Ranking the 2026 Super Bowl ads

Ad Age Editor-in-Chief Jeanine Poggi joined the 'CBS Mornings' broadcast on February 9, 2026, to provide a comprehensive analysis of the commercial landscape following Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. As the annual championship game serves as the premier platform for Madison Avenue, Poggi evaluated the year’s high-stakes marketing efforts to determine which brands successfully captured the public's imagination and which failed to justify their multimillion-dollar price tags. The discussion focused on the evolving trends of the advertising industry and how the current economic climate influenced the creative direction of the broadcast’s commercial breaks. During the segment, Poggi highlighted a shift toward celebrity-driven narratives and nostalgic callbacks, noting that many top-performing ads prioritized lighthearted humor over the heavy-handed social messaging seen in previous years. Brands such as DoorDash, Dunkin', and State Farm were scrutinized for their ability to integrate A-list talent into coherent brand stories rather than relying solely on star power. The analysis also touched upon the technical execution of the ads, ranking them based on consumer engagement metrics and social media sentiment that emerged immediately following the telecast. Beyond just the winners, the conversation addressed the 'misses' of the night—advertisements that fell flat due to confusing messaging or poor timing. Poggi explained that with the cost of a 30-second spot reaching record highs, the margin for error has never been thinner for corporate marketing departments. The breakdown served as a definitive autopsy of the night's consumer trends, offering viewers a deeper look into the strategy behind the spectacle and how legacy brands are fighting to remain relevant in a fragmented digital age.