Every year, the Super Bowl doubles as America’s most expensive film festival. The football still matters, but the ads shape the Monday-after conversation just as much as the score. With Super Bowl 60 set for February 8, 2026, brands have already started unloading full spots and teaser clips weeks ahead of kickoff, and the early returns tell a very clear story.
This year’s commercials lean hard into familiarity. Nostalgia anchors the emotional beats, celebrity cameos carry the jokes, and self-awareness replaces subtlety, TomsGuide reports. Instead of waiting for game night, companies want cultural momentum now, and they want fans dissecting every frame before the ball even goes up.
Some brands have released polished, nearly finished commercials. Others prefer short teasers designed to spark speculation and social chatter. Notably, movie studios have taken a quieter approach. Marvel will not run a major Super Bowl ad this year, which removes the usual expectation of a surprise blockbuster trailer. That absence leaves more oxygen for brands to own the spotlight.
So far, the early batch of Super Bowl 60 ads feels intentionally weird, intentionally loud, and very online. Here are the spots already making noise.
Nostalgia, celebrity chaos, and jokes that know the internet
Fanatics, Bet on Kendall
Fanatics opens its campaign with Kendall Jenner fully leaning into the mythology built around her dating life. Set inside a gothic mansion that feels cursed by design, Jenner reframes the so-called Kardashian Curse as a market inefficiency. She teaches viewers how to bet smarter on romance by learning from her own mistakes.
The ad works because Jenner controls the punchline. Instead of deflecting criticism, she invites it in, flips it, and sells merchandise along the way. Fanatics positions itself as culturally fluent rather than defensive, and that confidence lands.
Pepsi, The Choice
Pepsi goes straight for confrontation. Set to Queen’s “I Want to Break Free,” the brand borrows its rival’s polar bear mascot and traps it in a blind taste test. The bear chooses Pepsi Zero Sugar, cracks a can, and switches sides. Taika Waititi appears as the bear’s therapist, calmly processing the betrayal.
It feels like classic soda warfare, bold, petty, and fun. The throwback energy recalls the 1990s without feeling dusty, and Pepsi makes its point in under a minute.
DoorDash, Beef 101 with 50 Cent
DoorDash might have the most talked-about ad of the cycle so far. Titled “Beef 101,” the spot lets 50 Cent weaponize his reputation for grudges, TheTakeOut reports. He insists he would never deliver beef on the biggest stage, then immediately proves otherwise by pulling items from a delivery bag that reference longtime rivals.
A pack of combs nods at Sean Combs. Cheese puffs hint at Puff Daddy. A bottle of cognac comes with a cutting remark about aging, a line that lands with extra weight given Combs’ recent legal troubles. The jabs keep coming, including a children’s alphabet book aimed at Floyd Mayweather and an alarm clock that quietly mocks Ja Rule.
The ad walks a thin line, but that tension fuels its appeal. DoorDash understands that controversy drives replays, and this one will get plenty.
Pringles, Pringleleo with Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter builds her ideal man out of Pringles, naming him Pringleleo. The fantasy collapses as fast as it forms, turning celebrity obsession into the joke. The ad feels playful and sharp, though it does raise the question of whether Leonardo DiCaprio has officially become shorthand for emotional unavailability.
Carpenter’s timing carries the spot, and Pringles keeps the message simple without overexplaining the punchline.
Instacart, For Papa!
Instacart delivers one of the strangest concepts so far. Ben Stiller plays a techno-disco singer who spirals with jealousy over his duet partner, played by Benson Boone. The longer cut reveals they are brothers, which reframes the chaos and sells Instacart’s banana-ripeness selector as the unlikely hero.
Directed by Spike Jonze, the ad feels intentionally absurd, trusting viewers to stay with it until the reveal.
Bud Light with Peyton Manning, Shane Gillis, and Post Malone
Bud Light keeps its approach blunt. A chaotic stampede overtakes a wedding, turning the event into a sweaty, beer-soaked free-for-all. The brand continues to signal broad appeal, shouting fun louder than controversy. There is no subtle messaging here, just volume and familiarity.
The early verdict
Super Bowl 60 commercials are already telling us plenty. Brands want control of the narrative before game night. They want stars who understand the joke. They want ads that feel built for screenshots and replays, not just a single airing.
If these teasers are any indication, the full slate will favor self-awareness over sincerity and spectacle over surprise. Whether that lands as genius or exhaustion will depend on execution, but one thing is clear. The commercial conversation has already kicked off.
