The Super Bowl pop-up playbook: How brands are showing up on the ground in San Francisco

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest cultural events of the year, and brands of all sizes want in on the hype. Some, like Tecovas and Bud Light, are pouring money into Super Bowl ads — which, in 2026, can come with an $8 million price tag. For brands that want a physical presence on the ground, though, pop-ups can be an attractive bet. Pop-ups are cheaper than building a new store, they’re fodder for driving engagement and social content, and they’re touch points for new customers to discover what brands have to offer.

As Todd Melaney, co-founder of the footwear and apparel brand While on Earth, put it, “There’s only so many tickets to the Super Bowl, but there’s so much more that fans can experience.”

Here’s how three brands are putting their own spin on the Super Bowl this year.

While on Earth: Workouts & product previews

While on Earth, which counts San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey as a co-founder, is setting up a pop-up in San Francisco from Feb. 5-6. It is the company’s first pop-up to date. “There’s so much energy and anticipation before the game, and it made a lot of sense for us to tap into that excitement,” Melaney said.

While on Earth, which launched in 2024, is partnering with Athletic Brewing for the pop-up, held at the Sport Beach Clubhouse. Visitors can come by the experience to participate in daily workouts, browse and buy merchandise, and enjoy drinks from Athletic Brewing. There will also be daily run clubs, followed by coffee and refreshments, as well as a VIP panel discussion for leaders within the sports and entertainment industry. While on Earth decided to partner with Athletic Brewing because “they’re a phenomenal brand, and we’ve been friends with them for a long time,” Melaney said.

While on Earth and Athletic Brewing are teasing the pop-up on social media channels, including Instagram. For While on Earth, the pop-up is an opportunity to engage with customers face to face. The brand largely sells merchandise online, although it carries products in some specialty retailers. “For the most part, we expect that this will be the first time this audience will see the product in person,” Melaney said.

While on Earth is also using the pop-up to preview two shoes launching in the coming months amid the company’s larger focus on running. The brand is eager to hold additional activations in the future, especially when it comes to experiences like workouts. “We’re very community-driven and content-driven, so we’d like to try to create experiences that you can’t buy,” Melaney said.

Béis: Bingo & bar snacks

Meanwhile, in San Francisco’s famed Ghirardelli Square, luggage brand Béis is hosting a pop-up from Feb 6-8. Béis had a presence at last year’s Super Bowl by participating in a gifting suite. This year, it wanted to do something bigger, Liz Money, Béis’ svp of brand and creative, told Modern Retail. After all, she said, Béis sells bags, and “people have to travel to the Super Bowl.” “It is a cultural moment,” she said.

Even more broadly, appealing to athletes like football players is a large priority for Béis. “Athletes travel, regardless of who they are and what they play,” Money said. “We want to tap into that community and let them know we have bags for them that are affordable and worth the value, from a function and quality standpoint. It is an important sector for us to market to and to get some brand awareness around.” What’s more, most of Béis’ customers are women, and the brand hopes the Super Bowl activation will draw in men, too.

On Feb. 6, Béis will host a small event for press and VIP guests. The public event kicks off on Feb. 7 at San Francisco Brewing Co. “We’ve basically transformed part of the restaurant into a football field, and we’re going to do relays that involve our luggage,” Money said. Béis will broadcast results on a scoreboard and give prizes to winners. On Feb. 8, it will host another public event, this time with game-day trivia and bingo, also at San Francisco Brewing Co.

Throughout the pop-up, Béis will have products available for purchase, including its new Pro Collection and Sport Collection. Béis will also sell a regulation-size stadium tote for customers going to the game. It will give out gifts with purchase, as well as “gifts for just attending,” Money said. In addition, Béis will hand out cards with QR codes that new customers can scan for 20% off.

Money said Béis hopes to make sales this weekend, but also acknowledged that pop-ups aren’t always a huge revenue opportunity. “This is all about reach and engagement, both during the event and post-event,” Money said. “We typically see a halo effect around our bigger brand activations.”

Abercrombie & Fitch: Fleeces & fashion shows

Abercrombie & Fitch is also rolling out a series of activations in San Francisco. This will be the brand’s first Super Bowl as the official fashion partner of the NFL. “This is the capstone of an incredible year together,” CMO Carey Collins Krug told Modern Retail. “We started work on this at the beginning of the season, so it’s a big moment for us.”

This isn’t Abercrombie & Fitch’s first time working with the NFL, though. It has collaborated with the league before, including by creating team-branded products and launching campaigns featuring NFL WAGs (wives and girlfriends of athletes). Last year, it held a pop-up shop in New Orleans, as part of the 2025 Super Bowl.

For this year’s Super Bowl, Abercrombie & Fitch made a new crop of merchandise like hoodies, tees and jackets, some with Seahawks and Patriots logos. Customers can buy these at Abercrombie’s pop-up within the NFL Shop at the Moscone Center, from Feb. 3-7. The collection is available online at Abercrombie.com for a limited time.

Abercrombie also made custom bomber jackets for players and coaches who participated in the Pro Bowl Games on Feb. 3. Next, on Feb. 7, Abercrombie will showcase key NFL-licensed products and some heritage looks at an invite-only fashion presentation. “The fashion presentation is tunnel-walk inspired, because the tunnel walk is the new runway,” Collins Krug said. “We’ll be featuring athletes and their wives and girlfriends and the women behind the sport as our models in the presentation.”

Abercrombie is excited to have a presence at a major sporting event like the Super Bowl, Collins Krug said. “We have a very rich 130-year-old history of being associated with sports enthusiasts and spectators,” she said. “At one point, we even made football helmets and pads. Of course, we’re not in the equipment business anymore, but we are very much still in the business of quality outfitting for the sports fan. … And the NFL is the most relevant way for us to show up today, for today’s consumer.”