How Pringles Turned Its Super Bowl Ad Into a Cultural Moment With Sabrina Carpenter
For its ninth consecutive Super Bowl appearance, Pringles continues to prove that disciplined brand storytelling—when paired with cultural fluency—can turn a snack commercial into a full-fledged platform moment. This year’s spot, “Pringleleo,” starring pop artist Sabrina Carpenter, isn’t just another celebrity cameo. It’s a carefully engineered expression of Pringles’ long-term brand strategy, rooted in humor, nostalgia, and Gen Z relevance.
Rather than chasing trends, Pringles is doubling down on what it already owns—and modernizing it for a new generation.
Reviving Iconic Brand Assets Through a Gen Z Lens
At the heart of the campaign is the revival of Pringles’ iconic slogan, “Once You Pop, The Pop Don’t Stop,” reimagined from its 1990s origins. According to Lyndsay Rogers, General Manager of Salty Snacks at Mars Snacking, the Super Bowl acts as a powerful amplifier for this creative evolution.
“This year’s Big Game continues the creative momentum of ‘Once You Pop, The Pop Don’t Stop,’” Rogers explains, calling it a refreshed campaign designed to “captivate Gen Z.”
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Importantly, the humor isn’t just for laughs—it’s strategic. “For the Big Game, we aim to reinforce Pringles’ reputation for delivering the entertainment and humor fans know and love,” Rogers says, “while bringing the unexpected fun and excitement that only happens once you pop open a can of Pringles.”
Why Sabrina Carpenter Was the Right Choice
Casting Sabrina Carpenter was less about star power alone and more about alignment. Pringles was looking for someone who could authentically embody the brand’s playful, slightly unhinged tone—without feeling forced.
“When relaunching the campaign through a Gen Z lens, we asked who could compellingly convey this new brand ethos while authentically embodying Pringles,” Rogers explains. “As a genuine fan of the brand, Sabrina’s sharp wit and sense of humor made her a perfect match.”
Carpenter’s status as a current pop culture fixture with a highly engaged Gen Z and Millennial fan base certainly didn’t hurt. But the ad ensures she enhances the brand rather than eclipsing it—an increasingly difficult balance in celebrity-heavy Super Bowl advertising.
Designing for the Second Screen
“Pringleleo” was never meant to live only in a 30-second TV spot. Gen Z, a core target for the campaign, consumes culture across platforms—and Pringles planned accordingly.
“You’ll see the uniquely Gen Z humor and tone not only in our ad creative, but across social media,” Rogers notes. “We know how critical that second screen is to Gen Z.”
The campaign’s structure reflects platform-level thinking, extending the narrative beyond the broadcast and into social feeds where conversation and remix culture thrive.
Expanding Without Alienating Legacy Fans
While Gen Z is clearly in focus, Pringles is careful not to abandon its longtime audience. Rogers describes the approach as additive, not exclusionary.
The revived slogan and recurring brand assets—like the iconic mustache, the “hands stuck in the can” problem, and the unmistakable pop of the lid—serve as connective tissue between generations. The result is a campaign that feels fresh without feeling unfamiliar.
Standing Out in a Celebrity-Crowded Super Bowl
With A-list talent flooding Super Bowl ad breaks every year, differentiation matters more than ever. For Pringles, that means ensuring the brand—not just the celebrity—is what viewers remember.
“Our strong suit is how we leverage our distinct brand assets to make the ads memorable for Pringles, not only the celebrity,” Rogers explains. Even as fan excitement around Sabrina Carpenter fuels conversation, the creative remains unmistakably Pringles.
Consistency as a Competitive Advantage
As a repeat Super Bowl advertiser, Pringles benefits from something many brands lack: consistency. While the talent may change year to year, the strategic framework remains intact.
“Our strategy of bringing entertainment and humor to the Big Game is consistent,” Rogers says. “We identify meaningful cultural moments and elevate them through the Pringles lens, creating timely connections the brand can credibly deliver.”
That consistency builds memory structures over time—an often-overlooked advantage in one-off Super Bowl stunts.
Early Results Show Strong Cultural Impact
Early performance signals suggest the approach is working. Since releasing the teaser on January 14, Pringles has been mentioned over 6,100 times in Super Bowl-related social conversations, generating nearly 400,000 engagements, according to Sprout Social.
Meanwhile, the Reel shared on Team Sabrina’s Instagram account surpassed 8.6 million views with a 15.8% engagement rate, far above the industry benchmark.
A Super Bowl Ad That Builds Brand Equity
Ultimately, “Pringleleo” succeeds because it treats the Super Bowl not just as a media buy, but as an opportunity to reinforce brand meaning at scale. By blending nostalgia, humor, celebrity, and cross-platform thinking, Pringles shows how a legacy snack brand can stay culturally relevant—without losing itself in the process.
Once you pop, indeed, the momentum doesn’t stop.