With Super Bowl 60 done and dusted, YouTube has revealed the winners of its AdBlitz showcase, which highlighted all of the ad campaigns for the game, which was held on Feb. 8. Ads were ranked based on views and engagement before, during and after the game, highlighting both in-game and digital-first advertisers between Feb. 1 and Feb. 12.
The insights can provide important lessons for brands in terms of what people are watching and engaging with, as well as what approaches grab the most attention.
According to YouTube data, this topical campaign from e.l.f. Cosmetics, starring Melissa McCarthy, drove the most engagement during the tracked period. The comedy-based promotion saw almost 40 million views in the app. YouTube also included overall engagement in its metrics to decide on an ultimate winner for the event.
YouTube also highlighted campaigns from Budweiser, Michelob, Jeep, Google and Salesforce as key winners, with Salesforce partnering with YouTube star MrBeast for its 2026 campaign, highlighting the rising power of online celebrities.
YouTube’s AdBlitz provides a valuable overview of the key promotions surrounding the event. In a statement, YouTube also shared insights into what helped the top campaigns maximize their resonance this time around.
- Building momentum: With all of the excitement leading up to the game, brands like Budweiser are taking advantage of the full week leading into the game, leveraging early drops and teaser trailers on YouTube to make sure audiences catch their ad as a favorite.
- Evolving nostalgia: This year, we saw brands like Volkswagen and Instacart both tap into a more lo-fi, vintage film aesthetic for their spots, subtly evoking nostalgic emotions to connect with viewers.
- Tapping into Creator talent: Salesforce teamed up with the world’s biggest creator, MrBeast, to create a challenge of their own, leaning into Jimmy’s huge, engaged audience to drive engagement and solve their million-dollar puzzle after the game.
- Experimenting boldly: UberEats built on their campaign equating sports with food by creating a library of alternate scenes and celebrity cameos within their app, so users could remix the ad and engage beyond the traditional spot.
