Media Coverage

For the past few years I’ve written about what works and what doesn’t in Super Bowl advertising. This year, I’m looking back at the hits and misses from the past five years. What makes a good Super Bowl ad?  With an audience as big as the Super Bowl, we assume that brands are trying to appeal to as many folks as possible with their very expensive 30-second and 60-second spot(s). With this as a thesis, we (myself and my company Ace Metrix) measure effectiveness based on what appeals most to the average American across a number of criteria. For example, GoDaddy is in the bottom tier most years because their ads are highly polarizing. GoDaddy ads earn low scores because, by design, they target a decisively male audience that mainly drives attention but falls short on critical components of a successful Ace Score like likeability, information, desire and relevance. Point is: Just because an ad doesn’t receive a high Ace Score doesn’t mean that it was “bad” or didn’t reach its desired objective; it just means that it didn’t appeal to the broadest swath of America. With that said, here’s a look at how each of the past five years of Super Bowl advertising have played out thematically.

2014: The Year of Playing It Safe and Social

For the most part, advertisers seem to have taken heed that isolating one-half or the other of your audience with highly targeted, crass or chauvinistic ads is at best a waste of money and at worst damaging. In fact, fewer advertisers attempted humor last year than in previous years; 64 percent of ads were funny versus 72 percent in 2013. Yet those that went for a laugh earned the highest marks from consumers than the previous four years. The 2014 ads earned an average Ace Score of 574 compared to 555 in 2013 and 554 of the five-year average. (> more on the funny ads of Super Bowl 48)

In lieu of risk-taking, advertisers focused on social engagement. Last year, 11 percent of advertisers incorporated fan participation in conjunction with their air-time exposure, versus 7 percent or less in previous years. And we expect that number to rise more dramatically this year. Bud Light, Carnival Cruises, Doritos, Lincoln, and Jaguar as well as newcomer brands Avocados from Mexico, Dove and Locktite have already published their fan-plans, and if history is any indication, we can expect to see others fall in line.

Microsoft and Budweiser earned top scores for their long-form ads in 2014, all three delivering emotionally powerful pieces. Hyundai landed the third highest spot and the top automotive ad for the game with a humorous yet highly informative spot for the Hyundai Genesis. RadioShack used the big game platform to re-launch its brand and store refresh leveraging an 80’s cast of characters to poke fun at its stale reputation. Sadly, its well-received attempt could not save it from Chapter 11.

At the bottom, we find Carmax, which attempted to recreate the familiar “Slow Clap” scene of so many movies but instead left viewers bored and confused. Had Carmax chosen to air their “Slow Bark” version (similarly slow and confusing, but with attention grabbing pooches), they would have avoided the bottom and given viewers something more memorable to chat about.

2013:  The Year of Leaks

Super Bowl 47 marked a significant awakening for advertisers. Gone were the days of throwing all of your eggs into a single Super Bowl basket. In 2013, 50 percent of all advertising brands issued a teaser ad either online or on television in the weeks leading up to the game. Forty-six percent actually released their game day ad early – a stark contrast to the prior years where the big reveal was considered best practice. Last year, however, leaked ads remained about even at 45 percent; however, teasers dropped to 38 percent.

Budweiser reclaimed a top-tier spot in the 47th Game with the return of the Clydesdale in a featured role. The “Got Milk?” campaign crashed the soda-and-beer-drenched stage, tapping “The Rock” to star in this entertaining spot. Coca-Cola’s “Security Camera” was one of several more emotionally charged anthem spots that first debuted during the Summer Olympics of 2012. Doritos earned its third consecutive seat at the winners’ table proving again that fan selected and crowd-sourced content is a recipe for success (when paired with great creative advisors). Mercedes earned its seat with a star-studded spot that introduced a new, more affordable luxury vehicle.

At the bottom we see both of the GoDaddy spots once again, this time splitting their creative approach between a comical, demographically impartial spot that better attempts to connect the message with the product, and another shock spot that tops the charts on “gross” factor. It would be unfair to place too much significance on the fact that GoDaddy occupies so many of the bottom positions annually. To their credit, GoDaddy took risks over the years, generally targeting a very specific demographic and will feel the impact of those choices for some time even as the brand establishes a more female-friendly reputation.

2012: The Year of American Stories

It was Super Bowl 46 where more advertisers decided that a 60-second spot might be a worthwhile risk.  In 2012, one-third of Super Bowl ads were more than 30 seconds, versus an average of 22 percent in the previous two years. It’s here that we saw Clint Eastwood’s two-minute “It’s Halftime in America” and a 45-second GE ad about “Building Something Big in Louisville.” Other examples include Volkswagen’s 75-second sequel to its popular “the Force” ad from the previous year, Samsung’s 90-second demonstration (starring the Flaming Lips), and Budweiser’s many 60-second spots, two of which harkened back to Prohibition.

Soda and snacks ruled the 2012 game, with Doritos and M&M’s tying for the number-one spot earning outrageous Attention and Likeability scores through incredibly entertaining ads. Coca-Cola prepared a set of ads to air that were dependent on the current score of the game, creating a real-time feel and connection with consumers.

At the bottom we see the common theme of beer-brand ads that were polarizing by nature and did not appeal to a large percentage of Americans. H&M took a double creative risk featuring David Beckham and having him nearly naked in an attempt to promote a new line of men’s underwear (not surprisingly appealing more strongly to women).

2011: The Year of Pepsi

It’s a well-known rivalry that plays out each year: Coke versus Pepsi. While consumers’ personal loyalties likely pre-dispose them to root for one or the other, these advertisers don’t disappoint their fans each year attempting to out-do the other, often pulling out all the stops in terms of scale, celebrity, patriotism, sentimentality, and just plain innovative creative. 2011 is the only chart, however, in the last five years where you will see Pepsi surpass Coca-Cola. Why? Because the two ads aired by Pepsi were exceptional. In addition to earning Attention and Likeability Ace Scores well into the 700s, these two are the highest-scoring ads in terms of Change for either brand.

2010: The Least-Sexy Super Bowl

Contrary to popular belief, Super Bowl Ace Scores don’t support the age-old adage “sex sells.” Consumers continuously score ads with a sexual theme lower than those without. And yet, each year the number of ads attempting to allure us (men or women, but generally not both at the same time) increases. In 2010, only three ads used “hot guy or gal” to attract attention. Unsurprisingly, two of the three buffer the bottom list.

In 2010, it was Candies and Snacks at the top, with Doritos claiming the second and fourth-highest positions with Snickers’ famous “You’re Not You” campaign featuring Betty White. Budweiser claimed the number one position with its “Fence” ad – one of its most memorable of its Clydesdale collection, and Google made a splash with its emotionally charged “Parisian Love.”

To read the original article, visit Forbes.