While February may be the shortest month of the year, it never comes up short in marketing news. From Super Bowl LX to the 2026 Winter Olympics and everything in between, let’s break down what caught our attention this month.
Pepsi Pokes the Bear
The Super Bowl showcased some great spots this year. But, with an ad landscape that was packed with celebrity cameos, Pepsi cut through the noise by poking fun at its decades-long rival —Coca-Cola. The ad grabbed viewers’ attention immediately when Coke’s iconic polar bear mascot participated in a blind taste test and chose Pepsi.
We loved this spot for a couple of reasons. One, audiences immediately understood who Pepsi was calling out, without having to directly name its competitor. But also because it tied back to a 2025 Pepsi Challenge, which confirmed 66% of participants preferred Pepsi Zero Sugar to Coke Zero in taste tests. It packed a punch effectively and efficiently.
The People Love Punch
Punch, a baby monkey from the Inchikawa City Zoo in Japan, was the focus of a tear-jerking story that recently went viral after his mother abandoned him as soon as he was born. Videos of Punch cuddling with his stuffed orangutan for comfort spoke to the masses. According to Google Trends, the search term “Punch the monkey” piqued interest on Feb. 25 and continues to garner attention, with users also searching “punch the monkey update” as they follow along to see if Punch has finally been accepted by his fellow monkeys.
Other than Punch, Ikea has benefited most from this virality. The creators of the stuffed orangutan carried by Punch, took to social media and posted a photo of a plush monkey wrapping its arms around the comfort orangutan listed as Djungelskog, with the words: “We’re ALL Punch’s family now.” Within days, the toy was sold out.
The lesson for brands? Always have an ear to the ground and be quick in responding to organic interest.
Viral Olympic Moments
The 2026 Olympics delivered some of the most compelling audience figures in recent history. This year’s winter games saw a noticeable spike and set new records for the TV sports audiences. The proof is in the pudding:
- U.S. viewership had a major rebound from the 2022 Beijing Games, up 96% and averaging roughly 23.8 to 25.7 million viewers.
- The U.S. Men’s Ice Hockey Final averaged 18.6 million and viewership peaked near 26 million during the overtime winning goal.
- Led by Peacock, a Winter Games record 16.7 billion minutes of Milan Cortina Olympics coverage were streamed across NBCUniversal digital platforms, more than double all prior Winter Olympics combined.
Most notably, the Women’s Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game was the most-watched women’s hockey game ever on record, with 7.7 million viewers. The women’s outstanding performance throughout the tournament and the final game has had a massive impact on interest in women’s hockey. In fact, U.S.-based PWHL purchases are up 42% YoY and PWHL ticket demand is up 38% YoY through the first eight weeks of 2026. These trends not only reflect the power of Olympic moments, but also how multi-platform distribution and visibility can drive results.
See you in March!