Lay’s, Michelob Ultra score top Super Bowl ads of 2026, according to MSU faculty and students

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 to win Super Bowl LX. But for a group of Michigan State University faculty members and students, the main draw wasn’t the football — it was the ads.

For the 29th year, faculty in the MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences ranked the ads that aired during the big game. This year, students joined the fun for the first time: students majoring in advertising and public relations were part of the judging panel.

Lolo Robison, professor of practice in the MSU Department of Advertising and Public Relations helmed the ranking process this year with Robert Kolt, creator of the ad-watching tradition, now retired.

Robison said faculty and students ranked ads based on creative messaging, storytelling, brand authenticity and memorability, emotional engagement, social and cultural relevance, inclusivity and representation. They also assessed the appropriateness of celebrity endorsements and artificial intelligence.

“There were spots that delivered messages with humor or tugged at our heartstrings,” said Robison.

Allyson Michaud, a senior studying public relations and prelaw, found the ad-rating exercise beneficial.

“Analyzing Super Bowl ads through a trained, critical lens — especially in an industry that is highly competitive and constantly evolving — challenges us to think more deeply about our creative ideas and how audiences will ultimately perceive and respond to our work,” she said.

According to MSU faculty and students, this year’s top ads were:

Faculty’s top 5:

1. Lay’s
2. NFL
3. Hellman’s
4. Instacart
5. Ramp

Student’s top 5:

1. Michelob Ultra
2. Budweiser
3. NFL
4. Ramp
5. Fanatics

Faculty and students both voted Ro’s spot as their least favorite ad.

Most advertisers paid as much as $8 million for 30 seconds of national TV time this year, with some paying close to $10 million.

“The Super Bowl draws television’s largest audience each year and showcases the industry’s leading ads. Long after the final whistle, we continue to study ad effectiveness, impact and return on investment. Both the game and the ads are sure to dominate conversations,” said Robison.

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