I decided that what happened on stage during the halftime show has been discussed enough and will live in my heart forever. So we’re not gonna see photos of Benito on stage, we’re not gonna discuss why he chose wearing Zara instead of a Latino brand, and we’re definitely not gonna analyze Duolingo finally deciding to teach people Spanish through Bad Bunny.
But we need to talk about the most genius brand activation that happened during this halftime show. You probably heard that the grass on stage was actual people wearing grass costumes. They created tons of content while on stage and one of them tracked the whole thing on Strava and posted it afterwards.
To me, this is the most authentic, sweetest, and probably cheapest thing a brand has done during this very expensive weekend. It’s not about budget or production value. It’s about understanding that real moments come from real people having real fun. That’s the future of brand activations right there.
As a Pokémon day one and a Jigglypuff fan (drinking from a Jigglypuff cup in this very second), I was more than delighted seeing Lady Gaga and Jigglypuff singing the Jigglypuff song together in Pokémon’s Super Bowl ad for their 30th birthday. The ad featured multiple big talents choosing their favorite Pokémon: Lamin Yamal, Trevor Noah, Jisoo, Charles Leclerk and more.
But Lady Gaga x Jigglypuff is my very favorite collab I did not see coming. And it was an incredibly smart choice, especially after Lady Gaga became a surprise superstar of the bowl when she joined Bad Bunny on stage.
That timing added a x100 boost to how spot on it was. This is what happens when a brand actually understands cultural moments and can connect the dots before anyone else does. Pokémon knew what they were doing.
After working with Beyoncé during her Cowboy Carter era, Levi’s chose Doechii, Rosé, Toy Story’s Woody and Questlove for their Super Bowl commercial. Solid talent selection, but that’s not what made this ad stand out.
What I loved most was that they managed to celebrate backstories without any weird over-sexualized feeling. That’s what jeans are all about: the butt in any form. But I’ve never seen an ad that hyped this in such an authentic and natural way. It felt real, not forced, not trying too hard.
Also, Doechii is in it. And that matters.
(Also, I’m extra proud bc this is coming from the agency I work for <3 )
To properly celebrate Super Bowl in San Francisco, Gap partnered with Sushi Club to host a celebrity all-star dinner in Gap’s hometown during Super Bowl weekend. Nine courses of omakase, a very limited event-branded capsule collection, and as always with Sushi Club, a pretty decent Spotify playlist.
Sushi Club is the sushi community brand founded by Nobu Matsuhisa, yes the Nobu restaurants founder, and Chris Stamp, founder of Stampd. It’s not just another celebrity dinner. This is community work, and that’s exactly what makes it stand out.
After everything Gap has done over the past few years to successfully revive their brand, this is among my favorites. It’s not campaign first, community second. The guest list proves it: Ciara, Saweetie, Central Cee, DeAndre Hopkins, Zack Bia, Gunna and many more. Gap figured out that real cultural moments aren’t about the product anymore. They’re about bringing the right people together around something that actually matters.
A$AP and Ray Ban have been cooperating for a while now and already dropped the Wayfarer collection. But they’re back with a much more sophisticated drop: metal framed eyewear. And even better, they brought Nas. A$AP was born and raised in Harlem and has always named Brooklyn’s Nas as one of his biggest inspirations. Seeing them wearing A$AP’s capsule and sitting together in a NYC diner feels coherent and super strong. This isn’t just a collab, It’s a full circle moment.
Heated Rivalry on HBO brought ice hockey back into the spotlight without being about ice hockey and without being interesting for true ice hockey fans. It’s drama, it’s romance, it’s prestige television wrapped in a hockey narrative.
That’s why the Olympics didn’t shy away from inviting Heated Rivalry co-stars Connor Storrie and Hudson William to the games. To me, it’s a very solid move for an institution that is 2000+ years old.
By the way: Go watch Heated Rivalry!
This past week, Bratz took New York City with their Bratzies pop-up. Late in 2025, Bratz released their Bratzies as their answer to Labubus and the plushy hype, designed with custom doll designer August Dahl. They sold out immediately. Now they're back with a cute event celebrating Valentine's, Fashion Week, and Carnival, inviting half of NYC to get early access to the new Bratzies Sweetheartz.
But here’s where it gets interesting. Jasmin Hekmat, granddaughter of Bratz founder, founded Cult Gaia. After collaborating again and again in the past, Bratz made it to the runway during Cult Gaia’s NYFW show with plushies added to the bags. The best collabs aren’t forced. They’re family.
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