Digiday Podcast: Ranking the Best and Worst Super Bowl Ads of 2026

Episode Date: February 10, 2026
Host: Kimeka McCoy (Senior Marketing Reporter)
Co-host: Tim Peterson (Executive Editor, Video and Audio)
Guest: Sunny Bonnell (Co-founder, Motto)

Episode Overview

In this lively, post-Super Bowl episode, the Digiday team and branding expert Sunny Bonnell dissect the 2026 Super Bowl commercials, categorizing them across key themes—AI company ads, nostalgia plays, brand recall, influencer and celebrity use, and, ultimately, their picks for the all-around best and worst ads of the night. The hosts explore industry trends, standout moments, and cultural missteps, offering both personal and professional takes in their signature candid and witty style.

Table of Contents

1. General Reflections on the 2026 Super Bowl Ads
2. Best & Worst AI Company Ad
3. Best & Worst Nostalgia Play
4. Most & Least Effective Brand Recall
5. Best & Worst Use of Influencer
6. Best & Worst Use of Celebrity
7. Best & Worst Super Bowl Ad Overall
8. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
9. Key Timestamps

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1. General Reflections on the 2026 Super Bowl Ads

• Big Swings in a Noisy Landscape: Brands experimented more with messaging and creative risks, aiming for humor and memorable moments against a backdrop of societal tension.
• Mixed Reception:
  • Sunny Bonnell felt there were "some really great standout moments...from companies who really put their brand front and center" while recognizing that not every big swing landed. (01:30)
  • Tim Peterson and Kimeka McCoy called this year "middling," with a longing for the days when "Super Bowl ads were about beer and junk food and less about SaaS platforms and AI." (02:16)
• Three Ad Archetypes (Tim):
  • Earnest/cringy (e.g., NFL’s “I am a Champion” with kids)
  • Nostalgic or attempted-funny, heavily featuring celebrities
  • “America is great” ads, which landed awkwardly given the nation’s mood

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2. Best & Worst AI Company Ad

Best AI Ad

• Anthropic
  • Sunny: Recognized Anthropic for "addressing the elephant in the room" and not just hyping features—stood apart by not doing mere "innovation theater." (05:29)
    • Quote: "...Anthropic probably understood the moment better...tried to create a message that would help bring brand recall to their companies and to their offer..." (01:30, 05:29)
  • Kimeka: Agreed with Sunny, highlighting the ad’s successful humanizing approach and giving "honorary mention to Google Gemini" for its focus on parent-child connection (07:16)
  • Tim: Selected Google Gemini as the best, praising effective product showcasing and comparing it to Google's legacy of impactful Super Bowl spots (08:41)

Worst AI Ad

• Meta:
  • Sunny: Criticized Meta for "gesturing towards a big idea" but failing to anchor it in anything concrete—came off as “very innovation theater” (05:29)
• AI.com:
  • Kimeka & Tim: Unanimously named AI.com’s spot as the worst, as it left viewers confused and lacking clear takeaways.
    • Quote (Kimeka, 08:41): "I didn't know what the hell was going on there... If an ad leaves me with more questions than answers, to me that was a missed opportunity."
    • Tim compared it to the failed pets.com era: "It felt like the thing we'll look back at as the dot com bubble moment for AI..." (08:41)

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3. Best & Worst Nostalgia Play

Best Nostalgia Play

• Pepsi vs. Coke Rivalry:
  • Sunny: Applauded the brands for "asking you to pick a side," making the stakes feel personal and cultural (12:30)
    • Quote (13:04): "That rivalry has turned a very simple product into an actual identity question... There was a lot of nuance..."
• Dunkin' Goodwill / Celebrity Mash-up:
  • Tim: Loved the all-celebrity, nostalgia-soaked Dunkin’ ad (particularly Fresh Prince and Family Matters references), despite the off-putting deepfakes (11:02)
• Xfinity with Jurassic Park:
  • Kimeka: Picked this for recreating emotional resonance with retro characters (15:45)

Worst Nostalgia Play

• Levi’s:
  • Sunny: Felt Levi’s lost its brand archetype and strayed from its classic explorer roots (14:24)
    • Quote: "...This just felt like it didn't feel true to the brand. And I know that they've done that before... I think in this particular instance, it just didn't land..." (14:24)
• Coinbase / Karaoke-Style Crypto Ad:
  • Kimeka: Called this "a trick" for viewers, failing to connect the nostalgia (Backstreet Boys) to the actual product: "I almost felt tricked." (17:12)
• Budweiser Clydesdale (Tim):
  • Criticized for “America the Great” nostalgia in a climate where it doesn’t resonate (10:41)

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4. Most & Least Effective Brand Recall

Most Effective Brand Recall

• Grubhub ("Who Will Eat the Fees"):
  • Sunny: Called it "a masterclass in repetition... The line names a very universal annoyance and makes Grubhub the brand willing to confront it." (18:21)
• Google Gemini:
  • Tim: Reinforced the product-integration strength (already referenced in AI category) (19:26)
• Budweiser Clydesdale:
  • Kimeka: "Within a split second, you know exactly what it is that they're selling and who it is." (21:45)

Least Effective Brand Recall

• Nerds with Andy Cohen:
  • Sunny: Andy Cohen was memorable; the brand/product was not (18:21)
• Kendall Jenner’s Betting App (Fanatics):
  • Tim & Kimeka: Kendall was more memorable than the brand—“I just know it was a betting app...couldn't tell you what the brand was.” (20:42, 21:45)
• State Farm:
  • Kimeka: Cited confusing lead-in and overshadowing of the actual brand (23:00)

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5. Best & Worst Use of Influencer

Best Influencer Ad

• MrBeast for Salesforce:
  • Universal Praise
    • "He was front and center...He delivered the lines...He also directed that ad..." (Tim, 26:26)
    • Sunny & Kimeka agreed it was effective, even for those unfamiliar with him.

Worst Influencer Ad

• Paige DeSorbo for Kinder Bueno:
  • Tim & Kimeka: She was undetectable as a "star"—felt like a background actor.
• YouTube Ad with Misc. Influencers:
  • Sunny: Criticized for using spokespeople instead of cultural relevance—it was "very utilitarian, rather than...a unique angle." (26:55)
• Mentions:
  • Discussion about whether Kendall Jenner still qualifies as influencer-level.
  • Druski in T-Mobile was less effective but at least recognizable.

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6. Best & Worst Use of Celebrity

Best Celebrity Ad

• Dunkin' ("Dunkin’ Goodwill")
  • Tim: Praised for balance of celebrities and staying light/funny (28:44)
• Emma Stone for Squarespace:
  • Sunny: Called it a "big risk" that "paid off" by merging acting skill with product urgency. (29:42)
  • Quote: "Her acting is so good that it brought urgency to a product..." (29:42)
• Melissa McCarthy for ELF Cosmetics:
  • Sunny: Hilarious performance and smart punchline (31:10)
• Bosch with Guy Fieri:
  • Kimeka: "Closest to the Super Bowl ads I grew up with... Unexpected, cheeky... The partnership made sense." (32:58)
• William Shatner for Kellogg’s, Ben Stiller for Instacart:
  • Positive shout out for nostalgia and connection.

Worst Celebrity Ad

• State Farm:
  • Universally seen as crowded, "very safe, very expected," and not effectively leveraging celebrity cachet (31:46)
• Bud Light:
  • Tim: Too many stars, with none making a real impact (28:44)
• Ritz with Bowen Yang, Scarlett Johansson, Jon Hamm:
  • Kimeka: "A hodgepodge...the concept didn’t make sense." (33:44)

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7. Best & Worst Super Bowl Ad Overall

Best Ad Overall

• Bosch with Guy Fieri (Tim):
  • "Maybe the only ad where I actually laughed out loud during the ad...soft spot for Guy Fieri." (36:37)
• Squarespace with Emma Stone (Sunny):
  • "I'm gonna go with Emma Stone, unavailable for Squarespace. Winner takes all." (37:56)
• Pepsi Rivalry Ad (Kimeka):
  • "The jab was fun, it was light... A spot that's going to cost you $8 million, I feel like they used it effectively." (40:38)

Worst Ad Overall

• Svedka (Tim):
  • "Even if that wasn't AI generated, the AI generated part doesn't help... The ad I most wish I could unsee." (36:35)
• Amazon Ring (Kimeka):
  • Dystopian vibe, “a little scary...read the room, girl. Surveillance culture and things people are concerned about.” (38:28)
    • Quote (39:34): "When that commercial ended, me and my family looked at each other like, did y’all see that as well? Is anybody else a little nervous?"
• State Farm, TurboTax, Tylenol (Honorable Mentions for Worst, Tim & Sunny):
  • All were deemed bland, confusing, or unmemorable.
  • Sunny: “State Farm was just sort of, eh... Those seconds and those minutes, they count. This was a big miss.” (37:58)

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8. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Kimeka, on nostalgia:
  "I almost felt tricked. You know, I saw one TikTok that made me giggle because the girls are watching the game and they're singing along ... then it's just like Coinbase and they're like, 'What the hell, what's that for?'" (17:08)
• Sunny, on brand authenticity:
  "Brands have to stay true to who they are. And when they start wandering away from that, it's very clear to people who have loved the brand for a long time." (14:24)
• Tim, on celebrity overload:
  "Here’s a bunch of celebrities, and they didn’t really do anything with their celebrity." (29:42)
• Kimeka, on Amazon Ring:
  "Now you're telling me with the click of a button, the entire neighborhood can be lit up, you know, to find a dog or a person who knows. It was just very..." (38:28)
• Tim, on worst AI ad:
  "It reminded me of pets.com... the parallels with pets.com, so that actually is a contender for me..." (08:41)

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9. Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro to guest & categories: 00:38 — 01:02
• Overall impressions of SB ads: 01:30 — 02:30
• AI Company Ad Rankings: 05:29 — 08:41
• Nostalgia Play Rankings: 10:41 — 17:23
• Brand Recall: 18:21 — 23:23
• Influencer Use: 26:20 — 28:31
• Celebrity Use: 28:43 — 34:46
• Best & Worst Overall: 34:46 — 40:49

Summary Table of Winners and Losers

| Category | Best | Worst | |-------------------------|----------------------------------------------|------------------------------------| | AI Company Ad | Anthropic, Gemini | Meta, AI.com | | Nostalgia Play | Pepsi vs. Coke, Dunkin', Xfinity Jurassic | Levi’s, Coinbase, Bud nostalgia | | Brand Recall | Grubhub, Google Gemini, Budweiser | Nerds, Betting app (Fanatics), State Farm | | Influencer Use | MrBeast (Salesforce) | Paige DeSorbo (Kinder Bueno), YouTube | | Celebrity Use | Dunkin', Emma Stone (Squarespace), Guy Fieri | State Farm, Bud Light, Ritz | | Overall | Bosch (Guy Fieri), Squarespace, Pepsi | Svedka, Amazon Ring, State Farm |

This comprehensive discussion offered a candid and insightful look at what makes a Super Bowl commercial stand out—or fall flat—in today's evolving advertising landscape. Whether you're in marketing, advertising, or just love a good brand debate, this episode delivers plenty of laughs and lessons from all corners of Adland.