East Hanover, N.J. — Ritz will air a 30 second advertisement during the 2026 Super Bowl on February 8. The commercial marks Ritz’s second consecutive Super Bowl appearance and Mondelez International’s third straight year advertising during the game. The spot will air during the third quarter.
According to Mondelez International’s announcement, Ritz will release limited edition football shaped crackers beginning December 1. The specialty crackers maintain Ritz’s signature salty, buttery flavor profile in a football shape designed for Super Bowl watch parties and tailgates.
Steven Saenen, Category President of Savory Snacking at Mondelez, stated in the press release:
“For over 90 years, the RITZ Brand has brought connection to family tables. Although we’re immensely proud of this legacy, we’re equally committed to delivering on cultural impact and relevancy for this iconic brand. Returning to the world’s biggest advertising stage allows us to make a bold statement in this moment.”
Mondelez International reported approximately $36.4 billion in 2024 net revenues. The company operates in over 150 countries globally.
Super Bowl Campaign and Product Launch
The Martin Agency created Ritz’s 2026 Super Bowl commercial, with Dan Opsal directing. The advertisement anchors a multichannel campaign including paid media, social media, public relations, and retail activations. Ritz debuted its first Super Bowl commercial in February 2025, introducing the Ritz Salty Club concept filmed at Utah’s Salt Flats.
The football shaped crackers launch December 1 in stores nationwide. The limited edition product extends Ritz’s lineup temporarily for the football season, targeting game day consumption occasions.
Why It Matters
Ritz’s Super Bowl advertising demonstrates how established snack brands allocate marketing budgets to major cultural events. Super Bowl advertising costs approximately $7 million per 30 second spot, representing significant investment for single broadcast visibility.
For food manufacturers and packaging suppliers, limited edition seasonal products create production challenges. Co manufacturers must retool cutting and forming equipment to produce novelty shapes while maintaining product specifications. The December 1 launch requires production completion and retail distribution during November, competing with holiday product demand for manufacturing capacity.
Football shapes require custom packaging distinct from standard Ritz sleeves. Packaging suppliers coordinate printed film orders, die cutting templates, and fulfillment timing with short production windows. Limited edition runs produce smaller quantities than standard SKUs, affecting minimum order quantities.
Retail distribution of limited edition products concentrates in endcap placements or Super Bowl themed displays rather than standard cracker aisle positioning. This affects shipper design, pallet configurations, and retailer merchandising coordination. For ingredient suppliers, novelty shapes use identical formulations but may generate different waste percentages during cutting, affecting ingredient cost calculations.
While Ritz is innovating the snack table for February’s main event, other pantry staples are using the earlier bowl season to test high-engagement, experiential marketing. Bush’s Beans recently made headlines with its Bush’s Beans Boca Raton Bowl Ticket Exchange, a campaign that allows fans to swap a can of beans for a stadium seat. This contrast illustrates the diverse playbooks brands are using this football season: while Ritz drives sales through product formatting designed for home hosting, Bush’s is building brand relevance through viral, in-person activations.
FAQs
When will Ritz air its Super Bowl commercial?
Ritz will air a 30 second commercial during the third quarter of the 2026 Super Bowl on February 8, 2026. This marks Ritz’s second consecutive Super Bowl appearance and Mondelez International’s third straight year advertising a snack brand during the game.
When do football shaped Ritz crackers become available?
Limited edition football shaped Ritz crackers launch in stores beginning December 1, 2025. The crackers maintain Ritz’s signature salty, buttery flavor in a football shape designed for Super Bowl watch parties and tailgates. Availability is limited edition for the football season.
About Source86
Source86 connects food manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers with sourcing opportunities across the CPG industry. Ritz’s limited edition football shaped crackers exemplify seasonal product development requiring coordination between co manufacturers, packaging suppliers, and ingredient providers managing short production timelines.
Looking to supply ingredients for limited edition cracker production or provide custom packaging for novelty shaped snacks? Source86’s platform connects you with snack manufacturers and co packers. Contact us to explore partnerships in seasonal snack manufacturing.
