The Knowledge

Google Reclaims No. 1 in Kellogg’s 2026 Super Bowl Ad Review

Google’s “New Home” ad topped the Kellogg School’s Super Bowl Advertising Review, praised for its emotional storytelling and clear product value. It marks Google’s fourth win. Other notable performers included Anthropic and Novartis. In contrast, Coinbase and ai.com struggled due to unclear brand connections. AI and health advertising trends emerged prominently in 2026.

Published

3 months ago

February 23, 2026

Daily News Staff

Google is back on top in one of the most-watched postgame scorecards in marketing.

The Kellogg School of Management announced that Google Gemini earned the No. 1 ranking in the 22nd Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review, thanks to its emotional “New Home” spot—an ad built around the idea that AI can support life transitions through creativity and human connection. Kellogg says this marks the fourth time Google has taken the top spot in the panel’s rankings.

Not every advertiser had a good night. Kellogg’s review also called out Coinbase and ai.com for low grades, with panelists criticizing unclear brand linkage and fuzzy value propositions.

Why Google’s “New Home” ad won

According to Kellogg, Google’s top-ranked spot stood out for balancing two things that are hard to pull off in a Super Bowl window:

Emotional storytelling that feels human
A clear demonstration of product value

“This ad captures what Google has historically done best: pairing genuine emotional storytelling with a clear illustration of how the product fits naturally into people’s lives,” said Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing and co-lead of the Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review. Co-lead Derek Rucker added that it feels like a modern evolution of that approach rather than a departure.

The review also notes the ad echoed the spirit of Google’s iconic “Parisian Love” spot from 2009—offering a nostalgic reminder of what has long defined the brand while updating it for a new era of AI-powered tools.

Other top performers (and why they landed)

Kellogg’s panel also gave strong marks to:

Anthropic’s Claude for “Can I get a six pack quickly?”
Novartis for “Relax Your Tight End”

Rucker highlighted Anthropic’s advantage in a crowded AI category: the message was simple and clearly differentiated, which made it easier for viewers to understand what the brand is and why it matters.

The ads that fumbled: Coinbase and ai.com

On the other side of the rankings were ads that grabbed attention but didn’t connect the dots.

Kellogg said Coinbase aired a spot built around a karaoke-style use of a Backstreet Boys song, but the creative failed to establish a clear connection to the brand or its value proposition, resulting in a low rating from the panel.

ai.com also received a low grade, with panelists left unclear on what the product actually offered. “When you’re advertising new technologies, there’s a lot to learn from classic brand building,” Calkins said, adding that ai.com is a good example of what can go wrong when viewers are still wondering what the product is after the ad ends.

The bigger trend: AI wasn’t just a theme—it was the stage

Kellogg’s review makes it clear that artificial intelligence dominated Super Bowl advertising in 2026, both as a subject of brand storytelling and as a creative tool.

Brands including Microsoft, Amazon, and Genspark used the Super Bowl stage to define how their technologies fit into everyday life, ranging from emotional narratives to more functional demonstrations of performance and productivity. Meta returned with two spots highlighting its AI-powered eyewear, emphasizing the product’s “athletic intelligence.”

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AI also played a role behind the scenes: Svedka said its spot featuring dancing robots was primarily created using AI.

Celebrity + nostalgia still work—if the brand is clear

As has become tradition, celebrity power was on full display, with brands stacking household names to break through the clutter. Kellogg also noted that nostalgia continued to be a reliable creative lever, with several brands tapping into 1990s pop culture to connect with millennial audiences.

“Many advertisers appeared to be playing it safe this year. Nostalgia and well-liked celebrities are two of the most reliable ways to do that,” Calkins said. The catch: familiar faces and throwback references can be a shortcut to attention, but they still need to be paired with a clear brand message to be truly effective.

Health advertising surged (including GLP-1 debuts)

Another shift Kellogg highlighted: a remarkable number of health-focused Super Bowl spots, covering everything from hydration and fiber intake to caffeine consumption and access to care.

Weight-loss medications were especially prominent, with Novo Nordisk (Wegovy), Ro, and Eli Lilly (Zepbound) all spotlighting their GLP-1 offerings. Rucker said Super Bowl ads have to entertain and educate at the same time—and he credited Novartis with striking that balance particularly well.

How Kellogg grades the ads: ADPLAN

The Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review uses an academic framework known as ADPLAN to evaluate the strategic effectiveness of Super Bowl spots. The acronym helps viewers grade ads based on: