Americans can’t get enough of gymnast Simone Biles. In addition to being one of the most-watched athletes headed to Rio, brands love her, and her ads are unstoppable. The awe-inspiring 19-year-old is featured in a quarter of the 16 most-liked US ads released so far for the 2016 Summer Olympics, according to ad-tracking firm Ace Metrix. She’s definitely making the most of her moment in the spotlight.
The US-based firm interviewed 500 respondents about each of the 71 Olympics-related ads released in the US so far this year, for products ranging from paper towels and sporting gear to chocolate and fast food.They scored the ads on a scale from 0 to 950, based on how much people liked them.
Most of the best-liked ads aimed to be inspiring and uplifting, like Procter & Gamble’s “Strong,” which is a continuation of the “Thank You, Mom” campaign launched by the packaged-goods giant during the 2014 Winter Games. The majority of the spots, like the four featuring Biles, starred Olympic athletes from all walks of life, like US swimmer Missy Franklin, Chinese swimmer Ning Zetao, runner Allyson Felix, tennis champion Serena Williams, wheelchair basketball player Desiree Miller, and gold medalist Usain Bolt. Winter Olympian Lindsey Vonn also makes an appearance, in a lighthearted ad for Reese’s. Biles also appears in other ads that didn’t make this list.
Nearly all of the most-liked ads, with the exception of spots by Gatorade and Pizza Hut, were also from official Olympic sponsors, or official sponsors of an Olympic team. Ads from official sponsors generally perform better then those from non-sponsors, Ace found, by analyzing data from the 2012 and 2014 games. But that could shift this year as changes to the International Olympic Committee’s rule governing athlete marketing make it a little bit easier for non-sponsors to get in the Games.
Notably, longer and grittier ads, like Gillette’s “Perfect Isn’t Pretty,”didn’t make it onto the list. The firm said that it scored above average for the personal-care space, but some respondents thought that at three minutes, it was just too long to be likable. Under Armour’s tribute to Michael Phelps, “Rule Yourself,” also didn’t break the top sixteen.
And, because Ace Metrix is US based, the ranking didn’t not include ads from other countries, like UK broadcaster Channel4’s awesome and popular three-minute trailer for the Paralympics, “We’re the Superhumans,” which has racked up 3.2 million views on YouTube in the two weeks since its release.
Watch the 16 most-liked Olympic ads that aired in the US before the Games officially kick off with the opening ceremony on August 5:
Dick’s Sporting Goods, “The Contenders,” likability score: 739
Gatorade, “Never Lose the Love,” likability score: 737
Bounty, “Quicker Than Chloe with Allyson Felix,” likability score: 736
Always, “#LikeAGirl—Keep Playing,” likability score: 734
Samsung Corporate Branding, “The Anthem,” likability score: 727
Hershey’s, “Hello From Home: US Olympic Hopeful, Simone Biles,” likability score: 727
Dick’s Sporting Goods, “Vault. Sleep. Repeat. ext.,” likability score: 727
Samsung Corporate Branding, “A Fighting Chance,” likability score: 710
United, “One Journey. Two Teams,” likability score: 709
Reese’s, “Lindsey Vonn: Summer Sports With Winter Olympian,” likability score: 708
Coca-Cola, “Gold Feelings,” likability score: 701
Pizza Hut, “The Big Flavor Dipper USA Edition,” likability score: 699
Kellogg’s Cereals, “What Gets You Started?,” likability score: 698
Nike General Apparel, “Unlimited Simone Biles,” likability score: 695
Chobani, “Team USA & Chobani Present: Cooking with Marlen Esparza,” likability score: 694
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