Instacart Will Return to Super Bowl Advertising to Lock in Brand Growth

Instacart is going back to the Super Bowl to prove that last year’s success was no fluke.

All it took was four years for Instacart CMO Laura Jones to give the brand national presence and earn one of advertising’s most expensive stages for a second straight year.

Its 2025 Super Bowl debut delivered measurable gains in orders, app installs, and new users. 

And so, the grocery platform is returning in 2026 with a campaign to build on this momentum.

“Last year’s campaign, ‘We’re Here’ broke through in culture and delivered real results, driving growth in orders, new customers, and engagement across the board for Instacart and our CPG partners," Jones said.

It changed how consumers saw Instacart, proving the brand didn’t need celebrity marketing or flashy stunts to break through.

Instead, the brand took the role of a connective tissue between iconic grocery brands and American households.

It was a statement about role, and one that aligned closely with how the company wants consumers to understand its value.

For the 2026 return, Instacart’s internal creative agency Local Produce is again leading the work, in partnership with BBDO and McCann.

The structure reflects how the company now operates, combining in-house leadership with global agency scale.

“When we started working with the Instacart team, it was clear they believed in breakthrough ideas, and it immediately felt like we could do something big together,” Danilo Boer, global creative partner at McCann, shared.

“That openness paved the way for an epic idea that entertains fans during advertising’s biggest night of the year.”

What makes the Super Bowl investment notable is how tightly it connects to Instacart’s brand positioning.

The platform has increasingly leaned into storytelling that shows its reliability and drives familiarity.

This has become a defining part of its brand marketing strategy, especially as competition in delivery and retail media intensifies.

The Super Bowl Spot That Made Instacart Famous

The delivery platform's 2025 Super Bowl spot, "We’re Here," aired during the second quarter and played like an ensemble crossover.

Grocery mascots, including the Kool-Aid Man, Chester Cheetah, and Mr. Clean, appeared together to dramatize a simple idea.

And that's how Instacart brings everyone together and gets the job done.

The performance numbers backed it up.

In the week leading up to the game, orders rose 14% year-over-year, while site visits jumped 20% on game day.

After the ad aired, new user traffic increased by 72%. On the Apple App Store, installs were up 43% on Super Bowl Sunday and 35% the following Monday.

The spot also got 13th place on USA Today’s Ad Meter, a feat for a first-time Super Bowl advertiser.

Last year, Instacart reported $22.5 billion in added grocer revenue and was ranked among the top grocery tech platforms in the U.S.

A Lesson in Grand-Scale Marketing

Instacart’s approach stood out because it used familiar characters to drive its functional benefits. The story always led back to the platform's delivery, convenience, and trust.

For marketers, the brand offers lessons on how performance data can justify betting on long-term brand investment.

• Super Bowl ads work harder when they clarify a brand’s role, not just entertain with celebrities or spectacle.
• Familiar characters can drive trust when they support utility, as seen in campaigns from Instacart and Hellmann’s.
• Consistent storytelling across TV, digital, and in-app experiences reduces drop-off after peak cultural moments.

Brands like DoorDash and Uber Eats have made similar pushes in recent years, but Instacart’s restraint shows the power of coherence over noise.

Our Take: Does the Second Time Matter More?

The first Super Bowl ad was a gamble, but the second is a statement. Instacart knows who it is now.

It returns to the biggest ad stage with confidence, with plans to top its previous success to strengthen its momentum.

It reminds me of a good kitchen that doesn’t change the menu every week because it already works.

This could be the rare case where repetition actually builds appetite instead of killing it.

I fully believe Instacart has a great read on current cultural trends and an even greater foundation for another viral hit. 

In other news, Instacart also recently launched a stop-motion holiday spot to better connect with modern shoppers.

These top agencies help eCommerce companies apply timeless storytelling with modern online experiences.