Brands That Appeared in Super Bowl Ads Then Got Acquired

Poppi ran a Super Bowl ad in February 2025. PepsiCo bought the brand for $1.95 billion three months later. Grubhub debuted its first Super Bowl ad in Super Bowl LX after Wonder acquired it for $650 million. WeatherTech ran its 14th consecutive Super Bowl ad as a founder-owned, independent company. Crypto.com ran a Super Bowl LVI ad in 2022 and later acquired an F1 team sponsorship portfolio.

The Super Bowl is the biggest advertising stage in the world. A 30-second spot in Super Bowl LX cost approximately $8 million. The brands that advertise are making a statement. Some are building independent brands. Some are preparing for acquisition. Some are reintroducing acquired brands to consumers.

We tracked brands that appeared in Super Bowl ads then got acquired. The pattern reveals how Super Bowl exposure creates brand value that conglomerates pay to acquire. For more on the viral-to-acquisition pipeline, see our brands that went viral and got acquired shortly after.

The Super Bowl Advertising Stage

The Super Bowl is the biggest advertising stage in the world. Super Bowl LX, held on February 8, 2026, drew an estimated 127 million viewers. A 30-second spot cost approximately $8 million. The brands that advertise are making a statement about their scale, their ambition, and their target audience.

Super Bowl advertising serves three strategic purposes. Brand building, where a company uses the stage to build long-term brand awareness. Product launch, where a company uses the stage to introduce a new product. Reintroduction, where a company uses the stage to reintroduce an acquired brand to consumers.

The brands that appeared in Super Bowl ads then got acquired followed different paths. Some advertised before acquisition. Some advertised after acquisition. Some advertised as independent companies and never got acquired. The Super Bowl ad is a signal, not a guarantee.

Case: Poppi's Super Bowl to PepsiCo Acquisition

Poppi ran a Super Bowl ad in February 2025. The ad drew backlash for gifting full-sized Poppi vending machines to influencers, but the exposure was massive. Three months later, PepsiCo announced the acquisition.

PepsiCo announced the acquisition on March 17, 2025, for $1.95 billion, including $300 million of anticipated cash tax benefits for a net purchase price of $1.65 billion. PepsiCo completed the acquisition on May 19, 2025. The transaction also includes an additional potential earnout consideration subject to the achievement of certain performance milestones.

The Super Bowl ad was not the reason PepsiCo acquired Poppi. The brand had already built a loyal community through viral TikTok campaigns, influencer partnerships, and retail expansion. The Super Bowl ad was a signal of scale. It showed PepsiCo that Poppi was ready for the biggest stage in advertising.

Rohan Oza, who invested in Poppi on Shark Tank, called the brand proof of the American Dream, from the kitchen to Shark Tank to an iconic brand. The journey from Shark Tank to Super Bowl to $1.95 billion acquisition is the clearest example of the Super Bowl-to-acquisition pipeline.

For more on Poppi's journey, see our Shark Tank brands who owns them now.

Case: Grubhub's Super Bowl Debut Under Wonder

Grubhub made its Super Bowl debut in Super Bowl LX on February 8, 2026, with a 30-second ad in the third quarter. The ad, directed by filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and starring George Clooney, promoted a new no-fee benefit on restaurant orders over $50.

The Super Bowl ad marked Grubhub's first national campaign since being acquired by Wonder Group. Wonder, the food startup founded by e-commerce veteran Marc Lore, closed its $650 million acquisition of Grubhub in January 2025. Just Eat Takeaway, the Dutch food delivery giant, had been looking for a buyer for more than two years.

The sale price was a small fraction of the $7.3 billion valuation that Grubhub had when Just Eat Takeaway acquired it in an all-share deal in 2020. By the time Wonder found Grubhub, the sale price had dwindled to less than 10 percent of its original value.

The Super Bowl ad was a reintroduction. Wonder used the biggest advertising stage to tell consumers that Grubhub was under new ownership and had a new value proposition. The ad was not building a new brand. It was rebuilding an acquired one.

Grubhub also announced that over the past year, it has added 100,000 restaurants to its network, increasing its delivery reach to 90 percent of Americans, and worked on cutting delivery times down to 32 minutes. The Super Bowl ad was the consumer-facing signal of these operational improvements.

Case: WeatherTech's 14th Consecutive Super Bowl Ad

WeatherTech aired its 14th consecutive Super Bowl ad in Super Bowl LX. The 30-second spot, called "TaDa," aired during the second quarter and featured the relatable problem of how to pack a car with luggage.

WeatherTech is the exception to the Super Bowl-to-acquisition pattern. The company is founder-owned, independent, and has never been acquired. David MacNeil founded WeatherTech and has used the Super Bowl as an annual brand-building platform for 14 years.

The 2026 spot centered on a relatable family packing scenario, showcasing how WeatherTech cargo solutions simplify real-world challenges. The execution was straightforward, confident, and product-led. WeatherTech bucked the trend of Super Bowl spots featuring Hollywood celebrities or pop culture references.

WeatherTech has ended its 17-year relationship with Pinnacle Advertising, the agency behind all 14 of its Super Bowl ads. The company has built one of the most consistent runs in Big Game advertising through disciplined messaging, product clarity, and unwavering brand positioning.

The WeatherTech case shows that Super Bowl advertising does not always lead to acquisition. Some brands use the Super Bowl to build independent brand equity. WeatherTech's 14-year run demonstrates that the Super Bowl can be an annual brand-building platform for a founder-owned company, not just a pre-acquisition signal.

Case: Crypto.com's Super Bowl LVI Ad

Crypto.com ran a Super Bowl LVI ad in 2022 featuring LeBron James. The ad was part of a broader marketing push that included F1 team sponsorships, arena naming rights, and global brand campaigns.

Crypto.com's parent company, Foris DAX, later expanded its sports sponsorship portfolio to include Formula 1, the FIFA World Cup, and UFC. The Super Bowl ad was the consumer-facing signal of a broader brand-building strategy.

The crypto exchange industry faced significant challenges in 2022 and 2023, including the collapse of FTX and regulatory scrutiny. Crypto.com continued its sports sponsorship strategy through the downturn, using the Super Bowl ad as a foundation for long-term brand building.

The Crypto.com case shows how Super Bowl advertising can support a brand-building strategy for a company that is not preparing for acquisition. The ad was part of a multi-year sports sponsorship portfolio, not a pre-acquisition signal.

Source: PepsiCo, TechCrunch, Adweek, Marketing Dive, Pinnacle Advertising. All brand ownership data verified through WhoBrands.com research methodology.

The Super Bowl-to-Acquisition Pipeline

The Super Bowl-to-acquisition pipeline works when a brand uses the Super Bowl as a signal of scale. The ad tells potential acquirers that the brand has the marketing budget, the consumer reach, and the category ambition to justify a major acquisition.

Poppi is the clearest example. The brand ran a Super Bowl ad in February 2025. PepsiCo announced the acquisition in March 2025. The ad was not the reason for the acquisition, but it was a signal that Poppi was operating at the scale PepsiCo wanted to acquire.

The pipeline does not work for every brand. WeatherTech has run 14 consecutive Super Bowl ads without being acquired. Crypto.com ran a Super Bowl ad without being acquired. The Super Bowl ad is a signal of scale, not a guarantee of acquisition.

The brands that get acquired after Super Bowl ads are the brands that solve a specific problem for a specific acquirer. Poppi solved PepsiCo's functional beverage problem. Grubhub was acquired before its Super Bowl ad, but the ad served as a reintroduction under new ownership.

The Reintroduction Pattern

Grubhub's Super Bowl LX ad represents a different pattern. The brand was acquired before the ad. The ad was a reintroduction to consumers under new ownership.

Wonder used the Super Bowl to tell consumers that Grubhub was under new ownership and had a new value proposition. The ad promoted a new no-fee benefit on restaurant orders over $50. The message was clear. New owner. New value proposition. Same brand.

The reintroduction pattern is common for acquired brands. The acquirer uses a major advertising moment to signal the change in ownership and the change in value proposition. The Super Bowl is the biggest stage for this signal.

For more on how acquired brands navigate ownership changes, see our when consumer pressure forces a brand ownership change.

The Independent Brand Building Pattern

WeatherTech represents the independent brand building pattern. The company has used 14 consecutive Super Bowl ads to build long-term brand awareness without any acquisition activity.

The pattern works for brands that are founder-owned, profitable, and do not need outside capital. WeatherTech's disciplined messaging, product clarity, and unwavering brand positioning have built a brand that does not need to be acquired. The Super Bowl is an annual brand-building platform, not a pre-acquisition signal.

The independent brand building pattern is rare in Super Bowl advertising. Most brands that advertise in the Super Bowl are either public companies, private equity-backed, or preparing for some form of strategic transaction. WeatherTech's 14-year run as a founder-owned, independent Super Bowl advertiser is exceptional.

For more on how founder-owned brands build equity, see our psychology of brand ownership.

What This Means for Brand Ownership

The Super Bowl is the biggest advertising stage in the world. The brands that advertise are making a statement about their scale, their ambition, and their target audience. Some are building independent brands. Some are preparing for acquisition. Some are reintroducing acquired brands to consumers.

The Super Bowl-to-acquisition pipeline works when a brand uses the ad as a signal of scale. Poppi ran a Super Bowl ad and was acquired three months later. The pipeline does not work for every brand. WeatherTech has run 14 consecutive ads without being acquired.

The reintroduction pattern is common for acquired brands. Grubhub's Super Bowl LX ad was a reintroduction under Wonder Group ownership. The acquirer used the biggest stage to signal the change in ownership and the new value proposition.

Use WhoBrands.com to trace the ownership behind every Super Bowl advertiser. The brand you saw in a Super Bowl ad may now be owned by a multinational conglomerate, a private equity firm, or the original founder. For more on how to research brand ownership, see our how to research a parent company before buying their products.

FAQ

Which brands appeared in Super Bowl ads then got acquired? Poppi ran a Super Bowl ad in February 2025 and was acquired by PepsiCo for $1.95 billion in March 2025. Grubhub was acquired by Wonder Group for $650 million in January 2025 and then ran its first Super Bowl ad in Super Bowl LX in February 2026 as a reintroduction under new ownership.

How much does a Super Bowl ad cost? A 30-second spot in Super Bowl LX cost approximately $8 million. Super Bowl LX drew an estimated 127 million viewers. The cost makes the Super Bowl the most expensive advertising platform in the world, which is why brands that advertise are signaling scale and ambition to both consumers and potential acquirers.

Did WeatherTech ever get acquired? No. WeatherTech is founder-owned and independent. David MacNeil founded the company and has run 14 consecutive Super Bowl ads from 2013 to 2026 without any acquisition activity. WeatherTech uses the Super Bowl as an annual brand-building platform, not as a pre-acquisition signal. The company recently ended its 17-year relationship with Pinnacle Advertising, the agency behind all 14 Super Bowl ads.

Why did Grubhub advertise in the Super Bowl after being acquired? Grubhub's Super Bowl LX ad was a reintroduction under new ownership. Wonder Group acquired Grubhub for $650 million in January 2025. The Super Bowl ad, starring George Clooney and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, promoted a new no-fee benefit on restaurant orders over $50. The ad signaled to consumers that Grubhub was under new ownership with a new value proposition.

Explore Related Brands

• Poppi -- PepsiCo prebiotic soda brand, Super Bowl ad preceded $1.95B acquisition
• Grubhub -- Wonder Group food delivery brand, Super Bowl LX debut post-acquisition
• WeatherTech -- Independent automotive accessories brand, 14 consecutive Super Bowl ads
• Crypto.com -- Foris DAX crypto exchange, Super Bowl LVI advertiser
• Rhode -- e.l.f. Beauty skincare brand acquired for $1 billion
• Dollar Shave Club -- Unilever grooming brand built on viral video marketing

Browse all consumer products brands

Also read: Brands That Went Viral and Got Acquired Shortly After -- how viral fame increasingly leads to acquisition by major conglomerates.

Sources

1. PepsiCo: PepsiCo to Acquire poppi -- https://www.pepsico.com/newsroom/press-releases/2025/pepsico-to-acquire-poppi 2. PepsiCo: PepsiCo completes acquisition of poppi -- https://www.pepsico.com/newsroom/press-releases/2025/pepsico-completes-acquisition-of-poppi-accelerating-strategic-portfolio-transformation 3. TechCrunch: Just Eat Takeaway completes Grubhub sale to Wonder for a modest $650M -- https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/07/just-eat-takeaway-completes-grubhub-sale-to-wonder-for-a-modest-650m/ 4. Adweek: Grubhub to Debut First Super Bowl Ad in 2026 -- https://www.adweek.com/creativity/grubhub-super-bowl-lx-ad-wonder/ 5. Marketing Dive: Grubhub and George Clooney make Super Bowl debuts to eat the fees -- https://www.marketingdive.com/news/grubhub-and-george-clooney-make-super-bowl-debuts-to-eat-the-fees/810937/ 6. Adweek: WeatherTech is Back at the Super Bowl for a 14th Time -- https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/weathertech-is-back-at-the-super-bowl-for-a-14th-time/ 7. Pinnacle Advertising: WeatherTech's 14th Super Bowl Ad Reinforced a Winning Formula -- https://pinnacleadvertising.com/buzzworthy/weathertechs-14th-super-bowl-ad-reinforced-a-winning-formula/ 8. CNN: Poppi just sold for $1.6 billion -- https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/17/business/pepsi-buys-poppi

All brand ownership data verified through WhoBrands.com research methodology. Last updated: August 2026.

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