The 2026-2027 NFL season kicks off with a rare Wednesday night opener next week, featuring a Super Bowl rematch between the Seahawks and Patriots. In addition to the league looking to pick up where it left off with blockbuster ratings, brands also seem poised to capitalize on the NFL's massive ad impact and effectiveness.
Last regular season, the average NFL TV ad was 10% more effective than the average primetime broadcast and cable TV ad throughout the same period, and that spiked to 226% during the Super Bowl.
The average NFL regular-season ad also generated as much impact as 73 average primetime ads, based on a combination of engagement and reach. That figure represents a 15% boost from the 2024-2025 regular season.
These findings come from EDO’s latest NFL TV Outcomes Report, which shares what we learned from measuring every ad and nationally televised sponsorship aired during the 2025-2026 NFL season. Our TV outcomes analysis is rooted in ad-driven consumer engagement behaviors that occur in the minutes after an ad airs — actions like brand searches, web traffic, and app downloads that are reliable predictors of future sales.
While NFL advertisers as a whole converted their opportunities into meaningful outcomes, some brands really ran up the score. Here's what the data showed.
Pharma brands delivered huge doses of engagement
Among the most effective NFL regular-season advertisers, the Pharmaceutical and Medical OTC industry stood out. This category was 95% more effective with NFL advertising compared to its primetime broadcast and cable benchmark — the biggest delta of any industry we tracked.
Moreover, pharma brands took three of the top five spots among the NFL's most effective advertisers. Nemluvio led the way as the top-performing brand overall, generating 1,683% stronger engagement than the league average.
Another big winner was eczema medication Ebglyss, which sparked 180% stronger engagement than the category's regular-season average. The brand found particular success, albeit in limited airings, with an upbeat ad set to a cover of the Mary J. Blige classic "Real Love."
Caplyta was another standout, with ads that were 94% more effective than the category's regular-season average. In particular, Caplyta ran a highly effective creative showcasing the hopeful potential of its bipolar I and II depression treatment.
Celebrities Elevate Ad Effectiveness
Throughout the regular season, as well as the Super Bowl, celebrities from essentially all segments of entertainment were part of the winning formulas for many brands.
For example, online bank SoFi was one of the NFL's most effective advertisers, generating 412% stronger engagement than the regular-season league average. Part of SoFi's success included featuring Buffalo Bills star quarterback Josh Allen. The bank's most successful regular-season ad subtly linked Allen's career progression to how SoFi tries to help individuals progress financially, resulting in 502% greater effectiveness than the league average.
In addition to SoFi highlighting Allen, many non-sports celebrities took starring roles in NFL regular-season commercials. One such standout was Jon Hamm, whose narrator role in a BetMGM creative helped drive 372% more effectiveness than the category average, amidst a big push from Sports Betting brands overall this past season.
Gain better field position with outcomes measurement
As this past season showed, the NFL provides a first-rate opportunity for brands to reach a vast and deeply engaged audience. To get the most out of these premium media buys, brands need a playbook for making heads or tails of their performance.
EDO’s immediate measurement of every creative throughout the NFL season provides advertisers with the investment-grade outcomes data they need to maximize their results.
Don't sit on the sidelines. Get the stats and analysis that help you air out more wins by downloading EDO's NFL TV Outcomes Report at edo.com/nfl-ads.