Sunday's Super Bowl ads weren’t just about brands using AI. AI brands took the spotlight, revealing how they see themselves. From humour to nostalgia, the night offered a revealing look at where marketing is headed and how memory is becoming its favourite shortcut, writes Culture and Brand Builder Leslie Emmons Burthey

Watching the Super Bowl ads this year, I found myself less interested in the rankings and more interested in what they revealed about where marketing is headed. For the first time, some of the most talked-about spots weren't just using AI; they were AI brands themselves. Seeing Claude, Gemini, and OpenAI take the field was fascinating from a positioning standpoint: Claude leaned into humor, Gemini leaned into nostalgia, and OpenAI stayed largely functional. As a marketer, it was a rare chance to watch the leading generative AI models articulate their brand POVs in real time, setting the stage for one of the night’s dominant themes: nostalgia.

Nostalgia was everywhere. Sometimes it worked brilliantly. Sometimes it was fine. And sometimes it felt like it was trying a little too hard.

Nostalgia, Done Right (The Best)

When nostalgia works, it’s epic, viral, and endlessly replayable – but it usually comes at a literal cost not every brand can afford.

Instacart was the standout. Pulling together iconic brand mascots into a fast-paced, meme-ready universe felt joyful rather than sentimental. It rewarded repeat viewing, sparked conversation, and made the brand shine without taking itself too seriously.

Dunkin’ also got it right by pairing nostalgia with self-awareness. Instead of reverence, it chose humor. The result felt native to internet culture: the kind of ad you quote, screenshot, and revisit.

Middle of the Road: Buzz, but Who Won?

The Backstreet Boys appeared twice. While brand outcomes were mixed, the Backstreet Boys themselves were clear winners.


T-Mobile’s spot was fun, memorable, and respectable. You might not remember the exact offer, but you remember the ad. Sometimes that’s the job.

Coinbase, meanwhile, deserves real credit for originality. The karaoke execution was bold and buzzy, especially in a low-fi format. It absolutely stood out, which is no small feat. That said, I walked away unsure what they wanted me to do. A+ for distinctiveness; a question mark on whether it drove new customers.

Overly Manufactured: When Nostalgia Misses

Nostalgia is deceptively hard to get right – especially when brands go straight for the heartstrings.

Both Lay’s and Toyota leaned heavily into emotional storytelling. I’m sure these spots resonated deeply with many viewers, but for others they crossed into “manufactured." Sincere, yes – but for some viewers, bordering on overly constructed rather than earned.

When Tech Turns Creepy

Finally, a word on Ring and Amazon Alexa+. Both Ring's missing pets ad and the Amazon's Chris Hemsworth/Elsa Pataky spot made me uneasy, albeit in different ways. The former raised privacy concerns once you thought one step ahead, and the latter triggered anxiety rather than relief. At moments, it felt less like reassurance and more like a Final Destination sequence. In fear-adjacent categories, tone discipline matters – especially when AI and surveillance are part of the story.

My takeaway: nostalgia is powerful, but precision matters. When brands trust the audience, nostalgia becomes culture. When they over-engineer emotion – or lean into anxiety – it can become noise.