Best Ads of the Week: Key Findings
This week's standout campaigns prove that casting the right talent and picking your moment beats throwing money at media buys.
Our latest edition spotlights work that succeeded through smart celebrity casting, experiential thinking, and audience understanding.
1. Pringles x Sabrina Carpenter
BBDO New York paired Pringles with Sabrina Carpenter for her Super Bowl LX debut, using the pop star's 108 million followers to reach Gen Z and Alpha.
The teaser shows the "Espresso" singer plucking petals from a Pringles flower while reciting, "He loves me, he loves me not."
The campaign links Carpenter's pop persona with the brand's offbeat humor, creating authentic cultural alignment through one of music's biggest faces right now.
2. New Balance: 'We Got Now'
VML USA created a yearlong campaign uniting Coco Gauff, Shohei Ohtani, and Bukayo Saka around sports and camaraderie.
The spots will air across major sporting events throughout 2026, with social activations extending reach.
The work stands out by prioritizing athlete personality and joy over performance stats, making elite sports feel accessible through shared moments of play.
3. Skittles x Elijah Wood
Team OMC replaced Skittles' traditional Super Bowl spot with a live commercial performed at one contest winner's home.
The announcement teaser shows "The Lord of the Rings" star as a summoned creature discussing free will before explaining the contest mechanics.
The activation introduces surprise and physical presence into a major sports event, sparking social conversation without relying on heavier media spend.
View this post on Instagram
4. McDonald's: 'Saver Satisfaction'
Leo UK and Pulse Films created character-driven films that frame the Saver Menu as moments of everyday joy.
The campaign extends across TV, OOH, and social platforms.
The work elevates value messaging by treating affordability as emotional dignity with cinematic satisfaction.
5. Nissan Canada: 'Conquer All Conditions'
TBWA\Canada revived the 2015 campaign to introduce the 2026 Nissan KICKS, using CGI snowmen as metaphors for winter unpredictability.
Personalized digital experiences on Nissan.ca have tailored content to visitors' locations.
The campaign anchors the car brand to a Canadian reality about winter resilience, cutting through category sameness with recognizable insight.
These three trends stood out across this week's best campaigns:
- Participation over impression volume. Brands are creating moments that invite involvement or surprise, using scale as context rather than the core driver.
- Casting that fits the brand tone. Talent choices succeed when they reinforce an existing voice instead of reshaping it.
- Value framed with respect. Affordability and function land harder when presented as lived experience, not trade-offs.
The strongest campaigns treated attention as situational and earned, relying on timing and relevance rather than media weight to stand out.
Our Pick: Skittles x Elijah Wood
We think Skittles' live doorstep commercial represents the boldest experiential thinking this Super Bowl season.
Big Game advertising is more expensive than ever, with a 30-second spot reaching $8 million.
Instead of buying airtime, Skittles is sending Wood to perform a live commercial on someone's lawn. The teaser alone is worth the price of admission.
Wood shows up as a horned creature summoned by teenagers, has a brief existential crisis about free will, then explains how to win the contest.
It's the kind of genuinely weird idea that only works because the actor commits fully to the bit.
And because Skittles has spent years building a brand that supports this level of absurdity, it doesn’t need to explain itself.
Don't miss our first roundup of 2026, where we lined up standout ads from Experian, Pizza Hut, Blue Diamond, and Apple.
Need partners who understand how to turn cultural moments into participatory experiences?
Explore top creative agencies that help brands build campaigns audiences remember.
