January 29th, 2014

Advertisers Rewarded with Big Audience at Grammys

Author

Ace Metrix

 

Music’s biggest night proved to be a big night for advertisers as 28.5 million viewers tuned in – the second most-watched Grammys in twenty-one years. The unique ceremony included performances from a variety of stars and the weddings of 34 couples as well as some interesting choices from advertisers. Many brands have adopted a musical approach since songs and albums have become more accessible in the digital age, and those brands touted their association during the awards show on Sunday. Pepsi even decided that the Super Bowl isn’t the only event that deserves a halftime. While some brands chose to air brand-new creative, others went into their library to find the perfect ad for the occasion. Here’s a look at some of the highs (and lows) of the evening’s advertising:

Pepsi Half Time Show Pleases Some, Confuses Others

There was a decidedly mixed reaction to Pepsi’s 2:30-long “Grammy’s Halftime” – some consumers, particularly those who could identify the NFL personalities and music video parodies, thought the ad was funny and clever. Others were confused about who the stars were, what was going on and what the connection to music was. The ad was a middle quintile spot in the Soda category, performing slightly above norm for overall Ace Score, but succeeded in grabbing consumers’ Attention. Pepsi has moved from two :30 spots in this weekend’s Super Bowl to just one :30 and the sponsorship of the halftime show. We’re looking forward to seeing what creative they use for the Big Game.

Feedback from consumers was mixed. Men favored the ad by more than 5%, which is probably expected considering the ad had a football theme.

Yoplait Gets Early Tackle On Chobani

Although the spot premiered a few days before the Grammy ceremony, it’s worth noting that the advertiser has a hit on their hands. Its rivals in the Greek yogurt space, Chobani and Oikos, have both purchased Super Bowl ad space, so it’s an interesting tactic that Yoplait chose to get out of the gate and go with a Grammys spot, effectively kicking off the already heated Greek yogurt war of 2014. “The Greek Taste-Off” is the third highest scoring ad for Yoplait in the last twelve months, which is great news that it got so much play in front of a big audience.

Consumers were tempted by the yummy shots of blueberries mixed into the yogurt, rewarding the brand with a Desire score 11% above norm. They also felt as though Yolpait was telling them something new; the Change score was 9% above norm for the Dairy category. Chobani better watch their back!

Real Estate back from Hiatus

Coldwell Banker and Realtor.com joined the Grammy fray with decidedly different approaches. Coldwell Banker used a classic song from Motley Crue (who won’t be a band anymore after their current tour) to remind people what all the feelings of home are like. The spot rocked with consumers, scoring 11% above norm. Consumers seemed to like the pairing of the music and visuals, which held their Attention. The lack of any details did cause a low Information score, but it feels like the intent was likely more an Emotional one. The ad was a hit on our Emotional Sentiment Index, scoring a 70, the highest score the Real Estate category has ever had.

Realtor.com appealed more to consumers’ rational side, informing them that interest rates are still low and the market has been recovering. Despite the informative voiceover, consumers weren’t impressed with the ad, feeling like the visuals didn’t match what the spot was promoting.

Many advertisers chose to use the big stage to continue the campaigns they were already running. Apple ran with their “Poetry of Life” spot featuring Robin Williams from Dead Poet’s Society while Discover Card continued to run their campaign focused on free credit checks. 2014 is premiering with a bang for advertising – Awards Season, Super Bowl and the Olympics have us busy these next few weeks! Check out our pregame Super Bowl coverage and stay tuned for our summary of what we’ve seen so far in Olympics advertising.

AD TITLE

{{ title }}

BRAND

CATEGORY

{{ category }}

AIR DATE

{{ date }}

ACE SCORE

{{ rank }}

Scroll To Top