Exploring RITZ Island and the Brand’s Second Super Bowl Play

RITZ is back at the Super Bowl with Jon Hamm and Bowen Yang as ‘salty’ observers of a beachside party.

They’re soon joined by Scarlett Johansson on ‘RITZ Island’, a coastal escape where even the saltiest of personalities seemingly can’t resist the cracker’s buttery appeal.

Created by MARTIN* and directed by hungryman’s Dan Opsal, the spot opens with Jon and Bowen perched in a treehouse overlooking a beach party, where RITZ Crackers are the order of the day. From their vantage point, the self-described ‘salties’ debate whether to abandon their perch and join the fun, but their hesitation is short-lived. Scarlett soon arrives on a jet ski, encouraging them to let loose a little. Throughout the spot, the dialogue plays with the idea of ‘saltiness’ as both an attitude and a taste.


This marks RITZ’s second Super Bowl appearance, following the brand’s Big Game debut last year. Speaking with LBB, Nicole Fischer, director, RITZ at Mondelēz International, says the intention for 2026 was to build on last year rather than create something standalone.

“We’re big believers in consistency creatively, and year over year we need to make sure that we’re expanding on where we were before so that consumers continue to resonate with that same messaging from us,” says Nicole.

Brand equity tracking after last year’s spot and more recent focus groups further suggested that a continuation of the theme made sense, but RITZ was keen to do so in a new environment. “We needed to inject a bit of newness – new salties, new personalities, a new setting,” says Nicole.

“Year two was about evolution, not repetition,” adds Patricia Ortiz, group creative director at MARTIN*. “We took what resonated last year – the salty dynamic, the humour, the product love – and pushed it into something bigger, funnier, and more cinematic, while staying grounded in the role RITZ plays as the great unifier.”

The casting of the spot was very intentional. Jon, Bowen and Scarlett were chosen because the RITZ and MARTIN* teams wanted to ensure the campaign resonated across generations, household types and ethnicities in a way they feel the product does. “We don’t only target or get consumed by one specific niche consumer,” says Nicole. “All generations, ethnicities, ages, households with kids and without kids consume RITZ crackers, so we wanted to make sure that we were casting in a way that is representative of the brand.”

An added bonus was the discovery that all three of the stars are, in fact, “quite good friends” in everyday life. “That really brought chemistry that we weren’t expecting, but we’re very thankful for it,” says Nicole, adding that it really brought an “upbeat mood” to the production.

That said, the goal wasn’t just to cast recognisable faces. “Today’s consumers are smart and savvy,” says Nicole. “We all know when star power is being used for the sake of it. Each talent we featured in the spot brought a different type of cultural credibility that naturally aligned with the RITZ brand. While they may represent different audiences, it helped to broaden the appeal of the spot. That was really important to us.”

The commercial, which will air during the third quarter, forms part of a broader Big Game push for the brand. Alongside the broadcast spot, the campaign is supported by a wider integrated effort spanning multiple touchpoints, including in-store activations and limited-edition football-shaped crackers released during the football season. The ad was also preceded by a teaser. 


“This isn’t just about one ad on one night of the year for us,” says Nicole. “We’ve built an ecosystem that surrounds the Big Game efforts. We want to make sure that it’s connecting back to overall brand equity for RITZ and, frankly, driving sales and consumption of RITZ Crackers.”

As a result of last year’s creative, RITZ saw “pretty tremendous improvements” in brand equity metrics in a way it hadn’t seen for years. Nicole says those included modernity, perception of taste, and how meaningful consumers perceive the RITZ brand to be.

“That’s really the goal of all of this,” she adds. “When we look at how the work performs across a full ecosystem, not just the night of the Big Game, that’s where we measure whether this is making the impact we need. Is it driving earned media conversation? Is it driving social media conversation? Is it supporting in-store sales and foot traffic for the RITZ brand, both before, during and after the Big Game?

“A successful ad and a successful ‘surround-sound’ campaign can spark conversation and engagement beyond the night of broadcast. It helps reinforce RITZ Crackers’ role in moments when people are snacking on an everyday basis.”

In the end, what’s important for Nicole and the wider marketing team is to show improvements in brand equity, in sparking conversation, and expansion in overall likeability and purchase intent for RITZ and its suite of products.

“By continuing the ‘salty universe’, we’re reinforcing recognisable RITZ brand values,” says Nicole. “We’re humorous, we have a lighthearted tone, we have a distinct point of view, and we want to make sure that year over year our brand is showing up clearly, confidently and consistently.

“We’re focused on creating a platform that continues to compound over time. Whether that’s at the Big Game, watching it that night, or beyond it, the intent is to really strengthen brand memory, cultural relevance and long-term impact.”

Which is why, says Nicole, consumers will be experiencing a 360 campaign to complement the Big Game activities and in the months to come.

“This is not a one-and-done for us. It’s a big investment, and we take that very seriously.”

Keep up with Super Bowl LX here.

See every 2026 Super Bowl ad so far here.