Super Bowl Ad Review 2026

SECRET SAUCE FOR SUCCESS:

HEARTWARMING, CLEVER, AND FUNNY – AND KNOW-HOW TO NOT OVERDO IT

It’s that time of year again! Heading into the big weekend and for the sixth year in a row, we looked at some of this season’s early-released Super Bowl ads.

This weekend, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots go head-to-head in Super Bowl LX. In anticipation of the Big Game, we put thirteen highly anticipated Super Bowl ads to the test to see how they measure up in the eyes of viewers.

Q: Overall, how would you rate this commercial? (One of the best or Good)

Among the thirteen ads tested, Budweiser, Pepsi, and Michelob ULTRA deliver the highest-rated commercials. Budweiser sticks to its heartwarming approach to commercials while Pepsi and Michelob ULTRA lean into humor, creating ads that catch viewers’ attention, keep them engaged, and resonate strongly. On the other hand, Instacart also takes the humorous approach, but seems to overdo it, delivering an ad that ultimately falls flat and ranks last in our lineup.

Rank 1: Budweiser | ‘American Icons’

BUDWEISER BLENDS CUTE ANIMALS, CLASSIC ROCK, AND AMERICAN SPIRIT TO CREATE ANOTHER HIT AD

Budweiser continues to reinforce its legacy as a Super Bowl commercial heavyweight, with this year’s ad featuring a foal befriending an abandoned chick and teaching it to fly. As the scrawny youngsters turn into a stunning Clydesdale and a soaring bald eagle, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s iconic “Free Bird” crescendos. The commercial concludes by celebrating 150 years of Budweiser – a beer made of America”.

All four generations thoroughly enjoy the Budweiser ad, with ratings consistently increasing from start to finish. Interestingly, both Gen Z and Baby Boomers indicate a slight dip in ratings when Budweiser is being poured and “Made of America” appears on screen, but ratings recover before the end of the commercial.

Q: Overall, how would you rate this commercial?

Rank 2: Pepsi | The Choice

THE COCA COLA POLAR BEAR ACCEPTS THE PEPSI PARADOX AND BREAKS FREE

The Coca Cola polar bear proves the Pepsi Paradox, choosing Pepsi as the better cola in a blind taste test. As the bear goes on a journey of self-acceptance, viewers get a charming, entertaining reminder that they deserve taste – and therefore deserve Pepsi.

While Baby Boomers’ ratings are slightly lower than the younger generations’, all four groups indicate similar trends in their ratings from start to finish. Gen X viewers get a particular kick out of the therapist’s affirmation that the bear’s realization can be heavy – just like the bear itself, who breaks the couch.

Q: Overall, how would you rate this commercial?

Rank 3: Michelob Ultra | The Ultra Instructor

FIND YOUR INNER “GREG” WITH A MICHELOB ULTRA

Our protagonist, Greg, starts the commercial woefully behind on the slopes – so much so that he must pick up his group’s bar tab of Michelob Ultras. A mysterious stranger, played by Kurt Russell, sees Greg’s struggle and becomes his personal coach, pushing him to his limits and imploring him to “do it for the Ultras”. On the next ski trip, our protagonist “finds his inner Greg” and crushes the competition, leaving the bar tab to his friends – but it turns the mysterious stranger at the end of the bar already picked it up.

As with the other top-performing ads, this ad successfully resonates with all four generations. Ratings consistently increase from beginning to end, and Millennials are top drivers of the ad’s success.

Q: Overall, how would you rate this commercial?

Rank (Unlucky Number) 13: Instacart | For Papa!

INSTACART MAY LET YOU CHOOSE YOUR BANANAS, BUT THIS AD IS OVER-RIPE

Ben Stiller and Benson Boone team up for a silly homage to 1980s disco that advertises how Instacart users can select what kind of bananas they want (from green to extra-ripe). However, the commercial falls much like Ben Stiller – flat.

Comparatively, the Instacart ad reaches Millennials, followed by Gen Z, most successfully. Gen X shows isolated moments of appreciation, while Baby Boomers consistently lower their ratings as the commercial progresses.

Q: Overall, how would you rate this commercial?

SUPER BOWL LX: WHO WILL WIN?

When asked who they think will win the Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks come out as favorites, with 53% of respondents predicting they will win (vs. 43% who predict the New England Patriots will win). We used our proprietary tool, MercuryIQ, to get all the details on why respondents think the Seahawks will dominate – and found that the Seahawks’ dominant defense, explosive offense, and strong performance throughout the season are evidence that they’ll come out on top.

METHODOLOGY

In the days leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, Mercury Analytics conducted a survey including dial-tests of thirteen commercials of popular brands that aired in preparation for the event. These brands included: Budweiser, Hellmann’s, Instacart, Pringles, Michelob ULTRA, Xfinity, and more.

Mercury’s study tested the performance of these commercials among a national sample of n=1011 of US adults aged 18+ who indicated that they were ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ likely to watch the Super Bowl this weekend. Additional quotas were set to ensure the sample was representative of age and ethnicity demographic breakdowns in the US.

Respondents were first asked a series of demographic questions followed by questions to help understand respondents’ TV consumption patterns and likelihood to watch the Super Bowl. Next, respondents were each shown four out of thirteen commercials and asked to rate their feelings about them on a moment-to-moment basis. Each video was randomly assigned, and each set of commercials was shown in random order to eliminate any biases resulting from viewing order. Respondents were then asked a set of questions to further evaluate the content they saw, and some final questions on who they think will win the Super Bowl

As participants watched each commercial, they moved a slider just below the video to the right the more strongly they thought the commercial they were watching was “excellent”, or to the left the more strongly they thought the commercial was “terrible”. They also had the option to push a button that would identify a “SPECIAL MOMENT”.

Between watching each commercial, respondents were asked post-exposure questions to assess their opinions of the commercial and brand.

For more information on Mercury’s dial-testing, click here, and for more technical information about the study, please send us a note by clicking below.

Ask us about our study!

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