Podcast Summary: The GaryVee Audio Experience

Episode: Is a $10 Million Super Bowl Ad Still a Good Deal?

Date: February 6, 2026
Host: Gary Vaynerchuk
Guests/Co-hosts: Will Shedd, Carrie

Overview

This episode dives into the ever-evolving value of Super Bowl advertising, specifically questioning whether a $10 million price tag for a 30-second spot is a worthwhile investment in the modern media landscape. Host Gary Vaynerchuk offers his seasoned perspective on the unique power of Super Bowl attention, the critical importance of creative execution, the shifting relevance for both legacy and emerging brands, and the gradual but unstoppable influence of artificial intelligence on the advertising industry.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Unmatched Attention of a Super Bowl Ad

• Super Bowl as Prime Advertising Real Estate

  • Gary makes a strong case that even massive spends on digital platforms like Meta or TikTok can't match the unified reach of a Super Bowl spot.
    • “$10 million spent on Meta and TikTok perfectly. You can't get 100 million people to watch a 30 second video. So the attention of a Super bowl ad is disproportionately the best advertising media deal in the world, let alone America.” — Gary Vaynerchuk (00:00 & 01:36)

• The Creative Variable

  • Massive viewership doesn’t guarantee success—effective, memorable creative is crucial.
    • “The problem is if your creative isn't good…you can waste 30 million between production, talent fees and all the other stuff.” — Gary Vaynerchuk (01:36 & 02:50)

ROI & Media Fragmentation

• Fragmentation vs. Singular Audience

  • With media consumption fractured across streaming and social, Super Bowl provides a rare unified audience.
    • “Attention is so fragmented…it's not 1989 anymore. And Super Bowl does sit on a pedestal. I would argue 10 million for the attention is cheap.” — Gary Vaynerchuk (02:50)

• Collateral Impact

  • Beyond the millions watching live, Super Bowl ads live on through media coverage and online discussion.

For Legacy Brands vs. New Entrants

• Benefits for Different Brands
  • Legacy brands (like Raisin Bran) use Super Bowl ads to reignite relevance.
  • Upstarts gain unprecedented awareness, often being introduced to millions for the first time.
    • “For brands that we know…it's a relevance thing…New companies…the crypto companies, a new brand…they get more awareness…But then there's brands that everyone knows…that are going to work on relevance.” — Gary Vaynerchuk (04:06)

AI in Super Bowl Advertising

• Current Public Stigma

  • Despite technological advancement, adoption of AI in major ad creative is slow due to public wariness around job displacement.
    • “The general public is anti AI because subconsciously they're worried about losing their job. So we're going to have this 36 month window where the gen pop is going to push against brands.” — Gary Vaynerchuk (05:13)
  • Brands like McDonald's have experimented but faced backlash, prompting a temporary pullback.

• The Inevitable Future

  • Gary predicts use of AI-generated ads (and digital celebrities) is inevitable once stigma fades.
    • “Eventually, of course, yeah, it's an inevitable outcome. Technology always wins.” — Gary Vaynerchuk (05:13)

• Enduring Celebrity Power & AI’s Potential

  • Discussion about using celebrity likeness through AI far into the future, with nods to the changing nature of endorsement rights.
    • “I can pay Will Shat for his NIL and William at 94 won't have to come on the set…If Will Shatner, his family decides to arbitrage his NIL…I'll be doing this interview with you two in 120 years.” — Gary Vaynerchuk (05:58 & 06:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Super Bowl Ad Value:

  • “The attention of a Super bowl ad is disproportionately the best advertising media deal in the world, let alone America.”
    — Gary Vaynerchuk (00:00, 01:36)

• On Creative Necessity:

  • “The creative is still the variable of success.”
    — Gary Vaynerchuk (02:50)

• On Brand Strategy:

  • “It's either relevance or it's broad awareness.”
    — Gary Vaynerchuk (04:06)

• On AI and the Future of Advertising:

  • “Technology always wins.”
    — Gary Vaynerchuk (05:44)

• On Licensing Celebrity Likeness with AI:

  • “If Will Shatner, his family decides to arbitrage his NIL…I'll be doing this interview with you two in 120 years.”
    — Gary Vaynerchuk (06:07)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 - 01:36: The unique power of collective attention during the Super Bowl; digital vs. Super Bowl reach
• 01:36 - 02:50: The critical role of creative quality and the risk of wasted spend
• 02:50 - 04:06: Brand messaging, immediate and long-term ROI, sales activation strategies
• 04:06 - 05:13: Legacy vs. new brands: awareness vs. relevance
• 05:13 - 06:07: AI in advertising—current hesitations, inevitable adoption, and celebrity rights
• 06:07 - 06:32: Speculation about the future of AI-celebrity advertising and closing remarks

Tone & Takeaway

Gary Vaynerchuk brings his trademark energy and candor, blending marketing acumen with practical insights about media shifts, technological adoption, and the evergreen fundamentals of attention and creative excellence. Listeners come away with a nuanced understanding that while the Super Bowl ad buy is increasingly expensive, when executed with outstanding creative and clear strategic intent, it remains uniquely powerful—even in a fragmented, AI-augmented future.