The Pitch: Advertising and marketing news for 2.17.26

Richmond BizSense | February 17, 2026

by Jackie DiBartolomeo

The 2026 Ad Bowl, hosted by the Advertising Club of Richmond, was held last week to discuss the touchdowns and fumbles of this year’s Super Bowl ads. The discussion was moderated by Familiar Creatures’ Justin Bajan, with a panel featuring The Martin Agency’s Elliott Nordstrom, Taylor Martin and Michael Chapman, along with Arts & Letters Creative Co.’s Noel van Aartrijk. 

Across the board, Ad Bowl panelists most enjoyed the Levi’s “Backstory” ad, which showcased an array of backsides, from Woody of “Toy Story” to Bruce Springsteen on his “Born in the U.S.A.” album sporting the iconic jean brand. 

Ad Bowl judges were not as impressed by Coinbase’s “Everybody Coinbase” ad, which they said felt less-than-substantive and disconnected, and shared that AI was the omnipresent force at play during the game, with ads shown throughout from companies like Meta, Gemini and Copilot. 

...

Read the full article on Richmond BizSense.