The CMO Podcast

Super Bowl Advertiser RoundUp with Gary Vaynerchuk

February 10, 2026

Episode Overview

In this special Super Bowl Advertiser Roundtable, host Jim Stengel teams up with Gary Vaynerchuk for their eighth annual post-Super Bowl deep-dive, recorded in collaboration with Vaynerchuk’s “Marketing For The Now” livestream. The episode features candid insights from five CMOs who advertised during Super Bowl 2026: Stephen Seinen (Mondelez/Ritz), Soyoung Kang (eos), Gail Horwood (Novartis), Mehdi Iqbal (F1 Cadillac), and Luis Garcia (Natera/Tree Hut). The panel reflects on standout advertising executions, the evolving value of brand experiences and celebrity, and how each activation extended far beyond the game itself.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Super Bowl 2026: Atmosphere & Brand Evolution

Hosts: Jim Stengel & Gary Vaynerchuk

• Gary highlights a shift in brand activations: “Brands are getting smarter… more thoughtful about bringing influencers, creating content and programming at experiential events.” (03:43)
• The Super Bowl city experience was described as more B2B2C than years past, with events serving as production days for both business relationships and content generation.
• Gary notes: “Ten years ago brands spent 5-10X more and got 5-10X less out of experiential; now it’s about smarter, more efficient value.” (04:20)

2. Individual Highlights & Notable Brand Moments

• Raising Cane's & Fanatics: Called out for creating “really cool parties that are content production days.” (05:15)
• Efficient Relationship-Building: Gary emphasizes the Super Bowl as a unique networking opportunity for B2B marketers—not just an excuse for excess, but for productive meetings and team-building. (06:15)
• Experiential & Team Culture: The internal reward of celebrating with the team who created the ad stands out as a top moment. (Stephen Seinen, 11:54; Luis Garcia, 20:20)
• Pickleball as an Activation Theme: Surprising trend among brand events. (06:44)

3. The Evolving Role and Risk of Celebrities in Advertising

• Gary warns: “I’m scared to use celebrities. A lot of brands are gonna be upset this Monday morning on their brand recall, because they paid a lot of money to play second or third fiddle.” (08:04)
• He stresses the importance of not letting the star overshadow the brand, citing successes and pitfalls seen in this year’s spots.
• On his own Raisin Brad (Raisin Bran) campaign: “The brand was really well represented throughout the ad and did not play third fiddle… we masterfully played what we believe in, which is surround sound.” (09:08)

4. CMO Panel: Reflections and Learnings

Each CMO shares: Brand, campaign experience, standout moment, and self-rating (1–10 scale):

Stephen Seinen — Mondelez/Ritz (Ritz Island)

• Highlight: Celebrating with the full in-person team after “a long, intense process.” (11:54)
• Business Impact: Emphasizes the HR and cultural value of these milestone events. (12:40)
• Rating: 8/10. “Always room to go bigger next year.” (13:47)
• Celebrity Usage: “Celebrities bring cultural relevance and nail the comedic timing; but we were intentional to ensure the brand was not overshadowed.” (26:49)
• Next Steps: Wants to further expand the experiential and sampling dimension: “Trial is incredibly underrated… a lot more money should be put into trial and sampling, not just at retail.” (28:23, 29:18)

Soyoung Kang — eos (“Is it Cake?”)

• Highlight: Experiencing the moment of pride with team and family, and motivating the entire organization. (14:00)
• Rating: 8/10
• Campaign Evolution: Shifted creative approach based on feedback and success last year, forming campaigns around human truths from the consumer base.

  “The Super Bowl is a unique moment where, if you have the right creative and strategy, you can make that moment incredibly impactful… the actual lift in-store sales lasts for weeks after.” (30:42)

• Retail Activation: Focused on driving in-store trial via sensory experience (product sniff tests), underlining the importance of retail partner trust. (33:18)

Gail Horwood — Novartis (“Relax your tight end”)

• Highlight: The public-facing, “Relax Zone” experiential activation stood out, as did collaborating with event design luminaries (e.g., Uber Eats’ use of David Stark).
• Rating: 10/10
• Creative Insight:

  “Behavior change at scale—especially with health—is always hard. It’s really about starting from deep insight and finding authentic storytellers.” (35:31)

• Strategic Layers: Leveraged both celebrity (Gronk and coach Arians) and grassroots activations (screening events with the NFL and advocacy groups like Susan G. Komen), making a direct behavioral impact:

  “Millions came to our site to get reminders to be screened and to nudge their friends.” (38:00)

• Gary’s Praise: “I think it was the best of the night… sometimes Super Bowl is for when there’s something you used to know and need to know now. That’s just… incredible.” (17:23)

Mehdi Iqbal — Cadillac F1 (Mission Begins/Livery Reveal)

• Highlight: “Our hope was to innovate and change the way livery reveals are done forever… we matched our Super Bowl commercial to a physical reveal in Times Square.” (21:59, 23:18)
• Behind the Scenes: “90 days to figure it out… didn’t walk into a fully baked idea, just knew we wanted to innovate.” (43:16)
• Integrated Experience: Ongoing campaign with follow-ups, including partnerships (Apple’s “Shot on iPhone”) and timed fan touchpoints all week. (45:14)
• Rating: “Can’t rate it yet… more coming this week, but very happy so far.” (43:16)
• Brand Strategy: “Not innovation for the sake of change, but to modernize and enhance accessible fan experiences.” (54:56)

Luis Garcia — Natera/Tree Hut (“Uncontain Yourself”)

• Highlight: Internal company pride—team “all wearing Tree Hut shirts, the energy in the room was just moving.” (20:20)
• Unique Creative Approach: “We didn't have celebrities, we had creators who really matter to our community. Some people didn't ‘get’ the ad right away, but for those who did, it was incredibly meaningful. Scaling the belief is what we aimed to do.” (51:24)
• Rating: “It was at 11 for us… Super Bowl as a tactic within a full rebrand campaign.” (52:30)
• Key Lesson: “Remain true to your brand. Don’t try to change it just because it’s the Super Bowl.” (63:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Gary Vaynerchuk on Celebrity Ads & Long-Term Recall (08:04):

  “A lot of brands are going to be upset this Monday morning on brand recall… they pay a lot of money to play second or third fiddle.”

• Gary Vaynerchuk on Surround Sound Marketing (09:10):

  “We kinda won going into the Super Bowl. It was one of the most talked about campaigns for the 10 days leading up.”

• Stephen Seinen on Internal Culture (11:54):

  “To experience the culmination of that journey with the people who actually made it happen—that was super rewarding for me.”

• Soyoung Kang on Source of Insights (32:42):

  “We look for something we learn directly from our fan base… If it’s not coming from us, but from the outside in, we know it’s true.”

• Gail Horwood on Marketing Foundations (35:31):

  “We built our own system… marketing at Novartis is grounded in creativity and real insights, with a central core approach.”

• Mehdi Iqbal on Brand Experience (47:46):

  “Everything's a production day… once we understand that, we’ll get more bang for our buck.”

• Luis Garcia on Community-Centered Creative (51:24):

  “The confidence came from knowing that we were not going to change the brand… We need just to amplify what we do best.”

• Gary Vaynerchuk on Measuring Fandom (55:57):

  “Let’s measure the punchline… now that we’re in an interest graph framework, we can double down on what matters: relevance with different consumer segments.”

• Gary Vaynerchuk Predicts the Future of Super Bowl Spots (58:47):

  “Within five years, there’ll be a Super Bowl spot that’s an exact replica of a social media post that got 100 million organic views—black bars and all, in its natural sense.”

Important Segment Timestamps

• 03:30–05:20 – Brands’ smarter use of experiential activations (Gary)
• 07:53–11:00 – Vaynerchuk’s Super Bowl ad strategy, surround sound, and use of celebs
• 11:22–16:47 – CMO introductions, first impressions, internal team impact
• 24:18–29:18 – Ritz’s evolution, celebrity risk, expansion into sampling/experiential
• 30:42–34:16 – EOS on creative insight, retail activation, and true consumer engagement
• 35:31–44:11 – Novartis: Building foundation for breakthrough creative, impact on health behavior, authentic storytelling
• 43:16–47:46 – Cadillac F1: Fast-track campaign, livery reveal in Times Square, blending digital and physical experience
• 50:06–53:19 – Tree Hut: First-timer reflections, creator over celebrity, remaining true to brand DNA
• 54:59–63:37 – Open panel Q&A: Social graph vs content graph, measurement of fandom, advice for next year’s Super Bowl advertisers
• 63:37–END – Closing advice round from panelists and Gary's last word

Rapid-Fire Advice Round (Final Takeaways | 62:45–63:37)

• Gail Horwood: “Build an experience—the Super Bowl tactic is just part of it; support the initiative all year.”
• Stephen Seinen: “Be bold. Fortune favors the bold.”
• Soyoung Kang: “Be remembered. Make sure it’s your brand that’s remembered afterward.”
• Mehdi Iqbal: “Radical clarity internally; have your North Star before building the campaign.”
• Luis Garcia: “Remain true to your brand; don’t change just for the Super Bowl.”

Gary’s advice:

“Connect with these incredible marketers, extract the secrets—reach out, learn from them.” (63:43)

Conclusion

This roundtable reveals how the Super Bowl has evolved into a 360-degree marketing moment—a platform for storytelling, culture building, and business impact both inside and outside of the stadium. Balancing creative risk, cultural relevance, and business clarity, the guests provide a blueprint for how brands can both stand out and stay true as the world’s biggest advertising stage continues to change.

For Further Learning

• Full guest lineup and campaigns:
  • Ritz Crackers: “Ritz Island” (Stephen Seinen, Mondelez)
  • eos: “Is it Cake?” with Mikey Day (Soyoung Kang)
  • Novartis: “Relax your tight end” (prostate cancer screening) (Gail Horwood)
  • Cadillac F1: “Mission Begins” livery reveal (Mehdi Iqbal)
  • Tree Hut: “Uncontain Yourself” (Luis Garcia)

(For direct engagement and visual/extended content, connect with the guests via LinkedIn as recommended by Gary Vaynerchuk.)