What cultural influence looks like in 2026

This year’s Super Bowl was a stage for brands to tap into culture, if executed well

Geoff Edwards, managing director and creative at GALE, says that this year’s D&AD Awards saw celebrity tie-ins and interesting strategies in sectors ranging from medical to music to AI. But that alone isn’t enough; to him, Pencil-winning work in this category needed to transcend advertising and sit differently with audiences. “That means we should look at this work and we should internalise it the way we would the things that we love,” he says. “Does it feel like something you’d see in culture? Does it feel like something that I would like? Does it feel like something that I wish I’d done? Does it feel like something I would share?” The Jury President points to Apple’s Bad Bunny partnership and Coinbase’s karaoke stunt at the Super Bowl LX as examples of brands not just showing up to the occasion but fully leveraging its cultural significance.