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Any advertisers who want in on this year’s Super Bowl better be ready to cough up $8 million — and that’s just for the 30-second unit on NBCU itself. As one of the last bastions of monocultural moments in the U.S., demand for the Big Game has skyrocketed and inventory sold out last September. 

“It’s a bet — like, a large financial bet,” said Kerry McKibbin, president and partner at Mischief @ No Fixed Address, an independent creative advertising agency, adding, “So many CMOs’ budgets are strapped. It’s a calculated or strategic bet for them.”

Some advertisers like HexClad cookware brand, are sitting this Super Bowl out. Aside from sharing recipes and past imagery for a small retention and social campaign, HexClad won’t activate around the Big Game this year, said Matt Duckor, head of content at HexClad.

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This story was first published by Digiday sibling Modern Retail.

New artificial intelligence tools are poised to reshape the retail industry, but brands and retailers are still trying to identify the right playbook for incorporating this emerging technology into their business.

Surveys conducted in the months leading up to Black Friday showed that anywhere from 33% to 83% of respondents used AI to do their holiday shopping in 2025. In turn, 97% of retailers plan to maintain or increase their AI investments next year, according to a survey from Ameprity. Meanwhile, a Deloitte survey shows that the vast majority of retailers are now using AI — or will be using it within the next 12 months — for everything from cybersecurity to pricing and promotion optimization to supply chain visibility. 

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