Volkswagen is one of three automakers expected to advertise during the 2026 Super Bowl.
Provided by: VW
DETROIT — Amid uncertainty over sales, tariffs and regulations in the U.S. auto industry, most automakers are on the sidelines advertising for this year’s Super Bowl.
Automakers, historically the major buyers of advertising during the Big Game, have been inconsistent in their advertising during the Super Bowl in recent years, running only a handful of spots each year.
“It’s definitely on the decline,” said Sean Mueller, CEO of advertising data company iSpot. “Car companies are tightening up and probably cutting budgets and it certainly reflects that. I think the Super Bowl is a good barometer for all of this.”
Automakers accounted for 40% of Super Bowl ad time in 2012, but that has declined to 7% by 2025, according to iSpot. Only three automakers are expected to air ads totaling about two minutes during this year’s games.
Tim Mahoney, a longtime head of automotive marketing, said it’s a balancing act when it comes to Super Bowl advertising. He said that for a company to stand out and benefit from its investment, it needs the right products, advertising campaigns and, of course, capital.
“The Super Bowl is just a huge platform, but it’s become very expensive,” Mahoney, who has worked for GM, VW, Subaru and Porsche, told CNBC. “There are sometimes interesting ways to get around that. … Adjacency is smart.”
During Mr. Mahoney’s tenure, Subaru became a presenting sponsor of Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl, and in 2015, just before the Super Bowl, GM’s Chevrolet-branded television screens were “blacked out” in an ad for in-car Wi-Fi.
According to iSpot, automakers are increasing their sports advertising outside of the Super Bowl and are increasingly incorporating national streaming and local advertising.
“They’re not cutting back on live sports,” Mueller said, citing iSpot data that shows automakers currently account for about 60% of spending on live sports.
auto out
Auto industry executives who spoke to CNBC about not running ads during this year’s Super Bowl said they were dissuaded by the average cost of $8 million for a 30-second ad, and felt the money would be better spent elsewhere.
Olivier Francois, Stellantis’ chief marketing officer, best known for past Super Bowl ads, said: “We’re going to really scale up our efforts, including funding and creativity, over the course of a year.” “We don’t need a peak in February.”
Stellantis, which is in the midst of a company turnaround plan, plans to focus on the U.S. 250th anniversary as a major marketing push this year, in addition to increased business-oriented spending and Jeep’s provocative social media campaign featuring a singing fish launched this week.
Nissan Motor Co., which last ran an ad during the 2022 Super Bowl, is also experimenting with parallel ads this year.
The Japan-based automaker on Friday released a comedic, high-energy “Big Game” social media ad promoting a chips-and-dip holder for the Nissan Rogue SUV. The Nissan Dip Seat ad features chef and “The Bear” actor Matty Matheson promoting a fictitious product. We will also be promoting a sweepstakes where you can win one of our vehicles.
“One of the important things for us is that we wanted to find a way to be more social in nature. That was part of our overall strategy this year,” Nissan USA CMO Allison Witherspoon told CNBC.
Witherspoon declined to say how much the spot cost, but acknowledged it was less than what it would cost to air a traditional Super Bowl ad.
Others, e.g. honda motor industrywill focus on the Olympics as its main advertising spend. Honda is sponsoring the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams at this year’s Milan Winter Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games.
“The Super Bowl is fleeting, and there are so many areas in the Olympics where you can immerse yourself in and tell these stories,” said Ed Beadle, director of marketing for American Honda Motor.
The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics took place in Milan on Friday. Also, comcast’s NBCUniversal, which broadcasts the Olympics, Super Bowl, and NBA All-Star weekend, coined the term “Legendary February.”
Advertising in 2026
GM remains the wild card in this year’s game as the only automaker not to pre-release advertising. The Detroit automaker is using the Super Bowl to launch its Cadillac F1 team and give a glimpse of its first livery car to a national audience.
The company unveiled a design prototype of the car last month at the Detroit Auto Show and other events, but has not released any information about commercials.
Toyota, the NFL’s official automotive partner, will air two 30-second ads focusing on family connections.
The piece, called “Superhero Belt,” depicts a grandson and grandfather switching roles over the years, telling each other to fasten their seatbelts. The other features athletes, including NFL wide receiver Puka Nacua, meeting their younger selves.
Volkswagen’s ad is part of a marketing effort called “The Great Invitation: Drivers Wanted,” reviving the automaker’s famous 1990s campaign aimed at a new generation of customers.
The new campaign, which includes a 30-second Super Bowl spot, features many of the automaker’s vehicles driving around to the tune of House of Pain’s 1992 hit “Jump Around.”
—CNBC’s Lillian Rizzo contributed to this report.
Disclosure: CNBC’s parent company, Versant, broadcasts Olympic coverage produced by NBC Sports on its networks, including USA Network and CNBC.
