These 5 brands are winning the Super Bowl pregame push
The Super Bowl is mere days away and chances are you’ve seen most of the ads already. Right?
Let’s rewind for a 10-second Super Bowl ad history lesson that goes like this: In 2011, Volkswagen decided to drop its full ad—called “The Force”—online the Wednesday before the Super Bowl. This was brand marketer blasphemy! But it worked. Ever since, more and more brands began dropping ads earlier and earlier, which then evolved into creating teasers for the ads to run even earlier.
If you’re confused as to why this happens, don’t sweat it, even Christopher Walken wasn’t sure in BMW’s 2024 Super Bowl teaser.
Super Bowl commercials are no longer just Super Bowl commercials. They are Super Bowl campaigns that run for weeks before and after the game. Now, say it in your best Walken voice, “Why would they do that?”
So much more than $8M
The last time the Patriots and Seahawks met in the Super Bowl in 2015, 30 seconds of commercial time on NBC went for about $4.4 million. This year, a 30-second spot averaged $8 million, plus another $8 million in required spend for other NBC sports broadcasting and the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, according to Ad Age. That price tag could go as high as $10 million, when you consider expanding that to Peacock and Telemundo. And that’s all before you spend a dime on actually making the ad.
With this much at stake, brands are investing even more to extend the life of their Super Bowl ads. Which is why we start hearing about them in early to mid-January.
Given the sheer size and scale of the Super Bowl season, we decided to do a power-rankings list to break down the five brands we believe have the most momentum heading into the game.
1. Budweiser
Created by BBDO New York, “American Icons” traces the friendship and bond between a foal and an eaglet. I mean, come on. Bud’s done it before with a puppy in 2014, so why not adapt the audience-winning concept to celebrate Bud’s 150th (horse!) and America’s 250th (eagle!) anniversaries?
Creative data firm Daivid analyzed early-release Super Bowl commercials to identify those that are most likely to resonate with consumers. This spot topped its pregame rankings after generating intense positive emotions among 54% of viewers—11% higher than the U.S. average. It was also 155% more likely than the average ad to evoke intense nostalgia, and nearly twice as likely to generate strong feelings of warmth (+99%). Per Daivid’s analysis, the spot drove elevated feelings of adoration for its use of animal characters (+80%) and joy (+71%)—and maintained above-average attention throughout.
Budweiser consistently puts out top-rated ads, from comedy with the frogs and “Wassup” to all the variations on heartwarming puppies, dogs, and horses. It’s so iconic, even Jason Kelce’s Garage Beer made a funny Clydesdales spoof for this year’s game.
Here Bud is going full ’Murica, but manages to thread the nonpartisan needle to find a sweet spot that everyone can enjoy. Just don’t be surprised if the guy next to you spontaneously holds his light in the air.
2. Pepsi
Back in 1995, Pepsi dropped an iconic Super Bowl ad in which a Coke delivery truck driver takes an impromptu Pepsi Challenge in a diner.
Many brands shy away from directly challenging their biggest rivals, especially on such a big ad stage, for fear of giving any oxygen to another brand. But Pepsi famously rode the Pepsi Challenge to success, constantly trolling Coca-Cola and scoring an impressive eight spots in the USA Today Ad Meter’s 10 Best Super Bowl Ads of the 1990s.
Here, the brand goes back to the well and puts Coke’s famous polar bear mascot in the delivery truck driver’s role—another symbol of Coke choosing Pepsi.
The simplicity may seem like a waste of Taika Waititi’s talents, but it’s going to score big with Super Bowl audiences. According to the Daivid survey, the spot is 56% more likely to make viewers laugh than the average ad, and most likely to make viewers’ mouths water.
3. Rocket and Redfin
Here’s an idea: Let’s get one of the biggest pop stars on the planet to reimagine a childhood classic. Right then and there you have a potential winner. That’s exactly what Rocket Mortgage and Redfin’s teaser featuring behind-the-scenes footage of Lady Gaga singing Fred Rogers’s “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” does.
This looks like it might be one of those vibe-shift ads—the one people shush the party for because they want to hear it.
The Daivid data backs this up, reporting it generated the most intense positive emotions of any teaser or full Super Bowl ad so far.
4. State Farm
Just a Super Bowl shopping list of good stuff here: funny? Danny McBride and Keegan-Michael Key. (Check.) Celebrity? Hailee Steinfeld and Katseye. (Check.) Nostalgic sing-along? Bon Jovi remix. (Check.) And the teasers with McBride and Key doing full ads for Halfway There Insurance are also a nice touch.
This continues State Farm’s long-running formula for its Super Bowl ad campaigns. In 2024, it was Arnold Schwarzenegger making the brand’s tagline his own with “Like a Good Neighbaaa.” Last year, it was Jason Bateman becoming a less-than-ideal version of Batman. (The brand actually pulled that spot out of the big game due to sensitivities around the Los Angeles wildfires, but ran it a month later for March Madness.)
CMO Kristyn Cook told me the strategy has been working. “Insurance is very complex, and we’re able to break it down in a way that’s humorous enough for people to hopefully pay attention and get them thinking about it,” she says. “Do I have the right coverage? Are people going to be there when I need them? Just trying to create those opportunities for people to think about it and then drive action. It’s a formula for us, but it’s a big stage and we want to do it really well with the standards that we have that are very high.”
5. Novartis
I’m not saying this spot involves a poop joke, but it’s pretty close. And it’s not going full Raisin Bran, but we’re in the vicinity. Directed by Eric Wareheim, “Relax Your Tight End” stars celebrated NFL tight ends and a playful double entendre for prostate cancer screening awareness.
Set to Enya’s “Only Time” (shout-out to Volvo and Van Damme), getting big tough guys talking about an uncomfortable health issue is important. Showing them all relaxing their buns when they hear it’s just a blood test will definitely clinch (clench?) some major attention.
According to Daivid, so far the campaign has generated intense positive emotions among 52.6% of viewers—8% higher than the U.S. norm.