In an AI-Driven Super Bowl Season, Transparency is the New Creative Advantage for Marketers

Super Bowl advertising often previews the creative and channel strategies marketers will lean on all year. In 2026, expect a bigger shift toward pre‑game releases and activations, more obvious and disclosed AI usage, and a sharper fight for attention powered by celebrities, humor and “shop-now” moments that bridge digital and physical experiences.

We spoke with Nicole Greene, VP, Analyst, in the Gartner Marketing practice about the trends emerging in the lead-up to the Super Bowl — and what marketing leaders can take from them.

Journalists who would like to speak with Nicole regarding this topic can contact Elizabeth.Bishop@Gartner.com. Members of the media can reference this material in articles with proper attribution to Gartner.

A: Expect AI to show up in two ways: tech companies spotlighting what AI can do, and brands using AI (or robotics) inside the creative itself— whether to bring a concept to life, build a visual world faster, or add novelty. What feels different in 2026 is that AI will be more noticeable and more openly acknowledged. Some executions will look unmistakably AI-driven, and more brands will choose to disclose how it was used.

That transparency matters because consumers are increasingly alert to authenticity, manipulation and what’s “real.” The brands that benefit from AI won’t be the ones chasing spectacle; they’ll be the ones using AI in service of a clear idea and a clear audience benefit. In practice, that means being intentional about when to disclose, how to explain, and how to keep a human point of view at the center of the story.

To protect trust, marketers should treat it as part of the creative strategy: be clear when AI is materially used, explain why it improves the experience, and keep the brand’s values, tone and intent unmistakable. The goal is to make AI feel helpful, familiar and aligned to the brand, not like a gimmick — especially as AI becomes more connected to how consumers discover products, compare options and make decisions.

A: The Super Bowl is now a distribution strategy, not just a media buy. The “win” isn’t only what happens during the game; it’s how effectively a brand sustains momentum before, during and after — across earned coverage, social conversation and downstream channels like email, retail, apps and loyalty. Brands that plan the whole arc can create repeated touchpoints that reinforce one idea and make it easier for audiences to remember (and act) when the moment peaks.

What marketers can take from this is simple: design the work to travel. Build a coordinated runway across PR, creators, social-first edits, and commerce or retail hooks — and make sure each element plays a distinct role (tease, reveal, explain, convert), rather than repeating the same message in different places.

A: In a high-distraction environment, people still pull people — and celebrity casting remains one of the fastest ways to earn a moment of attention. A recognizable face can act as a pattern-interrupt long enough for a brand to land a message before viewers scroll, skip or talk through the break. But celebrity alone isn’t a strategy; the creative still needs a simple, memorable idea that can be understood instantly.

The practical playbook is to engineer for interruption and redistribution. Cast for cultural relevance (not just fame), build at least one “clip-able” moment (a visual twist, a punchline, a quotable line), and support the spot with social-first assets designed to travel into communities — including smaller or closed spaces where people are increasingly spending time. Winning brands will plan not only for the 30 seconds, but for the weeks of conversation that follow.

A: Expect continued strength from food, beverage, health and wellness because these categories combine broad appeal with real-time relevance. Food and beverage brands, in particular, benefit from the context of the moment: people are often eating, hosting or ordering while they watch, which creates a direct line from storytelling to action. 

Wellness messaging is also evolving. Many marketers are using wellness as a reframing tool: it helps brands signal modernity, care and self-improvement while still driving demand.

The broader lesson is that the best Super Bowl marketing doesn’t stop at awareness. It connects the spot to channel-adaptive experiences that bridge physical and digital touchpoints — product tie-ins, delivery integrations, interactive elements, app moments or personalized offers that make it easy to act immediately. The brands that win will be the ones that turn a cultural moment into a customer moment, with a clear path from attention to engagement to conversion.