Instacart Returns With Bigger 2026 Super Bowl Ad
Instacart is heading back to the Big Game, confirming it will air a second consecutive spot in the 2026 Super Bowl. The grocery delivery platform, which only kicked off brand marketing four years ago under CMO Laura Jones, is treating its return as a major step up in ambition and scale. This year’s Super Bowl advertising effort will once again be led by Instacart’s in-house creative agency, Local Produce, working in partnership with BBDO and McCann to craft a high-impact campaign designed to stand out on the biggest night for super bowl ads.
“After the tremendous response to our first-ever Super Bowl campaign in 2025, returning in 2026 was a logical decision for the business,” said Jones. “Last year’s campaign, ‘We’re Here,’ broke through in culture and delivered real results, driving growth in orders, new customers, and engagement across the board for Instacart and our CPG partners. We’re thrilled to build on that momentum and bring Instacart back to the Big Game for a second year, finding a fresh way to delight fans and continue accelerating our growth.” That focus on business impact is central to why so many brands continue to invest heavily in super bowl commercials despite the steep media buy.
The 2026 creative is being developed with the goal of delivering another culturally resonant moment. “When we started working with the Instacart team, it was clear they believed in breakthrough ideas and it immediately felt like we could do something big together,” said Danilo Boer, global creative partner at McCann. “That openness paved the way for an epic idea that entertains fans during advertising’s biggest night of the year — we think we’ve made the perfect recipe for a Super Bowl win.” For brands and agencies tracking the evolution of super bowl advertising, Instacart’s fast rise from newcomer to repeat advertiser underscores how quickly performance-driven marketers are embracing the stage.
Instacart’s confidence is rooted in the performance of its 2025 debut, a 30-second spot titled “We’re Here” that aired in the second quarter. The commercial assembled a dream team of grocery icons — including Kool-Aid Man, Chester Cheetah, and Mr. Clean — to dramatize how Instacart brings shoppers’ favorite brands together and delivers them right to their door. The ad didn’t just entertain; it moved the needle. In the week leading up to the game, Instacart orders climbed 14% year-over-year, while site visits jumped 20% on Super Bowl Sunday. Immediately after the spot aired, new user interest surged, with a 72% increase in new user traffic.
The impact carried over to the app ecosystem as well. On Apple’s App Store, Instacart saw 43% more installs on Super Bowl Sunday compared to typical Sundays, and 35% more installs on the following Monday versus previous Mondays. “We’re Here” also resonated with viewers, becoming the top-ranked ad among first-time Big Game advertisers on USA Today’s Ad Meter. For fans interested in how Instacart’s creative stacks up against other recent campaigns, you can browse past Super Bowl ads by year or dive into the site’s broader Super Bowl commercial archive to see how the brand fits into the evolving landscape of Super Bowl commercials. As Instacart gears up for its 2026 appearance, all eyes will be on whether the brand can follow up its breakout debut with another crowd-pleasing, results-driving spot.
