The Results Are In, This Was the Most Impactful Ad in the 2025 Super Bowl

The dust has settled, the data has been collected, sorted and compiled. And the winner of this year’s Ad Super Bowl has been named. The result may surprise those who thought that strategies relying on hijacking, absurdity or horses had won the day. 

Turns out, what America really wanted most from the game this year was a better alternative to traditional, sugar-filled sodas. 

Poppi, the prebiotic soda brand, emerged as this year’s winner with its hard-working campaign, "Soda Thoughts." Created by VIRTUE Worldwide, the campaign used a mix of creative ideas, influencer partnerships, and smart media planning to make a big impact. The results are crystal clear.

Impact

Poppi’s strategy paid off in a big way. According to YouGov, the campaign ranked #1 across three key Super Bowl ad metrics:

• Buzz – Poppi’s commercial generated the highest lift in conversation around any brand during the game.
• Ad Awareness – More viewers recalled seeing Poppi’s ad than any other commercial aired.
• Consideration – Consumers reported a stronger intent to try Poppi than any other advertised brand.

Ranking #1 in brand perception, Poppi outperformed over 60 celebrity-focused ads. Notably, Poppi’s success wasn’t just about visibility—it was about resonance. While other brands flooded their spots with A-list celebrities, Poppi proved that cultural influence isn’t about star power alone. Staying true to values and resonating with health-conscious audiences can have a bigger impact than relying on celebrity endorsements.

Here’s more background on how this campaign achieved such compelling results. 

Challenge

For the second year in a row, Poppi took on the Super Bowl Stage—not just to advertise, but to challenge how consumers think about soda. While traditional brands relied on nostalgia and celebrity power, Poppi aimed to deepen its cultural impact, shifting the conversation from mere awareness to a fundamental consumer insight: the overthinking that comes with choosing soda.

Insights and Strategy

In 2025, drinking soda isn’t a simple yes-or-no decision. Consumers crave the taste and refreshment of traditional soda, but they also wrestle with its baggage—sugar, artificial ingredients, and guilt. Poppi’s campaign, “Soda Thoughts,” taps into this universal internal struggle, reframing it as a moment of playful self-awareness.

Rather than following the traditional Super Bowl playbook that leans on Hollywood celebrities, Poppi bypassed that route, opting instead for a more digitally native strategy: creators. Featuring TikTok influencers like Alix Earle, Jake Shane, and Rob Rausch, the campaign reflected the way younger audiences engage with content today. These influencers weren’t just faces; they were familiar voices that had already built trust with their audiences, making the ad feel more like an extension of their everyday content rather than a forced commercial moment.

This shift helped the brand connect authentically with gen z and millennials, proving that influencer marketing, rooted in trust and relatability, can generate deeper engagement.

Execution

Directed by industry heavyweight Dave Meyers, the "Soda Thoughts" ad humorously tackled the dilemma between sugary sodas and healthier alternatives, striking a relatable tone that resonated with consumers. 

The Super Bowl spot wasn’t just a standalone ad; it was the launchpad for a broader, year-long campaign. Poppi extended the storytelling across multiple 30-second vignettes that would continue running across broadcast, digital, and social platforms, reinforcing the message that enjoying soda no longer has to mean compromise.

With “Soda Thoughts,” Poppi didn’t just advertise during the Super Bowl—it reshaped the conversation around soda. By leaning into a relatable consumer insight, tapping into influencer culture, and executing with creativity and humour, VIRTUE Worldwide and Poppi delivered the most effective ad of the game. More than a commercial, the campaign became a statement: the future of soda isn’t just better for you—it’s culturally relevant, digitally savvy, and built for the next generation.