Instacart Goes “Bananas” for Super Bowl LX with Ben Stiller and Benson Boone

Instacart is betting big on bananas this Super Bowl. The grocery delivery platform will air a 30-second commercial during the first quarter of Super Bowl LX, blending celebrity power, retro spectacle and humor to spotlight a deceptively simple idea: customers want control over how their groceries are picked. To get that message across, Instacart enlisted actor and filmmaker Ben Stiller, multi-platinum artist Benson Boone and acclaimed director Spike Jonze, marking Jonze’s first Super Bowl commercial in more than two decades.

A Musical Rivalry With a Purpose

The ad, titled “Bananas,” transforms Ben Stiller and Boone into a flamboyant, disco-inspired musical duo performing on a glittering stage. What begins as a synchronized song about ordering the “perfect banana” escalates into a theatrical rivalry when Benson Boone’s character effortlessly flips mid-performance, prompting Ben Stiller’s character to attempt—and spectacularly fail—the same stunt.

The humor and absurdity are deliberate. Rather than explaining features in detail, Instacart aims to spark curiosity. The ad introduces Preference Picker, a new in-app tool that lets shoppers specify exactly how ripe they want their bananas, addressing one of the biggest barriers to grocery delivery adoption: the fear of losing quality control.

Why Bananas Matter to Instacart

Bananas are more than a visual gag. They are Instacart’s top-selling item, with more than 1.8 billion delivered to date. They also generate the highest number of shopper notes, reflecting how specific customers are about ripeness, color and firmness.

Preference Picker builds on that behavior, giving users clearer ways to communicate preferences directly in the app. While bananas take center stage in the Super Bowl ad spot, Instacart plans to expand the feature to other produce categories, such as avocados, and even to deli items.

Retro Style, Modern Strategy

Spike Jonze shot the commercial on vintage tube cameras, giving it an analog, throwback look that stands out amid the usual high-gloss Super Bowl ads. The intentionally offbeat visual style is designed to make viewers pause and lean in—an increasingly rare achievement during the Big Game.

Instacart is also releasing a longer director’s cut online, extending the musical storyline and encouraging viewers to engage beyond the 30-second broadcast. The strategy reflects a broader shift in Super Bowl advertising: using the televised spot as a gateway to deeper digital engagement.

A High-Stakes Super Bowl Return

This marks Instacart’s second Super Bowl appearance, following a well-received debut featuring iconic grocery mascots. With “Bananas,” the company is doubling down on humor, star power and product innovation to position itself as a grocery technology leader focused on detail and personalization.

In a Super Bowl crowded with spectacle, Instacart is betting that obsession over something as ordinary as bananas might just be memorable enough to stick.