Press Release

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA.—November 25, 2013—Ace Metrix®, the new standard in television and video advertising analytics, today announced the top 10 most effective holiday ads in the lead-up to Thanksgiving, a list led by Pillsbury, IHOP and USPS.  With noticeably less holiday ad volume year to date, the top 10 list is light on retailers and conspicuously absent from the list are technology and automotive ads. While not ranking within the current top 10, K-Mart’s edgy spin on holiday advertising is noteworthy, beginning with its early-bird free layaway ad in September and more recently with its viral “Show Your Joe” ad.

“2012 was the Christmas of home improvement; 2011 was the Christmas of tech; and by this early touch-point, 2013 looks to focus on emotion and simplicity,” said Peter Daboll, Ace Metrix CEO.  “The brands on this list delivered creative that appeals to the themes of the season – family, giving and not enough time.”

Top Holiday Ads, 2013 YTD

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. An Emotional Sentiment Index is also available for each ad and is represented on a scale of 1–100, generated using a natural language algorithm applied to the hundreds of verbatim responses collected for each ad. This list represents the top 10 highest scoring holiday themed television ads to debut between September 9th and November 20th, 2013.

A Lean Holiday for Advertisers
“We’ve seen a decline in new creative units to debut prior to Thanksgiving – particularly in the Retail and Automotive industries,” said Peter Daboll. “It will be interesting to see if these two groups have held their holiday specific ads until after the feast or if they are conserving due to the shorter holiday shopping season. That said, our year over year data tells us to anticipate a surge in both Retail and Technology in the coming weeks.”

Pillsbury gives us simple ways to feed our families with quick holiday treats, which earns them two spots on the top 10 list, so far. IHOP serves up the second highest performing ad by enticing viewers to spend more time with family and less time cooking. USPS, which aired the second most effective ad of the 2012 season, has earned third place with their holiday jingle of dependability and convenience. FedEx also makes the top 10 list with a similar message about simplifying holiday shipping.

For more details on the leading holiday ads and this season’s surprises, visit the Ace Metrix blog, Creative Rules.

Retailers Jingle Less this Holiday
Kohl’s heartwarming “Christmas Surprise” ad, the most effective Retail ad so far this holiday season, achieved an Ace Score of 639, bringing the retailer into the running as a top holiday advertiser for the first time in years. Many of the other retailers who have aired holiday ads so far have opted for a more subtle touch. Lowe’s, who also appeared on last year’s list, swapped refrigerators for decorations in its pitch, which earned them a spot among the top 5 ads with an Ace Score of 635. Toys R Us has aired several ads under their “Make Their Wishes Come True” campaign that is completely void of any holiday attributions.

K-Mart continues its edgy spin on advertising this holiday season – first with their September attempt to lure holiday shoppers with free layaway and then their more recent “Show Your Joe” ad (Ace Score 531), which has aired both online and in local markets. “Show your Joe” scored very well with women, and Attention scores for the ad were 20 percent higher than the category average. While these K-Mart ads are among the brand’s more effective holiday creative, neither scored high enough to make the top 10 most effective holiday ads to date.

Ace Metrix will reveal the top ads and brands for the holiday season at the end of the year.

About Ace Metrix
Ace Metrix® is the new 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 can now 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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