want to be in."
However, Ritz’s ‘Ritz Island’ and Svedka’s AI-advertisement struggled, according to Ferretto.
“'Too salty for the party' is so lightweight it evaporates immediately. Polished to death with nothing worth polishing. When you're spending Super Bowl money, forgettable is unforgivable,” he said.
"SVEDKA's AI-generated robot ad about 'human connection' is peak irony. You spent $8 million to showcase technology's inability to understand humanity.
“AI can string words together, but it can't understand why timing matters, why pauses matter, why human reactions change everything. Depressing."
Think HQ art director Josella Bray and copywriter, Zoe Mamo, said that "e.l.f. Cosmetics’ Melisa campaign is arguably the most political ad of the season, precisely because it refuses to look political."
"Amidst the conservative backlash of Bad Bunny’s Spanish-only halftime show, It's a declaration of solidarity hidden in a slapstick parody, offering much-needed love and support to their Latinx consumers during a fractured time in American society," they said.
"The prowess of the work lies in its calculated absurdity. By casting Melissa McCarthy, e.l.f. utilises a beloved, ‘neutral’ outsider who is perfectly positioned to convert those on the fence without inviting brand-wide backlash.
"Providing free language lessons and casting telenovela legend Itatí Cantoral are a few small ways that show e.l.f. is putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to allyship."
Special executive creative director Ryan Fitzgerald said that Coinbase showed that quiet can be the perfect antidote to loud.
"While everyone else was going bigger, better, MORE EVERYTHING! Coinbase stripped it way back, artfully pulling in their audience," said Fitzgerald.
"Whether you were hearing the Backstreet Boys in your head or belting it out with your nearest and dearest, it’s a win for Coinbase."
BCM Media & Creative creative strategy lead, Sam Boyd, said this years ads felt safer.
“Instacart stood out because it committed fully to a weird, singular idea and let it do its work,” said Boyd.
“It took a simple product truth and pushed it into an ear worm-level execution that lodged itself in my brain and is still rattling around unprompted.”
Independent Creative Adrian Elton said that America's humour is shape-shifting, with the best ads having a "fatalistic, macabre, cynical self-awareness that certainly hasn't historically been a mainstay of American advertising."
"I particularly rated the on-point Emma Stone ad for SquareSpace which was beautifully shot, what's more with real black & white film stock," Elton said.
"A simple idea - strikingly brought to life - and wrapped up with such a pretty bow, care of the whipsmart sign-off, "Get your domain before you lose it". Special mentions too for the incredibly discordant musical soundtrack and screen shattering foley.
"At the other end of the spectrum though - scraping the barrel of plausibility - the Raisin Bran ad starring William Shatner, AKA Will Shat, sank to new, fetid lows. Will somebody please cue the canned-laughter.
"Flashing neon gags, flushed straight from Obviousville, incoming. I just hope he was paid absolutely shitloads for lending his name (or at least part of it) to that steaming pile of effluent."
Thompson Spencer creative lead, social, Zinnia Dogra said said that this year the ads felt less like bold statements and more like a mirror of the current state of society - "overstimulated and surrounded by fluff without real meaning."
“Compared to 2025, which leaned in much more to emotion and making people feel something, this year felt as if it was more about cognitive relief," said Dogra.
“With 2016 trending and nostalgia gaining momentum, it’s no surprise that many ads looked to the past (Statefarm, Lays, Instacart, Hellmans) almost as if brands are collectively mining history, hoping to rediscover a moment when society felt simpler and marketing didn’t have to work so hard to be understood.
“A standout for me was Squarespace featuring Emma Stone. While it visually referenced a historical era, its narrative was very present day. It tapped into a very real cultural tension: the rise of personal brands and the pressure to turn yourself into a business."
Those That Do head of strategy, John Schonegevel, said that while Defensive football may have won the day for Seattle, “the same game plan didn't serve the major advertisers quite so well.”
“Many played to the convention - token celebrity, big production values, humour and hyperbole - Instacart, Hellman's, Pringles, Some retreated into the safe and familiar - unexciting variations on an already established theme - Dove, Budweiser, Uber Eats, And a few plucked at the heartstrings - Lays, Toyota, Ring,” said Schonegevel.
“Noteworthy and more memorable however, were those that also used celebrities, but did so in a way that made them integral to the idea.
“Kendall Jenner's colourful romantic past for Fanatics Sportsbook, Adrien Brody trying unsuccessfully to insert drama into TurboTax, Guy Fieri being "More than just a Guy" for Bosch.”
ATime&Place chief creative officer Matt Lawson said that Jurassic Park’s Xfinity spot revealed that you don’t need drama when you have comedy.
“Sure, some of the jokes are a little cheesy, but that’s in keeping with the original movie. Maybe I’m just trying to tell myself that because I do like this idea," said Lawson.
“It’s an idea that is essentially a product demo, just set in a new world. An old and new world."
Special group creative director Peter Defries said that there is always a coincidental theme that emerges.
"Raisin Bran and Garage Beer relied heavily on toilet humour, but the pick of the bunch was the “Relax Your Tight End” prostate cancer spot for Novartis, which starred famous NFL tight ends," said Defries.
"It’s one of those brutally simple ideas you can’t believe hasn’t been done before."
Core founder and creative partner, Jon Skinner, said Kellogg’s Raisin Bran stood out for its fun writing.
“Working to the principle that great advertising is creative work that breaks the mould, I really wanted to select a Superbowl spot that didn’t use a celebrity," Skinner said.
“Though, after viewing numerous star-spangled ads for this year’s event it quickly became obvious that would be a hard task.
“While many brands use famous faces in the sheer hope of positive association, Kellogg’s was brave enough to take it a step further in its spot for Raisin Bran with William Shatner.
“Littered with double-entendres and sight gags, the writing is fun and will broaden the brand’s appeal. It’s entertainment that doesn’t take itself too seriously. And even better, it’s not just another ad using famous faces, but dare I say it, famous faeces…”
Havas Host group creative director, Anna Yates, said that "more brands than ever seem to have adopted the motto ‘go big, and go safe’. Featuring irrelevant celebrities, contrived storylines, and cringeworthy jokes".
"But amongst all the borrowed-interest celebrity slop, there were some genuinely great pieces of work," said Yates.
"Manscaped, a ballad sung by the bits of hair you’ve shaved off your bits, was unexpected, well-crafted and sticky. In a good way."
Human Digital and Alex & Sloane founder, Ben van Rooy, said that the Super Bowl LX advertising wasn't a failure. It was a mirror.
“A reflection of an industry that's highly capable, slightly nervous, and increasingly reluctant to take a stand,” said van Rooy.
“The craft is there. The budgets are there. The talent is there. What's missing is the courage to use them for something beyond risk mitigation.
“Most ads felt engineered to avoid backlash rather than earn belief. Multiple reports noted advertisers explicitly leaning into light humour and celebrity cameos to sidestep controversy in a volatile climate.
“Famous faces filled the gaps where conviction should have been. But borrowing attention is not the same as building meaning. More faces do not equal more impact.
“Brands don't win by being careful. They win by being clear.
“And until more leaders choose conviction over caution, we'll keep getting ads that look impressive and feel forgettable.”
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