February 09, 2026
Big Game Breakthrough: Why We're Putting a Small Business on America's Biggest Advertising Stage
By David Naffis, Founder & CEO of Adwave
Table of Contents
For most of TV's history, the medium has belonged to big brands with big budgets. National ads, prime-time spots, local commercial breaks during the evening news: all of it required production crews, media buyers, agency relationships, and six-figure minimums just to get in the door.
Small businesses were never part of that conversation. Not because TV didn't work for them, but because no one built a path that made sense.
That's what Adwave is changing. We make it possible for any business to create a professional TV commercial and run a targeted campaign, starting at budgets as small as $50. No agencies. No contracts. No gatekeepers.
Today, we're announcing Big Game Breakthrough, a campaign that puts that promise on the biggest stage in advertising.
One Small Business. America's Biggest Stage.
One Adwave customer will receive a 30-second national advertisement during the professional football championship broadcast on February 14, 2027.
That's not a typo. The same stage where automakers, beer companies, and tech giants spend $7 million for half a minute of airtime will feature a small business. A mom-and-pop shop. A local service company. A startup that most of America has never heard of.
Until that moment.
Why We're Doing This
Let me be clear about something: small businesses aren't supposed to buy $7 million TV ads. That's not the business model. That's not the point.
The point is that TV is finally accessible. The barriers that kept small businesses out of television advertising are gone. Adwave removed them.
Big Game Breakthrough puts that shift front and center. When a small business appears during the most-watched broadcast of the year, surrounded by Fortune 500 advertisers, the message is clear: this isn't their stage anymore. It's everyone's stage.
How It Works
Starting March 1, 2026, any paying Adwave customer can enter their TV commercial into Big Game Breakthrough. Here's the process:
Entry Period (March - October 2026)
Customers opt in when launching an ad campaign through Adwave. Entered ads will be displayed publicly on our website.
Voting Period (October - November 2026)
Anyone can create an account and vote for their favorite entries. This isn't just about picking a winner. It's about building a community around small businesses that deserve to be seen.
Finalist Selection (November 2026)
The Top 10 entries will be announced on November 20, 2026. A panel of judges, including advertising industry veterans, small business advocates, and entrepreneurs, will evaluate finalists based on creative quality, their business story, and how well they represent the small business spirit.
The Moment (February 2027)
The winner's ad airs during the broadcast. One small business, 115 million viewers, 30 seconds that tell the whole country what's possible.
What Makes This Different
You might be thinking: hasn't this been done before? A few big brands have run similar contests over the years.
Here's what makes Big Game Breakthrough different:
We're the TV advertising platform.
When an accounting software company runs a contest like this, they're promoting accounting software. When we do it, we're showcasing our actual product. The winner isn't just getting a prize. They're showing what Adwave customers can do.
The winner is already an Adwave customer.
This isn't a one-time stunt. The winning business will have already run TV campaigns through our platform. They'll have experienced the journey from their first $50 ad to the biggest advertising moment of the year. That story matters.
The journey is the point.
We're not just announcing a winner and moving on. We're spending a year telling the stories of small businesses using TV advertising to grow. Every entrant has a story. Every voter becomes part of a community. The winner is the finale, not the whole story.
The Bigger Picture
TV advertising is a $150+ billion industry. For decades, small businesses couldn't participate. That's changing, and we're leading that change.
Big Game Breakthrough isn't a marketing gimmick. It's a year-long demonstration that the rules have changed, that small businesses belong on television, and that Adwave makes it affordable.
One small business will get a $7 million advertising moment. But the real story is the thousands of businesses that will discover they can advertise on TV too, on their own terms, at budgets that actually make sense.
That's what we're building.
Get Involved
Want to enter? Become an Adwave customer and start running TV campaigns. Entry details and official rules will be available March 1, 2026.
Want to follow the journey? Sign up for updates at adwave.com/big-game-breakthrough.
Press inquiries? Contact press@adwave.com.
Big Game Breakthrough is not sponsored by, endorsed by, or affiliated with any professional football league, team, or broadcast organization.