One of the hardest things to do every February is “rank” Super Bowl ads. Not because there aren’t good ones. But because everyone has a different definition of what makes an ad great.
With the price of a 30-second Super Bowl spot now pushing into the $7–8 million range before production and amplification, entertainment, brands have become far more sophisticated in how they measure ad engagement on linear channels.
Here are the primary ways brands evaluate their ads:
- Attention and View Quality
Did viewers actually watch the ad, and how did it perform against others in the same break? - Likeability and Emotional Response
Panel-based research measures how much people liked the ad and what emotions it triggered. - Brand Lift
Studies compare exposed versus control groups to see if awareness, favorability, or intent increased. - Behavioral Outcomes
Platforms track immediate actions such as branded search spikes, site visits, and app downloads. - Social Impact
Mentions, sentiment, and earned impressions gauge how much conversation the ad generated.
Here are the open-source tools that brands evaluate their Super Bowl ads:
- USA TODAY Ad Meter
A large-scale public voting platform that ranks ads based on viewer ratings and overall likeability. - EDO
Measures immediate behavioral response, including spikes in search, website visits, and app downloads following an ad airing. - iSpot
Tracks TV ad airings, attention metrics, creative performance, and audience response across linear and streaming environments. - Kantar
Conducts brand lift and effectiveness studies, analyzing awareness, favorability, and purchase intent through control-versus-exposed research.
In addition to these tools, most of the larger brands have invested in social and brand listening software that helps measure the lift of their ad campaigns. But, for those of us without access to those tools, how can we simplify the process, and then build an easy way to evaluate our own ads?
When you start to strip away the marketing acronyms and not-so-easy to understand junk, we get an easy way to look at the Super Bowl (and our own) ad campaigns:
- Did it reach the right audience and communicate a benefit or positioning?
- Did it drive a measurable action or advance a specific business objective?
- And yes, was it entertaining enough to hold attention in a crowded media environment?
The best super bowl ads of all time sit at the center of that diagram. They align audience, objective, and execution. Everyone loves entertaining ads, but our model asks… were they effective? And, that is a much more useful lens for marketers, especially those of us who don’t have a Super Bowl-sized budget. The trickiest part of this is separating your own bias from the ad analysis.
If you didn’t like a Super Bowl ad, was it because it wasn’t meant for you? The manscaped ad was one of the more controversial ads for our team. Some loved it, some hated it…it’s possible that the ad wasn’t made for the audience that hated it.
Let’s take a look at some of the worst performers in 2026:
Salesforce: Mr. Beast Slackbot
Audience: Mr. Beast is an icon for many younger individuals, but how many of them are actually in charge of purchasing decisions that would impact platforms like Slack or Salesforce?
Action: The ad relied on veiled instructions and a contest filled with easter eggs that the average viewer, especially someone who is not already a Mr. Beast fan, would not understand.
Entertainment: While it may have been perfectly suited for Mr. Beast’s core audience, the Super Bowl likely was not the right time or place for that type of ad.
Svedka Vodka: Shake Your Bots Off
Audience: The 21+ Super Bowl audience fits a vodka brand. No issue there. But the tone felt out of sync. Surrounded by classic, high-energy beer spots, the futuristic robot concept didn’t match the cultural moment of the game.
Action: There was no clear takeaway. No strong reason to choose Svedka over another brand. The concept may have aimed to feel modern and edgy, but it lacked a clear behavioral hook.
Entertainment: AI-powered robots drinking vodka felt confusing rather than clever. Viewers were left trying to interpret the idea instead of remembering the brand. In a $7 million time slot, clarity matters.
MAHA: Real Food
Audience:
If the goal was broad national awareness, the Super Bowl audience aligns. Casting a universally recognizable figure like Mike Tyson guarantees attention. Tyson draws interest, but we question his credibility. He does not naturally reinforce trust around health or food standards.
Action:
The clearest moment in the ad came from Tyson himself, but the call to action was fleeting. The RealFood website flashed at the very end with little context. In a short spot, that kind of CTA can easily get lost.
Entertainment:
Tyson’s personal story is compelling, but the message felt rushed. During the noise and distraction of the game, the narrative was hard to follow. Viewers may remember Tyson. It is less clear they remember what they were supposed to do.
Let’s take a look at some of the best performers in 2026:
Novartis: Relax Your Tight End
Audience:
Novartis and the NFL succeeded on virtually each of the areas where MAHA missed the mark. The ad clearly explained the health issue and corrected a common misconception, that prostate cancer screening automatically requires a finger exam. This was clearly built for a male Super Bowl audience. Featuring well-known “tight ends” and coach Bruce Arians, the ad used recognizable figures that resonate with football viewers. The spokespeople felt relevant and credible, not random.
Action:
The takeaway was simple and memorable: get informed and get screened. The only drawback was the vanity URL, which was difficult to remember and may not have stuck after a single viewing.
Entertainment:
The spot balanced humor and seriousness well. It used football wordplay to grab attention, then pivoted smoothly into an important health message. It was engaging without being distracting, and serious without being heavy-handed.
Dunkin Donuts: Good Will Dunkin’
Audience:
The people who hated this spot really hated it. That is usually a good sign. Strong brands are not built on universal approval. Dunkin’ knows exactly who it is talking to, and the split reaction suggests it hit its core audience squarely.
Action:
This was not about a coupon or a limited-time offer. It was about reinforcing brand identity. Dunkin’ doubled down on last year’s Super Bowl momentum and leaned further into its self-aware, fun-loving personality.
Entertainment:
Nineties nostalgia. Boston celebrity cameos. Inside jokes. Cultural self-awareness. It was ridiculous and completely on brand. Whether you loved it or rolled your eyes, you remembered it.
Budweiser: American Icons
Audience:
The return of the Budweiser Clydesdales signals tradition, nostalgia, and Americana. Pairing a Clydesdale with a young eagle made the symbolism unmistakable. This was built for a broad, patriotic audience, and it delivered.
Action:
The Clydesdales are synonymous with the Super Bowl. The action here was brand reinforcement. Show up. Deliver what people expect. Strengthen emotional association… and, if there is a patriotic element to it, all the better.
Entertainment:
This was a classic hero’s journey wrapped in red, white, and blue. Budweiser’s best Clydesdale ads have a sentimental tone to them. Budweiser understands that its equity lives in tradition and American identity, and this ad tied the brand to both.
NFL: Champion
Audience:
The NFL understands its audience better than anyone. A young boy giving himself a superhero-style pep talk, only to reveal his coach delivering the same words, speaks directly to families, parents, and lifelong fans. It tapped into the emotional core of why people love football in the first place.
Action:
The league tied itself to mentorship, youth development, and community impact. By thanking coaches, the NFL strengthens its connection to families and local communities. That kind of brand reinforcement builds long-term loyalty.
Entertainment:
The tone leaned sentimental, but it felt earned. The superhero framing kept it engaging, while the reveal grounded it in real life. It connected football to something bigger than the game.