Press Release

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA.— February 2, 2015—McDonald’s one-minute “Pay with Lovin’” Super Bowl ad is the top-scoring ad of Super Bowl 2015, according to Ace Metrix®, the standard in television and video advertising analytics. The ad achieved an Ace Score of 706, one of the highest Super Bowl Ace Scores of all time and 21 percent above the category norm for Quick Service Restaurants. Budweiser, Coca-Cola and Snickers tied for the #2 spot, and ads from Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, Dodge, Doritos and Always rounded out the Top 10 list (seen below).

“An Ace Score over 700 is about as common as a perfect game in Major League Baseball:  0.06% of all ads over the past five years have scored above 700. McDonald’s has achieved Super Bowl gold, surprising and delighting consumers and changing perceptions about the fast food giant,” said Peter Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix.

“McDonald’s is on-trend with messages of positivity that really resonate with consumers. For the past few years, we’ve seen a pivotal shift away from sheer shock value and slapstick humor toward emotional connectivity in Super Bowl ads. Nearly every ad in the Top 10 embraced this emotional connection with the exception of Doritos and Snickers, which won on humor, attention, likeability and desire.”

Top 10 Super Bowl Ads, 2015 

*Definition: The Ace Score is the measure of ad creative effectiveness based on viewer reaction to national TV ads. A unique sample of 500+ people, representative of the U.S. TV viewing audience scores each ad. The results are presented on a scale of 1–950, which represents scoring on creative attributes such as Persuasion, Likeability, Information, Attention, Change, Relevance, Desire and Watchability. This list represents the top 10 Super Bowl XLIX ads by Ace Score. The list is based on ads to have debuted during the beginning of Super Bowl game play through the final whistle on February 2, 2015. To be considered for the top 10 list, an ad must have achieved the minimum Attention threshold.

Positivity and Emotion Win the Day 

In keeping with its trend toward pulling at heartstrings, Budweiser’s “Lost Dog” ad scored an admirable 652 Ace Score (34 percent above the Beer ad average). Last year’s similarly themed “Puppy Love” ad was the second most effective ad of the Super Bowl, achieving an Ace Score of 681.

Coca-Cola’s “#MakeItHappy” ad similarly appealed to consumers on an emotional level, also achieving an Ace Score of 652, placing it firmly in the top tier of Super Bowl ads this year. By comparison, Coke’s most effective Super Bowl ad of the last five years was 2012’s “The Catch,” featuring its iconic polar bears, which achieved and Ace Score of 654.

Mercedes-Benz very effectively leveraged the “Tortoise and the Hare” tale with its “Fable” ad appearing in the fourth quarter, achieving an Ace Score of 649. The ad, which won on Attention, Likeability—and even Emotion—was Mercedes’ best Super Bowl effort in six years. By comparison, 2013’s “Soul” ad achieved an Ace Score of 626.

Last year’s Super Bowl winner Microsoft had an impressive showing this year as well with its “Braylon O’Neil” ad, which achieved an Ace Score of 646 and the 6^th position on the entire list. Right behind it was Dodge’s “Wisdom” ad, which achieved an Ace Score of 644.

Always’ Super Bowl debut “Like a Girl,” which aired during halftime, was extremely well-liked by consumers, achieving an impressive Ace Score of 636.

Humor Still A Winning Super Bowl Attribute

While many of the top 2015 Super Bowl ad creative tended toward more serious messages, there were still some notable attempts at humor that won over consumers.

Snickers’ fun take on the Brady Bunch impressed consumers who awarded it with an Ace Score of 652—the same score as Coke and Budweiser and 14 percent above the category norm for Candies & Snacks.  This ad compares favorably to last year’s Top 10 M&M’s “Delivery” ad, which achieved an Ace Score of 627.

Doritos’ “Crash the Super Bowl” ads, a perennial crowd favorite, managed two Top 10 spots with “When Pigs Fly” (Ace Score: 643) and “Middle Seat” (Ace Score: 631). By comparison Doritos’ 2014 predecessor “Cowboy Kid” achieved an Ace Score of 640. Doritos’ most effective Super Bowl effort in the last five years was 2012’s “Man’s Best Friend,” which achieved an Ace Score of 645.

For an interview about Super Bowl ads, please contact:

Michelle Robertson                                          Dori Busell
michelle@kerlancomm.com                             dori@kerlancomm.com
646-279-5775                                                   917-689-3415

For historical Super Bowl ad information, facts and figures, please visit: https://www.acemetrix.com/spotlights/.

About Ace Metrix

Ace Metrix® is the standard in television and video analytics, dedicated to delivering better, faster and more cost-effective solutions for evaluating video advertising within competitive context. Through the Ace Metrix LIVE® platform, companies access timely, actionable data wherever, whenever they need to, enabling real-time advertising campaign optimization. Combining leading edge technology and patent pending methodology, Ace Metrix is revolutionizing the way marketers measure themselves and their competitive landscape. The Company is privately held and is backed by leading venture capital firms and industry leaders including Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, Palomar Ventures, Leapfrog Ventures and WPP.

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PR Contact:  Michelle Robertson   |    646-279-5775    |   michelle@kerlancomm.com

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