Hershey’s "The Real Gold" Crowned The Most Emotionally Engaging Ad of the 2026 Winter Games
by on 18th Feb 2026 in News
Hershey’s "The Real Gold" is the most emotionally engaging ad of the 2026 Winter Games.
That’s according to new data from creative intelligence platform DAIVID, which found the chocolate brand’s first major ad campaign since 2018 generated the strongest positive emotional response of any ad linked with the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics/ Paralympics.
DAIVID used its AI-powered creative testing platform to find out which Winter Games ads had the biggest impact on viewers’ emotions.
Featuring five Team USA Olympic and Paralympic athletes, including Erin Jackson, Hilary Knight, and Brenna Huckaby, Hershey’s ad elicited intense positive emotions among 57.8% of viewers, including strong feelings of hope (164% above norm), admiration (+126%), gratitude (+124%), and adoration (+112%).
As well as moving viewers emotionally, the spot also drove above average brand recall and attention levels throughout.
Air Canada’s "Tyler’s Walk" finished in second spot after attracting positive emotions among 54.4% of viewers, with Samsung's "Open Always Wins" in third. Ads from Michelob ULTRA and Warner Bros Discovery complete the top 5. Other brands to make it into the top 10 include Visa, FIGS, Starbucks, and Corona.
Top 10 Most Emotionally Engaging Ads Of The 2026 Winter Olympics/ Paralympics
| RANK | BRAND | CAMPAIGN | % of people who had intense positive emotional responses |
| 1. | Hershey’s | "The Real Gold" | 57.8% |
| 2. | Air Canada | "Tyler’s Walk" | 54.4% |
| 3. | Samsung | "Open Always Wins" | 52.3% |
| 4. | Michelob ULTRA | "The ULTRA Instructor" | 51.4% |
| 5. | Warner Bros Discovery | "Your Olympics. Your Way" | 51.1% |
| 6. | Visa | "On the Journey with Mikaela Shiffrin" | 50.5% |
| =7. | NBC | "Wicked For Good Trailer" | 50.0% |
| =7. | FIGS x Team USA | "It Takes Heart to Build Bodies That Break Records" | 50.0% |
| 9. | Starbucks | "The Coffee Run" | 49.7% |
| 10. | Corona | "For Every Golden Moment" | 49.1% |
| NORM | 48.7% |
Ian Forrester, CEO and founder of DAIVID, said: "At the 2026 Winter Games, no ad soared higher, moved deeper or connected stronger than Hershey’s 'The Real Gold'. By surprising the athletes with heartfelt messages from their families, the brand managed to really capture authentic reactions and stories – moments of hope, pride and perseverance – that audiences found it easy to connect with.
"It meant the spot was 19% more likely to elicit intense positive emotions than the average ad and maintained viewers’ attention on the screen throughout, outperforming 77% of ads in our database for overall effectiveness. Also making our Olympic podium were Air Canada and Samsung with incredible spots that truly capture the Olympic spirit."
Methodology
DAIVID's 2026 Winter Olympics ads study was compiled using its AI-powered platform. Trained using tens of millions of human responses to ads, the platform predicts the emotions an ad will generate, and its likely impact on brand and business metrics in seconds – enabling advertisers to measure the effectiveness of their ad campaigns at scale. Altogether, 35 ads linked with the 2026 Winter Games were included in the study. Data for the chart was compiled at 6am (EST) on February 17, 2026.
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