MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA.—April 2, 2012—Ace Metrix™, the new standard in television analytics, today announced the 10 most effective ads for the first quarter of 2012, a list led by Samsung’s ad for its Galaxy Note (also the most effective ad of the Academy Awards), earning an Ace Score of 686. Samsung debuted nine separate ads in Q1, three of which were the most effective technology ads, ranging in Ace Scores from 686 to 636. This compares to competitor Apple, which only debuted four new ads during the quarter, the most effective of which scored a 618, compared to the average Ace Score for technology ads of 548.
“Q1 is arguably the most important quarter for advertising, as the Super Bowl, Oscars, and awards season in general drives the advertising agenda,” said Peter Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix. “It will be very interesting to watch how Samsung’s continually impressive ads affect the company’s marketshare vis-à-vis competitors like Apple, which, this quarter, did not come close to measuring up to Samsung’s advertising prowess. Samsung’s top-ranked ad was particularly brilliant because it conveyed innovation and information without a narrator.”
The two ads from Doritos and M&Ms that tied as the number one Super Bowl ad this year shared the #2 spot on the Q1 list, each scoring 671, and Coca-Cola’s top scoring Super Bowl ad, “The Catch” ranked #8.
Most Effective TV Ads of Q1 2012* (watch the ads)
| Rank | Brand | Ad Title | Ace Score |
| 1 | Samsung Galaxy Note | The Best Of A Phone And Tablet | 686 |
| 2 | Doritos | Sling Baby (Super Bowl Ad) | 671 |
| 2 | M&M’s | Just My Shell (Super Bowl Ad) | 671 |
| 4 | Infiniti | See The Invisible Kid | 668 |
| 5 | Samsung Televisions | Taking Over | 665 |
| 6 | Tide | Any Drum Size Or Temperature | 661 |
| 7 | Hunt’s | Tomatoes With A Kick | 659 |
| 8 | Coca-Cola | The Catch (Super Bowl ad) | 654 |
| 9 | Olive Garden | Delicious Deals | 653 |
| 10 | Panasonic | Mbola Village Gets Electricity | 652 |
*Definition: Ace Score is the measure of ad creative effectiveness based on viewer reaction to national TV ads. Respondents are randomly selected and representative of the U.S. TV viewing audience. The results are presented on a scale of 0-950, which represents scoring on creative attributes such as relevance, persuasion, watchability, information, attention, etc. This list is comprised of the highest scoring new television advertisements to have aired nationally during the first three months of 2012.
“Least Effective” Ads List Dominated by Financial Services
Financial services dominated the list of least effective ads of Q1 across the categories of Real Estate, Investment, Mortgage and Retail. Occupying several positions on the bottoms list is H&M, which also aired a “star-dudded” David Beckham ad that ranked among the least effective Super Bowl ads this year.
Least Effective TV Ads of Q1 2012 (watch the ads)
| Rank | Brand | Ad Title | Ace Score |
| 1 | One Reverse Mortgage | Enjoy Your Retirement | 303 |
| 2 | One Reverse Mortgage | Let Your Home Work For You | 311 |
| 3 | H&M | The 5-Pocket Pants | 320 |
| 4 | H&M | Slacks | 340 |
| 5 | Siemens | Community Is A Little Greener | 346 |
| 6 | Goldman Sachs | Man And Dog In Field | 351 |
| 7 | H&M | Blazer For $19.95 | 360 |
| 8 | Goldman Sachs | Man Works | 362 |
| 9 | Macy’s | Rachel Roy: We All Need A Maxi Dress | 367 |
| 10 | Century 21 | Like The Biggest Tycoon In Real Estate | 372 |
Retail Makes Waves in Q1
While H&M debuted the lowest scoring retail ads, the highest scoring ad in the sector was JCPenney’s “Receipt Revolt” ad starring Ellen DeGeneres, which broke during the Oscars. But while many of the other JCPenney Ellen spots were effective during the Oscars, none of them broke into the Top 5 Retail ads for the quarter.
| Rank | Brand | Ad Title | Ace Score |
| 1 | JCPenney | Receipt Revolt (Oscar ad) | 630 |
| 2 | Lowe’s Building Supply Store | Refresh Your Home This Spring | 605 |
| 3 | Target : Kitchen Products | Giada: Gorgonzola & Mushroom Risotto | 602 |
| 4 | Best Buy | Compact | 595 |
| 5 | Walgreens Drug Stores | Short Lines And Great Parking | 594 |
About Ace Metrix
Ace Metrix is the new standard in television analytics. Through patent-pending Ace Score™ measurement technology, Ace Metrix collects and measures the consumer impact of every nationally breaking TV ad in near real-time. Through its Creative Lifecycle Management™ suite of products, Ace Metrix provides actionable creative analysis, from ideation through real-time in-market performance optimization, to many of the world’s leading advertisers and agencies. Ace Metrix works with leading global advertisers. For more information, visit www.acemetrix.com
