Super Bowl 2026: Why the Most Diverse Ads Performed Better — Even in a Post-DEI Moment
The conversation around diversity in advertising shifted sharply in 2026. With public backlash against DEI initiatives intensifying and some brands pulling back from overt inclusion messaging, Super Bowl 2026 became a real-world stress test: Would diversity still deliver results when the political climate turned colder?
The answer, according to post-game data, was yes - but with important caveats.
Diversity Increased, But Cautiously
Research from market analytics firm Zappi found that 68% of national Super Bowl 2026 ads featured visible representation of multiple racial or ethnic groups, up from 57% the year before. Even more telling, 26% of ads placed multicultural characters at the center of the story, not just in supporting roles - a significant jump from prior years.
This wasn’t accidental. Brands that leaned into inclusive storytelling weren’t chasing optics; they were responding to audience reality. Super Bowl viewers are younger, more multicultural, and more globally connected than ever before.
But unlike earlier years, representation in 2026 felt more measured. Brands appeared strategic - not performative - in how they approached diversity.
The Ads That Won Didn’t Play It Safe
The highest-performing Super Bowl 2026 ads shared a common thread: they treated diversity as narrative substance, not surface detail.
Campaigns from brands like Rocket Mortgage, Dove, the NFL, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Novo Nordisk didn’t simply show diverse faces. They told stories about community, shared stakes, and everyday connection — themes that transcend politics but resonate across cultures.
According to Zappi, these ads scored 8% above average in sales impact, reinforcing a key insight for marketers: representation, when done well, drives performance.
In contrast, ads that relied heavily on spectacle or nostalgia without reflecting the lived experiences of today’s audiences struggled to break through.
Celebrity Casting Still Lagged Behind
Despite broader on-screen diversity, celebrity talent in Super Bowl 2026 ads remained predominantly white. Industry tallies showed that roughly 60 of the 103 celebrities featured fit that profile.
This points to a lingering disconnect. Brands appear more comfortable diversifying “everyday” characters than rethinking who they place at the center of star power. For marketers, this signals untapped opportunity — especially with multicultural and global audiences that increasingly drive growth.
LGBTQ+ Representation Pulled Back Again
One of the clearest warning signs in 2026 was the continued decline in LGBTQ+ representation. Only five Super Bowl ads explicitly featured LGBTQ+ talent, and for the third consecutive year, there was no transgender representation in national spots.
This retreat suggests that some brands, wary of backlash, are choosing silence over visibility. The risk? Losing trust with audiences who notice not just who is included — but who quietly disappears.
What Super Bowl 2026 Taught Brands
The biggest takeaway from Super Bowl 2026 is not that diversity is “safe” or “risky.” It’s that authentic representation is effective when it’s intentional and grounded in strategy.
Brands that succeeded understood three things:
Audiences recognize real inclusion - and reject tokenism.
Cultural relevance drives business outcomes, even when political narratives shift.
Pulling back too far can be as damaging as doing nothing at all.
In a year when DEI language became politically charged, the most successful advertisers didn’t abandon inclusion - they refined it.
The Hard Beat Perspective
For brands navigating 2026 and beyond, the lesson is clear: diversity isn’t a trend to toggle on or off. It’s a reflection of the markets you serve.
Super Bowl 2026 proved that even in a more polarized environment, ads that reflect real communities - thoughtfully and respectfully - don’t just win applause. They win results.
At Hard Beat Communications, we see Super Bowl advertising not as entertainment alone, but as a cultural signal. And in 2026, that signal was unmistakable: representation still matters - and it still works.
Our Pick For Most Diverse Super Bowl 2026 Ads
Rocket Mortgage
Dove
The NFL
Volkswagen
Toyota
Novo Nordisk