Now that we know the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots will face off in this year’s Super Bowl, another thing is certain: viewers want funny, celebrity-filled ads—but they are split on the role of AI.

Reporter Erika Wheless said Ad Age partnered with the Harris Poll to gauge consumers’ expectations for this year’s Super Bowl ads by surveying around 1,000 consumers in mid-January.

Seventy-one percent of respondents said they most want to see funny ads, while 46% said that they are most likely to remember a funny ad. Brands are listening—funny spots comprised 70% of Big Game ads in the last three years, according to iSpot.

Super Bowl viewers are divided on AI

Technology and AI-generated ads are less popular. The Harris Poll found that 17% of those surveyed most wanted to see AI-generated ads, with millennials being the most open to them (28%), followed by Gen Z (21%).

Respondents were also split on how comfortable they would be watching an ad with AI-generated celebrities, characters, or spokespersons, with 51% feeling “very” or “somewhat comfortable” and 49% “not at all” or “not very.”

This year, Svedka Vodka is bringing back its robot mascot, Fembot, in a fully generative AI commercial. Silverside AI is working on the ad, the same agency that led Coca-Cola’s much-talked-about AI Christmas ad.

Forty-four percent of those surveyed said that they did not like the idea of AI being used in ads or that the use of AI feels fake or misleading. Thirty-six percent said that they would be more open to AI-generated ads if ads disclosed that AI was used, while 33% said they would not be comfortable with an AI ad at all, even if AI use was disclosed, the ad was obviously fictional, or a character or a celebrity approved their likeness being used.

Which brands do consumers want to see in Super Bowl ads?

When it comes to the kinds of companies that should advertise in the Super Bowl, 70% of those surveyed think packaged food and drink and snack food companies should advertise, up from 47% last year. That’s good news for the multitude of food and drink brands in this year’s game, including Lay’s, Poppi, Pepsi, Ritz, Liquid Death, Kinder Bueno, Pringles and Nerds.

Seventy-two percent believe restaurants and food delivery apps should have ads, but only 63% of Gen Z agrees. Instacart and Uber Eats return, joined by Grubhub, while DoorDash opts for a social-first strategy.

Gen Zers (in their late 20s) and millennials (around 30 to 45 in 2026) were most excited about celebrity-driven ads, at 40% and 39%, respectively. Last year, 68% of Super Bowl ads featured a celebrity. This year, Pringles teams up with Sabrina Carpenter, Kinder Bueno features influencer Paige DeSorbo, Instacart collaborates with Ben Stiller and Benson Boone.

Gen Z and millennials plan to stay active on their second screens, with 61% and 62% looking up featured brands, texting about ads, and posting reactions on social media.

When it comes to alcohol advertising, there is a generational divide: 67% of Gen Xers (ages 45 to 60) think alcohol brands should advertise, compared to 49% of Gen Zers, reflecting the younger generation’s lower alcohol consumption. Additionally, 70% of Gen Xers believed automotive brands should advertise, significantly higher than Gen Z’s 32%. Thus far, Cadillac and Toyota are the only auto brands to confirm ad buys.

The good news for advertisers is that excitement for the game builds annually, with 82% of those surveyed likely to watch this year’s game on Feb. 8, up from 72% last year and 67% in 2024.

Last year’s Super Bowl drew 127.7 million viewers across Fox, Fox Deportes, Telemundo and the Tubi streaming platform, making it the largest audience in the history of the game, according to Nielsen. NBCUniversal announced in early September that it had sold out of ad inventory for this year’s game, which will air on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo.

Let’s hope this year’s batch of ads will be much improved over last year’s underwhelming batch. Until then, we’ll wait and see.

Hopefully making a ruckus, one blog post at a time!

Be sure to check out my other blog,Joe’s Journey, for selected short stories and personal insights on life and its detours.