On February 8, 2026, during Super Bowl LX, Anthropic launched its first major advertising campaign called “A Time and A Place.” The goal was to present its cloud chatbot as a trustworthy, ad-free option compared to OpenAI’s changing business model.  

The Strategy: Ad-Free vs. Ad-Supported 

Anthropic’s main goal with this campaign is to challenge OpenAI’s recent decision to add ads to its AI chat interfaces.  

• The Jab: Anthropic’s funny ads (like the one called “Betrayal”) feature AI-human conversations interrupted by unrelated or annoying commercials. For example, A serious family question is cut off by a dating site ad.  

• The promise: the campaign makes it clear that conversations with Claude will always be ad-free and free of commercial interruptions.  

• The rivalry: The marketing push led to a public dispute. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly responded with a long critique of the ads, while Anthropic supporters called it an insider debate that most consumers might not be following yet.  

Investment And Audience Reach 

In past years (2024-2025), a 30-second Super Bowl ad cost about $7 million for Super Bowl LX in 2026; prices went up sharply.  

• Ad pricing: In 2026, a 30-second Super Bowl ad cost between $8M and $10M, setting a new record.  

• Total campaign spend with production agencies like Mother LA, plus additional broadcast/digital placements. Anthropic’s total investment is estimated to be well above the base $8 million airtime fee.  

• Reach: The ads reached about 120-130 million viewers, underscoring how AI is moving from a niche tech tool to a mainstream product.  

OpenAI’s Counter Strategy 

While Anthropic focused on a trust-centric and ad-free message, OpenAI used its 60-second Super Bowl ad to promote its Codex app. Their approach aimed to make AIs seem more human by showing people building things by hand, in an effort to ease concerns that AIs would take over human jobs.  

AI Companies Are Publicly Arguing 

Anthropic is spending millions to run commercials during the National Football League Championship game, criticizing rival OpenAI for planning to sell ads on its ChatGPT chatbot. This is one of the most public disputes between major AI companies.  

A 30-second commercial from Anthropic set to air on NBC during Super Bowl LX takes a clear shot at OpenAI’s plan to add ads to its ChatGPT chatbot.  

The ad shows a thin young man doing pull-ups in a park and asking a muscular bystander for tips on getting six-pack abs.  

The Bystander answers in a robotic voice, hinting that he is a chatbot, and offers a personalized strength training plan.  

However, before giving advice, he promotes shoe inserts that help short kings stand taller, leaving the young man confused.  

The punchline is that ads are coming to AI, but not to Claude, which is Anthropic’s chatbot.  

OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, was not pleased and called the Anthropic ad “deceptive” in a post on X.  

We are not stupid, said Yeatman in an interview with the TBPN podcast.  

We respect our users. We understand that if we did something like what those ads depict, people would rightfully stop using our product.  

OpenAI also plans to use the Super Bowl to promote its software coding product Codex.  

This is the first Super Bowl campaign for Anthropic’s Claude. About 120 million viewers are expected to watch the Seattle Seahawks play the New England Patriots in Santa Clara, California.  

Mark Marshall, NBCUniversal’s chairman of global advertising, said a 30-second ad costs about $8 million on average, with some selling for over $10 million.  

Comcast owns NBCUniversal 

These Super Bowl ads are the most public sign of rivalry between the two major AI labs — neither of which is profitable — as they try to attract consumers and compete for market share.  

The companies are also competing for business customers, as both aim to go public as early as this year, putting them in direct competition for investors.  

Sam Singer, president of Singer Associates Public Relations, said the dispute shows that even AI companies can’t resist the very human urge to argue in public.  

The dispute between OpenAI and Anthropic makes the Super Bowl more interesting, said Singer.  

The compelling battle between two companies with similar products will prompt people to consider Claude or ChatGPT, which will benefit both parties.  

The industry experts say Anthropic and OpenAI can use the year’s biggest TV audience to address negative views of all people in the right tone, said Sean Wright, chief analysis and analytics officer at the ad-tracking firm Guideline.  

Today, only 17% of US adults think AI will have a positive impact on the US in the next 20 years.  

So it’s about achieving the right balance that doesn’t exclude a general audience, many of whom may never have used AI.  

Sean Muller, founder and CEO of TV ad measurement company iSpot, said OpenAI has used commercials to raise awareness of ChatGPT, presenting it as a tool for everyday life.  

The latest commercial shows three runners motivating each other to keep going in the cold. It ends with scrolling text of ChatGPT’s answer to ” How do I make sure I don’t quit running? The response suggests running with friends to stay accountable.  

It wasn’t an ad that people liked, said Muller, adding that OpenAI is still trying to find its way with storytelling and narrative.  

A spokesman for the ad measurement firm said the Anthropic ad also got negative reactions in consumer testing.

Source: Anthropic buys Super Bowl ads to slap OpenAI for selling ads in ChatGPT