The most inclusive Super Bowl yet? A look at how this year stacks up to last

Year after year, Super Bowl advertisers bring their most creative ideas to the biggest advertising stage in the US. In recent years, multicultural representation has shifted from a peripheral consideration to a key strategy, with more representation across race, gender, age and ability showing up in Super Bowl ads over time. 

It reflects a growing recognition from advertisers that audiences respond more strongly when they see themselves authentically represented on screen.

The 2026 crop of Super Bowl ads continues that trajectory, with a majority of ads featuring multiple racial or ethnic groups and more than a quarter placing diversity at the heart of the narrative. 

Let’s dig into how this year’s Super Bowl ads performed in multicultural representation compared to last year — and whether that approach paid off.

We looked through all the Super Bowl ads from this year to find those that featured multiple racial or ethnic groups — and to what extent that diversity was a key narrative element of the ad.  

We found that diversity on screen is still strong this year. The majority (68%) of ads featured multiple racial/ethnic groups, up from 57% in 2025.

And most critically, representation at the center of the story is growing. We saw that more than a quarter (26%) of Super Bowl ads in 2026 had multicultural representation as a key narrative element, up from just 6% in 2025.

Clearly 2026 featured more overall diversity than 2025.  

But to what extent does representation improve ad effectiveness? We see that, on average, overall ad effectiveness improves in Super Bowl ads when representation is central. While the average sales impact of Super Bowl 2026 ads this year was 60, ads that focused on representation (like Dove, Redfin & Rocket, NFL, Volkswagen, Toyota, Wegovy, etc.) had an average sales impact of 68.

Overall, it appears that brands are not just showing diversity on screen, they’re starting to make it a more meaningful part of the story, which our data suggests can have a positive impact on overall effectiveness.

This is great to see! 

How did some brands feature representation this year? Here are some of our favorites.

Toyota “Superhero Belt”

This ad from Toyota follows an Asian grandfather and grandson, from the grandson’s childhood to adulthood. The ad starts with the grandpa lifting his young grandson into a car seat in his RAV4 and as he buckles him in, he says, “Let's put your superhero belt on." In a heartwarming twist, the spot flashes forward to the grandson, now an adult, getting into his own RAV4 with his much older grandfather, who he turns to and says “Superhero belt?” to remind him to buckle up.

A standout ad for the category, people loved how the ad focused more on emotion, nostalgia and storytelling — particularly the focus on family, with some sharing: 

• "The ad was heartwarming, and I like how they included diversity of a minor group rather than a white family."

• "I liked the diversity and the nostalgia of the ad."

Dove “The Game Is Ours”

Dove’s ad opens to a shot of a young Black athlete staring at herself in a bathroom mirror with a staggering stat: “One in two girls who quit sports are criticized for their body type.” The tone shifts as the girl starts to clap and “But our joy is louder” appears on screen as young female athletes of all different ethnicities and sports begin clapping and dancing, filling the screen with strength and joy.

This powerful spot delivers an important message focused on keeping girls in sports — something people would expect to come from Dove, which made for a very distinct ad. People loved its focus on athleticism and inclusion, showing that all girls deserve to have sports in their lives, with some sharing: 

•  "I like the diversity shown in all the girls and different sports."

• "I like how it represented women in all types of sports and sizes to let them feel empowered by ability instead of appearance."

• "I liked how it’s promoting everyday girls. They have all kinds of skin tones and body types and that is beautiful."

Redfin & Rocket “America Needs Neighbors Like You”

This ad follows two families struggling to fit in after moving to new neighborhoods: A Latino family who finds a new home on Redfin that’s the right fit for their growing family, but is visibly hard for their teenage daughter and a White family of two, also with a struggling teenage daughter, that’s seen unpacking after a divorce. Both families feel like strangers in their new neighborhoods, until the white family’s dog runs away in a thunderstorm and is found by the Latino family’s daughter — ending with the two girls embracing each other and then seen riding bikes together.

This ad brought a wonderful feeling of love and togetherness to this year’s ad lineup — and people absolutely loved it! They enjoyed everything from the music to all the different scenes of people being neighborly at the end, especially the diversity of both families and how the two girls become friends — with love spiking dramatically when the dog is returned to the girl. Some shared: 

• "I like that it is diverse so anyone really can be a good neighbor."

• "I love the diversity and overall story line."

Levi’s “Backstory”

Set to the sound of James Brown’s “Get Up Offa That Thing,” this ad from Levi’s follows the backsides of people wearing Levi’s jeans, from Toy Story’s Woody to Bruce Springsteen to K-pop superstar Rosé to DJ Questlove to NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and many more — all wearing a variety of styles from the brand. The ad closes with a cheeky shot of Doechii on stage in her pair of Levi’s Low Slim Boot cut jeans.

People loved this star-studded comeback from Levi’s! They really enjoyed the music, the diversity and seeing all the different situations where people wear their Levi’s — overall believing the ad did an excellent job at conveying that Levi’s is for everyone, sharing: 

• "I like the fact that different people and races in diff situations were showcased in the ad. Whether sporting, working, dancing or just having fun and chilling, it seems to fit for all occasions."

• "I liked that it showed the jeans on different people because they all had different sizes and body shapes so the jeans looks very stylish."

• "I liked everything. The diversity, movement and particularly the opening shot of the cowboy." 

Universal “Lil Bro”

This ad follows a Black family, specifically two brothers, who go on a trip to Universal Orlando Resort. The younger brother is tired of being called “little man,” but when he and his older brother start going on the thrilling rides together that even send the older brother for a spin, everything changes. After a full day experiencing the resort, the younger brother walks alongside his older sibling and humorously says, “You good, little man?”

People loved this story of brotherhood and togetherness, especially the relationship between the brothers (who were the stars of the spot), their overall dynamic and how they spent time together at the Universal park. All of this resulted in an increased consideration for Universal — just what a brand hopes to see after investing in a Super Bowl spot. On the family, people shared: 

• "I liked that it was eye-catching but also had a black family."

• "I like the parks a lot and the diversity in it."

We loved seeing how diversity was a key narrative element of the Super Bowl ads this year. What did you think of this year’s ads? Did you have a favorite? Let us know by interacting with our coverage on LinkedIn. 

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