Super Bowl Ad Wars: Expert Picks Best & Worst of the $10M Spots

RICHMOND, VA – February 09, 2026 – As the confetti settled after Super Bowl LX, another annual tradition kicked into high gear: the critical dissection of its high-stakes commercials. For nearly two decades, Richmond-based advertising expert Dave Saunders has served as the industry's "Monday Morning Quarterback," and this year is no exception. The Founder and Chief Idea Officer of Madison+Main has released his much-anticipated list of the three best and three worst ads from the big game, offering a sharp analysis of what separates a marketing touchdown from a costly fumble in an era where a 30-second spot can command up to $10 million.

Saunders, a 35-year industry veteran who has produced two Super Bowl commercials himself, brings a seasoned eye to the spectacle. While millions tune in for the celebrity cameos and laugh-out-loud moments, his evaluation cuts deeper, assessing brand strategy, creative execution, and ultimate effectiveness.

The Winner's Circle and the Penalty Box

In his latest review, Saunders crowned a trio of ads that masterfully blended emotion, humor, and brand identity. His top picks for Super Bowl LX were Budweiser's "American Icons," Dunkin's "Good Will Dunkin'," and Hellmann’s' "Sweet Sandwich Time."

According to Saunders, Budweiser’s return to its iconic Clydesdales in "American Icons" was a masterclass in leveraging brand heritage. The ad, which resonated with themes of resilience and tradition, successfully tapped into powerful emotions. Similarly, Dunkin's star-studded "Good Will Dunkin'," featuring a comedic ensemble including Tom Brady and Ben Affleck, was lauded for its high entertainment value and viral potential. Hellmann's secured its spot with "Sweet Sandwich Time," a humorous take that effectively embedded the product within the narrative. Saunders also gave an honorable mention to Xfinity's "Jurassic Park…Works," noting its clever execution.

However, Saunders did not pull any punches when it came to the ads he felt missed the mark. Landing at the bottom of his list were Ritz's "Ritz Island," T-Mobile's "Tell Me Why," and Genspark's "Take The Day Off."

The Ritz spot, despite a celebrity cast including Jon Hamm and Scarlett Johansson, was critiqued for failing to connect its "salty" humor to a compelling brand message. T-Mobile's musical parody featuring the Backstreet Boys and Druski was also deemed a misfire in Saunders' view. Perhaps most telling of the year's trends, the AI-focused ad from Genspark, "Take The Day Off," was singled out for failing to stand out in a suddenly crowded field. A "Dishonorable Mention" was also handed to Wegovy (Novo Nordisk), suggesting its message failed to land effectively with the massive Super Bowl audience.

Expert Critique vs. Digital Engagement

While an expert's take provides a crucial qualitative lens, the digital world offers a quantitative counterpoint. Interestingly, Saunders' "worst" picks reveal a fascinating divergence between creative critique and raw online engagement. Data from TV outcomes company EDO, which measures consumer actions like online searches and website visits immediately following an ad's airing, shows a more complex picture.

T-Mobile's "Tell Me Why," one of Saunders' bottom three, generated 3.3 times as much engagement as the median Super Bowl LX ad. Likewise, Genspark's ad prompted 3.2 times the median engagement. This suggests that while the creative execution may have been found wanting by an expert eye, the ads were successful in driving immediate consumer curiosity. This highlights a central tension in modern advertising: does a memorable, albeit perhaps critically flawed, ad that drives traffic still count as a win?

Conversely, the ads Saunders praised also performed exceptionally well by these metrics. EDO reported that Dunkin's ad generated a staggering 5 times the median engagement, while Budweiser's "American Icons" drove 4.1 times the engagement. This alignment suggests that the most successful campaigns manage to achieve both critical acclaim and measurable consumer action. They tell a great story and successfully motivate the audience to act, proving that strong creative and effective brand strategy are not mutually exclusive.

Navigating the "AI Super Bowl"

Super Bowl LX will likely be remembered as the "AI Super Bowl," a game bookended by commercials from a wave of artificial intelligence companies all vying for household recognition. With the price of entry soaring to a reported $8-10 million per 30-second slot—a figure that doesn't include millions more in production and talent costs—the pressure to stand out has never been higher.

For new-to-market brands like Genspark, the Super Bowl offers an unparalleled platform for building mass awareness. However, it also presents a significant challenge: differentiating a complex technological product in a sea of similar messages. Many of the AI ads focused on themes of convenience and efficiency, promising to simplify life. The sheer volume, however, may have led to viewer fatigue and a blurring of brands, a potential reason for Saunders' critique of the Genspark spot.

The broader trend of celebrity-packed commercials also continued unabated, with some brands stacking multiple stars into a single ad to create a "cultural crossover event." While this strategy can guarantee attention, as seen with Ritz's "Ritz Island," Saunders' analysis suggests that star power alone is no substitute for a clear and compelling idea that is intrinsically linked to the brand's unique value.

The Enduring Playbook for High-Stakes Advertising

Ultimately, the annual review from veterans like Dave Saunders provides enduring lessons that transcend any single year's trends. The success of Budweiser's emotional storytelling and Dunkin's perfectly executed humor reinforces the timeless power of connecting with audiences on a fundamental level. These campaigns demonstrate that even with multi-million-dollar budgets, the core of a great ad is a great idea, well told.

The results from Super Bowl LX underscore that modern campaigns cannot live in a 30-second bubble. The most effective advertisers extend their narratives across social media, digital platforms, and public relations for weeks before and after the game, turning a momentary broadcast into a sustained brand conversation.

As the advertising landscape continues to be reshaped by new technologies like AI and evolving metrics for success, the fundamental principles of bold, clear, and creative communication remain the bedrock of a winning strategy. The brands that understand this, as highlighted by this year's best, are the ones that not only capture attention during the game but also build lasting equity long after the stadium lights have dimmed.