Honestly, most Super Bowl ads are just expensive noise. You’ve got the dancing animals, the C-list celebrities doing "wacky" things, and enough neon to power a small city. But then there’s the google super bowl commercial approach. It’s usually quieter. It’s almost always slower. And if you aren't careful, it’ll have you texting your parents or staring at your old family photos before the second half even kicks off.
Why does a tech giant spend $7 million or $8 million on a 30-second slot just to show us a blurry screen or a search bar? Because Google figured out a long time ago that they aren't selling software—they’re selling memories. Or rather, the fear of losing them.
The "Loretta" Effect and Why It Matters
If you want to understand the DNA of a Google ad, you have to go back to "Loretta" in 2020. No celebrities. No high-octane stunts. Just an elderly man using Google Assistant to remember the tiny details of his late wife.
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"Remember she had beautiful handwriting."
"Remember she hated my mustache."
It was devastating. It was also brilliant marketing. By the time the game ended, "Loretta" had racked up over 10 million views on YouTube. It didn't feel like an ad; it felt like a short film about the human condition. It proved that in the middle of a loud, drunk, stadium-energy event, the person who speaks in a whisper is the one everyone actually hears.
From Pixel 7 to the AI Era
Lately, the focus has shifted toward the hardware. The google super bowl commercial spots for the Pixel series—like the "Fixed on Pixel" ad with the Magic Eraser or the "Javier in Frame" spot for the Pixel 8—are masterclasses in showing, not telling.
Take "Javier in Frame" from 2024. It was directed by Adam Morse, a filmmaker who is legally blind. The commercial showed the world through his eyes—literally. It was blurry, shaky, and confusing until the Pixel’s "Guided Frame" AI kicked in to help him take a selfie with his partner. It’s a specific, niche feature that Google managed to make feel universal. We all want to be "in the frame." We all want to capture the moment perfectly.
The 2025 "Gouda Gate" Hiccup
Not everything Google touches turns to gold, though. Even the biggest tech company in the world trips over its own shoelaces sometimes. In 2025, Google’s Super Bowl campaign took a massive swing with "50 States, 50 Stories." They actually produced 51 ads—one for every state plus a national spot—showing how small businesses use Gemini AI.
But the Wisconsin ad became a bit of a meme for the wrong reasons. The ad featured a cheese shop owner using Gemini to write copy, and the AI hallucinated a stat saying Gouda accounts for 60% of global cheese consumption.
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Narrator: It does not.
Google had to scramble to edit the ad before the Big Game. It was a rare moment where the "tech-forward" message bumped into the reality of AI’s current limitations. It's a reminder that while AI is the shiny new toy, the human element is what people actually trust.
What’s Happening in 2026?
As we head into the 2026 Big Game at Levi’s Stadium, the stakes are higher than ever. NBCUniversal reportedly sold out ad inventory at nearly $8 million per 30-second spot. While OpenAI is making a massive push with its second-ever Super Bowl ad to promote ChatGPT, Google is expected to double down on Gemini Live and its deeper integration into the Pixel 10.
The buzz suggests they’re moving away from the "static" AI responses and toward something more conversational. Think less "type a prompt" and more "have a real-time talk with your phone." If history is any indicator, they’ll frame this through a story about a father and daughter or a long-distance relationship. Something that makes the tech feel invisible.
Why These Ads Rank So Well
You might wonder why these commercials stay in the "Discover" feed weeks after the game is over. It’s because Google builds a whole ecosystem around them. They don't just drop a video; they drop:
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- Behind-the-scenes "Making Of" mini-docs.
- Accessibility versions with audio descriptions (which they’ve done with Bridge Multimedia for years).
- Interactive search trends that update in real-time during the game.
They aren't just buying airtime; they're creating a search event.
Actionable Insights for Your Own Brand
You don't need an $8 million budget to learn from the Google playbook. If you’re trying to make an impact with your own content or ads, keep these things in mind:
- Solve a Human Problem, Not a Tech One: Google never says "our processor is 20% faster." They say "we help you remember your wife’s favorite flowers." Focus on the result of your product, not the specs.
- Use Silence: In a world of loud "content," a quiet, well-paced story stands out. Don't be afraid of a slow build.
- Own Your Mistakes: If you’re using AI tools and they hallucinate—like the Gouda incident—fix it fast and be transparent. Trust is harder to build than a chatbot.
- Think Multi-Platform: The ad is just the hook. You need the "how-to" guides, the YouTube teasers, and the social proof ready to go the second the ad airs.
Whether you loved the "Loretta" ad or thought the "Gouda Gate" error was a sign of the times, you can’t deny that the google super bowl commercial is always the one people are talking about at the water cooler on Monday morning. They’ve turned the search bar into a storyteller.
To see how the latest tech stacks up, you can head over to the Google Workspace YouTube channel to see the "50 Stories" archive, or keep an eye on the Pixel 10 teasers as we get closer to February.