From AI.com to Levi’s, These Super Bowl Ads Are Most Likely to Drive Real Sales

The Seahawks and Patriots weren’t the only ones doing battle on Super Bowl Sunday. Advertisers across multiple categories also went to war. 

TV measurement firm EDO documented the most effective ads of this year’s Big Game, ranking each spot based on consumer engagement data, such as search, that predict future sales. 

Each ad was scored against a median of 100; so if an ad tallied a score of 260, that means it generated more than 2.5X the consumer engagement of a standard Super Bowl ad. 

The Seahawks ultimately won out in the NFL. Here are the winners across ad each category.

AI Services: AI.com

The mysterious spot encouraging viewers to claim their handle on ai.com was instantly intriguing to Super Bowl viewers, who flooded the site en masse causing its near-immediate crash.

AI.com was recently acquired for $70 million — the highest price tag of any domain in history — by the founder of crypto exchange Crypto.com, Kris Marszalek. It purports to help consumers use AI agents for various activities in their lives.

The ad drove nearly double the engagement of the next-closest AI advertiser, Anthropic.

Alcohol: Budweiser

Budweiser’s iconic imagery made a return in a 60-second spot titled “American Icons.”

The Americana overload scored big with viewers, raking in a score of 406 compared to the median Super Bowl EDO score of 100. The next closest alcohol appearance was aired by Michelob Ultra, whose Winter Olympics-inspired spot starring actor Kurt Russell tallied a score of 116.

There were fewer beer advertisers this year, but Budweiser generated 65% of category engagement, noted Laura Grover, senior vice president, head of client solutions at EDO.Budweiser’s ad also topped the USA Today Ad Meter for the second year in a row.

Automotive: Cadillac

Luxury automaker Cadillac seized the moment at Super Bowl 60 to promote Cadillac F1 in a cinematic 30-second ad set to a backdrop of JFK’s iconic moon exploration speech. 

The spot beat out carmakers Toyota and Volkswagen in EDO’s rankings, generating 52% of total automotive Super Bowl ad-driven engagement.

Clothing and Accessories: Levi’s

Levi’s made a triumphant, booty-centric return to the Big Game after a two-decade hiatus. The 45-second ad, “Backstory,” celebrated the brand’s legacy of making backsides look good, including those of musician DJ Questlove, NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, K-pop singer Rosé, and finally rapper Doechii.

48% of total Super Bowl ad-driven engagement in the clothing and accessories category was created by “Backstory.”

Consumer Software and Web Services: Meta

NFL legend Marshawn Lynch, filmmaker Spike Lee, pro golfer Akshay Bhatia, and a handful of other recognizable faces appear in Meta’s high-intensity ad for its AI-enabled Oakley sunglasses. 

Audiences responded well to the Meta Oakley spot, “Athletic Intelligence Is Here,” helping the brand beat out others in the category including Base44 and Wix.

CPG Snacks and Candy: Lay’s

While CPG snack brands like Ritz and Nerds Gummy Clusters brought celeb power, Lay’s was the big winner. The chips brand aired two in-game, non-celebrity-focused ads.

The brand owned 70% of total Super Bowl ad-driven engagement among CPG snacks and candy brands.

Drinks: Pepsi Zero Sugar

Pepsi poked fun at its biggest rival by co-opting Coca-Cola’s longtime polar bear mascot in a cheeky 30-second ad aired during the second quarter. 

Audiences loved the spot, and it drove greater engagement than any other drinks brand in the Big Game, which included Red Bull, Poppi, and Liquid I.V.

Enterprise Software: Salesforce

CRM titan Salesforce led the enterprise software category on Sunday, generating nearly three times the next brand in its category: Slack, which Salesforce owns. 

While Slack didn’t have a standalone ad but appeared in Salesforce’s ad, EDO measured it separately for engagement. The closest trailing brand after Slack was Squarespace. Salesforce worked with YouTuber MrBeast to challenge viewers to solve puzzles for a chance to win $1 million.

Pharmaceuticals: Wegovy

In its Super Bowl debut, Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 medication Wegovy showed up in a 90-second star-studded spot that included appearances from Kenan Thompson, DJ Khaled, Danielle Brooks, Ana Gasteyer, John C. Reilly, and Danny Trejo.

The brand generated the largest portion of pharma-specific Super Bowl ad-driven engagement, per EDO’s scoring—an impressive feat in a crowded field of GLP-1 advertisers at the Big Game. 

The influx is “reflecting both the cultural momentum around GLP-1s and the impact of introducing a more accessible format after building awareness earlier in the year,” said EDO’s Grover.

Real Estate: Redfin

Brokerage services brand Redfin aired a heartfelt 60-second ad called “America Needs Neighbors Like You” that translated into real performance. 

Redfin achieved more than four times the engagement of the next-closest player in the real estate category, Homes.com.

Sports Betting: DraftKings

The legalization of sports betting in more than 30 U.S. states has led to a surge in advertising in that category. Both DraftKings and FanDuel faced off with in-game spots backed by star power.

But in the end, DraftKings overcame FanDuel in EDO’s rankings.

Theatrical Movies: Universal Pictures’ Minions & Monsters

Universal Pictures’ intrigue-inducing promo for its forthcoming minions movie generated the most buzz amongst a handful of movie trailers. 

The ad won 46% of all Super Bowl ad-driven engagement for movies, with “Disclosure Day,” “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” and others getting less engagement.

Travel: Universal Parks & Resorts

Universal Orlando Resort’s 60-second Super Bowl 60 ad, “Lil’ Bro,” shows a young boy chafing at his older brother always calling him “little man”—that is, until a visit to Epic Universe, where the boy proves his bravery.

Universal beat out Expedia and Carnival Cruise Line, swallowing up a whopping 96% of total Super Bowl ad-driven engagement in the travel category.

Delivery Services: Instacart

Instacart overcame rivals Uber Eats and Grubhub, winning 52% of total Super Bowl ad-driven engagement in ts absurdist spot starring actor Ben Stiller and pop star Benson Boone goofing off. 

The 30-second ad, aired during the first quarter, marked Instacart’s second Super Bowl appearance after its foray last year with an ad featuring grocery brand mascots like the Kool-Aid Man and Chester Cheetah.