By Evie Liu

The Super Bowl and the week leading up to the game are peak retail moments for snack and beverage brands as Americans gather for the most-watched annual televised sporting event.

The National Retail Federation forecasts 213.1 million U.S. adults will tune in for the football game on Feb. 8, with 121.1 million planning parties and 18.2 million watching from bars or restaurants. Consumption on food, drinks, apparel, decorations and other purchases tied to the game are projected to reach $20.2 billion, or nearly $95 per person, according to the NRF.

Over the past decade, Super Bowl weekend has been a vital sales driver for packaged snacks and beverages. Circana data show that snack food sales jumped to about $670 million during Super Bowl week 2024, with Americans buying 107 million pounds of savory snacks -- a nearly 15 % lift from the prior week, according to SNAC International.

In a recent report, Bank of America analyst David Tinsley highlighted the power of sports in boosting local economies. On NFL game days, total credit and debit card spending rises by around 77% in the zip codes where stadiums are located, wrote the analyst, and the biggest increases are in food and drinks.

And the economic impact is getting larger year by year. As of November 2025, consumer spending on attending spectator sports was up over 25% compared with 2019, said Tinsley, citing data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. "This was roughly on a par with the strength in live entertainment spending last year," he wrote.

The Super Bowl -- this year between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. -- is also one of the few live--TV events that attract mass attention across all age groups -- a prime opportunity for companies to broaden their product reach and strengthen brand identity via advertisement. The commercials tend to spark social media buzz, which helps brands stay culturally relevant -- especially important amid today's economic challenges.

Anheuser--Busch InBev has been the Super Bowl's biggest advertiser across all categories. The alcohol giant continued its longstanding role as the official beer sponsor of the NFL, featuring three of its flagship brands -- Michelob Ultra, Budweiser, and Bud Light -- in the 2.5 minutes of commercials during the broadcast.

Alcohol companies have struggled with sluggish sales in recent years as consumers increasingly prefer low--alcohol or non--alcohol alternatives for entertainment. Even with beer sales under pressure, Anheuser-Busch stock has jumped 52% over the past year -- driven by strong performance from its premium brands and a bigger push into nonalcoholic drinks.

Beer stocks have also made a comeback recently as investor capital started rotating into defensive stocks during periods of market uncertainty. In the past three months, Constellation Brands has gained 28%, Molson Coors Beverage has risen 14%, and Boston Beer is up 13%.

Many snack and beverage brands from PepsiCo are also confirmed advertisers at the Big Game. This includes not only Pepsi, Pepsi Zero Sugar, and iconic snacks like Lay's, but also the company's newly acquired prebiotic soda brand Poppi. The ad will be Poppi's first Super Bowl appearance under PepsiCo's ownership.

Snacks and beverage companies are grappling with softer sales as consumers tightened wallets amid inflationary pressures. Health trends -- from diet-focused lifestyles to the rise of weight-loss drugs -- are further hurting the group. Many companies are slimming down portfolios, restructuring operations, and investing more in healthier, innovative products.

PepsiCo's shares have rallied nearly 20% in the past month as investors gained confidence in the company's turnaround plan following the involvement of activist investor Elliott Investment Management. This week, PepsiCo reported fourth-quarter results that beat Wall Street expectations and announced major price cuts for many core brands -- including Lay's, Doritos, and Cheetos -- by up to 15% in response to consumer affordability pressures.

Mondelez International's Ritz, Kellanova's Pringles, WK Kellogg's Raisin Bran, Ferrero's Kinder Bueno, as well as Unilever's Hellmann's and Liquid I.V., have also secured advertising placements at the event, giving the brands a powerful opportunity to promote themselves to a huge audience.

Write to Evie Liu at evie.liu@barrons.com

This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

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February 06, 2026 09:00 ET (14:00 GMT)

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