With half of 2014 behind us, we celebrate the ads that stood apart from the pack – according to the more than 142,000 consumers who scored 1,566 ads that debuted on national television between April and July. In the second quarter alone we collected 750,000 quantitative responses and more than 450,000 qualitative verbatims on this set of ads. Below are the pieces of creative that consumers scored highest across 30 categories. Click the category link to jump ahead or stroll through them in sequence. Afterall, this is the only place that you are going to find such a broad set of effective creative in one place.
| Category | Brand | Ad Title | Ace Score | Percent Above Category Norm |
| Apparel & Footwear | Hanes | Cool Passenger | 624 | 27.1% |
| Appliances | KitchenAid | Ignite Your Culinary Creativity | 740 | 21.3% |
| Auto – Luxury | Lexus | The Eyes | 653 | 18.5% |
| Auto – Non-Luxury | Chevrolet | Happy Children | 689 | 27.3% |
| Automotive Services | Firestone | Rule The World | 673 | 22.8% |
| Beverages – Beer | Crispin Cider | Fresh Pressed | 601 | 19.9% |
| Beverages – Non-Alcoholic | Welch’s | True To The Fruit | 685 | 21.5% |
| Beverages – Soda | Pepsi | Summer Flavors | 631 | 15.2% |
| Beverages – Spirits | Seagram’s Escapes | Color Your Summer | 619 | 30.0% |
| Candies & Snacks | Breyers | Parents Don’t Want to Share | 688 | 24.1% |
| Financial Services – Banking, Investment & Mortgage | GE Capital | King’s Hawaiian | 608 | 19.8% |
| Financial Services – Credit Cards | Discover Card | Same Page | 592 | 10.2% |
| Household | Dawn | Little Things Can Make a Big Difference | 722 | 24.5% |
| Insurance | State Farm | Names :60 | 659 | 26.1% |
| Packaged Foods | Sargento | Difference in Slices: L. & L. Gentine | 690 | 21.4% |
| Personal Care – Cosmetics | bareMinerals | New Serum Foundation | 523 | 10.9% |
| Personal Care – Hair | L’Oreal Hair | Reusable Hair Color | 580 | 19.4% |
| Personal Care – General | Band-Aid | Their Most Stretchable Sheer Bandage | 662 | 22.1% |
| Personal Care – Skin | Neutrogena Skin | Ready for Summer | 616 | 23.9% |
| Pets | Iams | Strong Body | 644 | 18.5% |
| Pharmaceuticals – OTC | Advil | Heal As You Sleep | 617 | 13.0% |
| Restaurants – Casual Dining | Olive Garden | Latest Inspiration | 734 | 21.6% |
| Restaurants – QSR | Baskin-Robbins | Endless Variety | 699 | 22.6% |
| Retail | Lowe’s | Renovation | 681 | 27.5% |
| Technology – Hardware | Samsung Televisions | Curved | 716 | 27.8% |
| Technology – Mobile Devices | Samsung Mobile Phones | Water Resistant | 739 | 30.1% |
| Technology – Software & Websites | Play Your Heart Out | 667 | 39.5% | |
| Technology – Video Games & Consoles | Nintendo | Take Four | 606 | 20.7% |
| Telecom Services | Verizon Fios | Long Way | 652 | 24.2% |
| Travel | Atlantis Resort | Summer Fun | 666 | 19.0% |
Hanes’ humorous spot “Cool Passenger” outperformed more than two dozen new Apparel & Footwear ads to debut in the second quarter. With an Ace Score of 624, the ad beat the 12-month category norm by 27.1%. This ad, as well as its 0:15 version, “Stay Cool,” are the two highest scoring Hanes ads we’ve seen to-date.
“Ignite Your Culinary Creativity” earned the highest Ace Score of the Appliances category, outperforming more than two dozen new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 21.3%. In fact, the ad’s Ace Score of 740 is the new highest scoring ad of all time – lifting the crown from Samsung.
Of the 335 qualitative verbatim responses that consumers chose to provide, 10% used the word “want” – exactly what is measured by the Desire score, for which this 766 score puts this ad in the top one tenth of one percent all time!
The ad picked up above norm scores across all age and gender breaks, performing best with women (Ace Score 783) and perhaps surprisingly, skewing younger men (men 21-35, Ace Score 737).
“The Eyes” earned the highest Ace Score of the Luxury Automotive category, outperforming two dozen new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 18.5%. The ad was also the best Lexus ad we’ve seen to date and beat the Lexus runner up this year by 9%.
This ad really delivered on Information (687, 19% above norm) eliciting strong verbatim responses which used words like “interesting” (6%), “technology (5%), “safety” (4%) and “informative” (3%) to describe the ad – with 11% mentioning Lexus by name.
The ad picked up above norm scores across all age and gender breaks, but gave us the rare horseshoe scores – skewing younger male and older female.
“Happy Children” earned the highest Ace Score of the Non-Luxury Automotive category, outperforming over 100 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 27.3%.
This was a strong brand ad that effectively communicated the Chevy Military Purchase Program. It’s no surprise, given the hearthwarming reunions between military parents and children, that the ad earned high Likeability and Attention scores. Respondents were appreciative to learn about the program, articulated in many of the 321 qualitative verbatim responses. At a high level, 14% referred to “military” with loads of comments about feeling patriotic, proud, and respect for Chevy – which was mentioned 9% of responses. The touching message of the ad earned it a 70 on the Emotional Sentiment index, well above the category average of 52 and Chevy average of 53. In addition, the ad’s 771 Likeability score was the highest achieved in the quarter across all 1,500+ ads.
The ad picked up above norm scores across all age and gender breaks, but did best with women 50+ (Ace Score 730), followed by women 36-49 (Ace Score 715).
“Rule the World” earned the highest Ace Score of the Automotive Services category, outperforming more than three dozen new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 22.8%.
The ad garnered scores well above norm with men and women of all ages but skewed older with women 50+ awarded it an Ace Score of 705.
By mining the 366 verbatims that respondents chose to leave for this particular ad, we find valuable qualitative insights – the ‘why’ behind the scores. For example, 6% of the responses include the word “informative” and 6% mention the featured product Bridgestone by name, with 4% mentioning Firestone specifically and another 12% calling out the primary feature of the ad – the ability to run with a puncture for up to 50 miles.
“Fresh Pressed” earned the highest Ace Score of the Beer category, outperforming close to 60 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 19.9%.
Crispin effectively educated consumers about their process and differentiation which is reflected by the strong Information score (672, 26% above norm). From the 332 qualitative verbatim responses that consumers chose to provide, 9% referred to “fresh” while 5% mentioned Crispin by name.
The ad did best with the 21-35 group (Ace Score 634) but received above average scores with all demo breaks.
We have seen that Cider ads perform well and identified the reason why. Contact us to learn the secret and how these ads differ from beer ads and spirit ads.
“True to the Fruit” earned the highest Ace Score of the Non-Alcoholic Beverages category, outperforming more than three dozen new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 21.5% – with a healthy 42 point lead on the runner up, Simply Juice’s “Simply Lemonade” (Ace Score 643).
This ad quenched a thirst for information as seen in the 703 Information score (18% above norm) and within the 328 qualitative verbatim responses that consumers chose to provide. Respondents cheered for the farm fresh, tantalizing message and visuals, with 7% referring to “farmers” and “fresh”, 9% mentioning “fruit”, 19% talking about the “juice” and 6% calling out “Welch’s” by name.
Men scored the ad 11% above the beverages norm, women awarded the ad scores 28% above norm.
“Summer Flavors” earned the highest Ace Score of the Soda category, outperforming close to 30 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 15.2%.
The ad performed well across all dimensions as is evidenced in the component scores as well as within the 295 qualitative verbatim responses that consumers chose to provide. With an Information score 22% above the Soda norm, Pepsi effectively communicated its latest product offerings in a humorous ad. Respondents expounded about the ad in terms of “fun” (11%), “funny” (7%), and “want” (3%) while 5% comment about the use of real “sugar” in the new Pepsi products.
“Summer Flavors” scored well with men and women, earning its highest scores from women 21-35 (Ace Score 662) followed closely by women 36-49 (Ace Score 659).
“Color Your Summer” earned the highest Ace Score of the Spirits category, outperforming close to 30 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 30%.
The ad performed well across all dimensions earning particularly high Relevance and Desire scores . Of those surveyed, 331 chose to leave qualitative verbatim responses. Respondents provided lengthy comments about what they liked and learned from the ad, including 4% who mentioned the “music,” 15% who commented on the ad being “colorful” and 7% who mentioned Seagrams by name.
Interestingly, “Color Your Summer” performed best with mature women 36-50+ and younger men, 21-35. To find out how it performed specifically with drinkers, drop us a note.
“Parents Don’t Want to Share” earned the highest Ace Score of the Candies & Snacks category, outperforming close to 60 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 24.1%.
The ad performed elicited strong responses in terms of Relevance and Desire, which can also be seen in the 354 qualitative verbatim responses that consumers chose to provide. Respondents enjoyed the humorous interaction between the parents and child and left lengthy comments with frequent use of the words “yummy” (7%), “delicious” (6%), “funny” (7%) and “cute” (4%).
Perhaps unsurprisingly, “Parents Don’t Want to Share” skewed older with both men and women – but still performed strongly with young women 16-20 who awarded the ad an Ace Score of 675. The ad also performed near equally among respondents with children at home versus homes without kids.
“King’s Hawaiian” earned the highest Ace Score of the Banking, Investment & Mortgage category, outperforming close to 40 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 19.8%.
The ad effectively imparted information through its powerful storytelling, which earned an Information score 24% above the category name. Of the 296 respondents who chose to leave an optional comment, 7% mentioned the “help” GE capital provides to small businesses, while 23% mentioned GE by name.
“King’s Hawaiian” performed best with mature women (50+, Ace Score 660) and younger men, 21-35 (Ace Score 637). And while we score investment ads against a high income sample, we also score it against the general population. You might be surprised to see how this ad performed with a variety of demographic breaks outside of the those affluent targets.
“Same Page” earned the highest Ace Score of the Credit Card category, outperforming close to 16 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 10.2%.
Humor is used effectively to remind consumers of Discover Card’s offer. Of the respondents surveyed, 330 opted to leave qualitative verbatim comments – many using terms such as “funny” (17%). “fraud” (12%) and “informative” (4%) – with 7% mentioning Discover by name.
While “Same Page” garnered above norm scores from each demographic, the ad performed best with women 21-49 (Ace Score 622). This is the highest scoring ad overall in the campaign, but each ad has its audience.
“Little Things Can Make a Big Difference” earned the highest Ace Score in the Household category, outperforming 40 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 24.5%.
Dawn remains the top brand when it comes to generating positive Emotional Sentiment scores. Dawn’s “Little Things Can Make a Big Difference” earned an Emotional Sentiment score of 89, the highest of all 1,500 ads scored this quarter. This ad also has the highest Ace Score of all Dawn’s ads dating back to 2010 with a 722.
The ad earned strong component scores, including Likeability and Attention scores more than 15% above the norm. Consumers have not tired of the message according to the 331 qualitative verbatim responses – with frequent use of the words “wildlife” (15%), “animals” (6%) and “message” (4%), “help” (4%) – with 24% mentioning Dawn by name.
“Names” earned the highest Ace Score of the Insurance category, outperforming more than 30 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 26.1%.
The ad’s stunning use of visuals and music played a strong part in the performance – as evidenced in its outstanding Attention and Likeability scores as well as within the 321 qualitative verbatim responses that consumers chose to provide. Respondents provided lengthy comments about what they liked and learned from the ad, beyond the frequent use of the words “great” (11%) and “good” (19%), comments included “scenes” (4%) and “message” (3%), “powerful” (3%) – with 12% mentioning State Farm by name. In a bit of foreshadowing, this ad also won the Ad of the Week last week.
The approach worked well across all demographics, with an interesting skew toward older women and younger men.
“Differences in Slices: L.&L. Gentine” earned the highest Ace Score of the Packaged Foods category, outperforming nearly 80 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 21.4%.
Viewers awarded the ad strong scores across each of the persuasion components, but most notably, the Desire score of 759 which is 19% above norm. More valuable insights can be mined from the 321 qualitative verbatim responses that consumers chose to provide. Respondents provided lengthy comments about what they liked and learned from the ad, beyond the frequent use of the words “great” (9%) and “good” (19%), comments included “natural” (8%) and “quality” (4%), “processed” (8%) – with 9% mentioning Sargento by name. In a bit of foreshadowing, this ad also won the Ad of the Week when it debuted in April.
While the ad resonated with all gender and age breaks, women awarded it scores 10% higher than men with women 36-49 being the highest at an Ace Score of 750.
“New Serum Foundation” earned the highest Ace Score of the Personal Care-Cosmetics category, outperforming all other new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 10.9%.
As you know, Cosmetics is a polarizing category with the target (women) being relatively narrow. While the general population – meaning both men and women awarded the ad an overall Ace Score of 523, women scored the ad 624. The ad performed well with its target audience across all of the persuasion components with particularly high Desire scores (Women: 649, 28% above norm). This also comes through in the 324 qualitative verbatim responses that consumers chose to provide. Respondents expressed their intrigue with frequent use of the words “want” (11%) and “try” (5%) – with 4% mentioning BareMinerals by name.
“Reusable Hair Color” earned the highest Ace Score of the Personal Care-Hair category, outperforming all other new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 19.4%.
Like Cosmetics, Hair skews heavily female – limiting its media opportunities. While the general population – meaning both men and women awarded the ad an overall Ace Score of 580, women scored the ad 643. The ad elicited optional comments from the 334 consumers, of which many used words like “want” (7%) “love” (5%), “idea” (5%) and “try” (4%) – with 6% mentioning L’Oreal by name.
“Their Most Stretchable Sheer Bandage” earned the highest Ace Score in the Personal Care – Main category, outperforming over 20 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 22.1%.
This was a strong brand ad that effectively communicated the benefits of the new, stretchable bandages. While the ad garnered strong component scores across the board, the Desire score soared at 685, 25% above the personal care norm. With 337 consumers choosing to leave a comment, we can see what worked well, including 15% that refer to the “cute” kids while 10% mentioned Band-Aid by name. And the popular jingle and adorable kids in the ad earned it a 67 on the Emotional Sentiment index, well above the category average of 49.
The ad picked up above norm scores across all age and gender breaks, but did best with Females/36-49 (Ace Score 709), followed by Females/21-35 (Ace Score 696).
“Ready for Summer” earned the highest Ace Score of the Personal Care – Skin category, outperforming over 20 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 23.9%.
This was a strong brand ad that effectively communicated the benefits of the new sunblock to parents. In fact, among households with children present, respondents awarded the ad an Ace Score of 662. Of those surveyed, 315 opted to leave a comment that provides more qualitative data behind the performance of the ad. Twenty-one percent used the word “good” to refer to both the quality of the ad and the product while 4% mentioned the ad was “informative”.
The ad picked up above norm scores across all age and gender breaks, but did best with Women/36-49 (Ace Score 680), followed by Women/21-35 (Ace Score 613).
“Strong Body” earned the highest Ace Score of the Pets category, outperforming over 20 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 18.5%.
This ad effectively communicated the benefits of Iams dog food and captured strong Likeability and Attention scores– not uncommon among ads with animals. From the 290 qualitative verbatim responses that consumers chose to provide we see 30% referring to the “cute” dog and kid while 8% mentioned Iams by name. And the adorable visuals of the ad earned it a 75 on the Emotional Sentiment index, well above the category average of 59 and Iams average of 63.
The ad picked up above norm scores across all types of pet owners, but did best with dog owners (Ace Score 721), followed by consumers with other types of pets (Ace Score 716).
“Heal While You Sleep” earned the highest Ace Score of the Pharmaceuticals – OTC, outperforming the 12-month category norm by 13%.
This was a strong brand ad that was especially relevant and imparted a sense of desire for Advil relief. The ad elicited 339 qualitative verbatim responses, with 21% using the word “good” to refer to both the quality of the ad and the product while 9% mentioned the Advil brand.
The ad picked up above norm scores across all age and gender breaks, while skewing older, and did best with Women/36-49 (Ace Score 641), followed by Women/50+ (Ace Score 638).
“Latest Inspiration” earned the highest Ace Score of the Restaurants – Casual Dining category, outperforming more than 60 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 21.6%
Every one of the six Persuasion components broke 700 for this ad – no easy feat for even the chart topping restaurant category. From the 351 verbatims gathered on this ad, we see a variety of key ingredients driving high scores. Respondents left detailed comments ranging from the pricing to the dishes and everything in between. Many commented that the ad made them feel “hungry” (11%), or found the food in the ad to look “yummy” (7%) and “delicious”(6%) while another 8% mention the “deal.”
The ad worked for all ages, but mature audiences enjoyed it best with men 50+ awarded the ad 735 and women 50+ giving it a 770. Reaching millennials is a challenge for brands such as Olive Garden. Reach out to us to get our presentation on what makes millennials tick from an advertising perspective.
“Endless Variety” earned the highest Ace Score of the Restaurants – QSR, outperforming over 130 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 22.6%.
The ad earned high Attention and Likeability marks, but the most notable score was Desire at 16% above norm. Consumers also noticed Baskin Robbins moving in a new direction with these frothy customizable treats, awarding the ad a Change score of 696, 11% above norm. The playful visuals compelled 322 qualitative verbatim responses with 22% referring to the “ice cream” in the ad while 15% mentioned how much they “want” it.
The ad picked up above norm scores across all age and gender breaks, while skewing older, and did best with Women/36-49 (Ace Score 727), followed by Men/36-49 (Ace Score 721).
To understand what’s driving successful QSR advertising, drop me a line and I can take you through the entire category.
“Renovation” earned the highest Ace Score of the Retail category, outperforming over 300 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 27.5%. Given the volume in retail, this is an extraordinary achievement.
The ads Likeability and Attention scores broke the 700 barrier, as did the Relevance score at 709, 14% above norm. The ad may have motivated consumers to start their own DIY home improvement project judging by the 357 qualitative verbatim responses that consumers chose to provide. Respondents appreciated the message, commenting on the “family” (5%) oriented story. Fifteen percent mentioned Lowe’s by name. The ad’s storytelling earned it a 69 on the Emotional Sentiment index, well above the category average of 55 and Lowe’s average of 53.
The ad picked up above norm scores across all age and gender breaks, but did best with women 50+ (Ace Score 767), followed by men 50+ (Ace Score 681) – a notoriously difficult audience.
“Curved” earned the highest Ace Score in the Technology – Hardware category, scoring 27.8% above the 12-month category norm.
The ad’s sharp visuals and its use of popular shows brought high scores across each of the six components. Three hundred and thirty-nine consumers felt compelled to leave an optional comment for Samsung after viewing the ad, with 14% mentioning the TV’s unique “curved” feature and 7% expressing how much they “want” the new TV. Compiling and analyzing the feedback gave the ad an impressive Emotional Sentiment score of 65, 33% above Samsung Televisions’ average. While each gender and age break scored the ad above the norm, men were particularly intrigued by the new TV, with Males/21-35 giving the ad a score of 737.
“Water Resistant” earned the highest Ace Score in the Technology – Mobile Devices category, outperforming the 12-month category norm by 30.1%.
This was a strong ad informationally delivering a score 19% above norm at 782. Respondents articulated just what they loved and learned from the ad, with 9% referring to the phone’s “waterproof” feature and another 8% mentioning how much they “want” the new mobile device. The ad picked up Ace Scores well above norm across each age and gender break, but performed best with women, Females/21-35 awarded the ad an impressive Ace Score of 772. Followers of Ace Metrix will recall that a similar set of features took the Ad of the Quarter last year in Q2 – although that ad belonged to partner AT&T.
“Play Your Heart Out” earned the highest Ace Score in the Technology – Software & Websites category, outperforming over 50 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 39.5%. The ad also has the highest percentage over its 12-month category norm of any of the 1,500 ads scored in Q2 2014.
This ad effectively communicated Google Play’s multi-faceted, in-depth app offerings. With a Relevance score 28% above norm, people felt particularly connected to the ad. Of those surveyed, 323 chose to leave a qualitative verbatim responses with 7% mentioning the ad’s “heart” connection and 12% mentioning Google by name. The ad’s relevant message earned it an Emotional Sentiment score of 58, 18% above the Google brand average.
The ad worked well with all age and gender breaks, but did best with Males/21-35 (Ace Score 698), followed by Females/36-49 (Ace Score 696). Incidentally, this ad also earned the Ad of the Week honor as the highest scoring and category overachiever across all ads scored June 28th through July 4th.
“Take Four” earned the highest Ace Score in the Technology – Video Games & Consoles category, outperforming over 20 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 20.7%.
The ad revved up consumers for the release of Mario Kart 8, earning high scores across each of the six persuasion components. The score for Relevance is particularly telling, coming in 21% above the category’s 90-day norm. A drive into the ad’s 342 consumer responses reveals just how much people are excited for the new Mario Kart. Eleven percent mentioned their “love” for the series while another 13% mentioned how “fun” the game looks.
The ad performed best with males, skewing slightly younger. Overall, males awarded the ad an Ace Score of 627, while females awarded the ad a score of 592. To understand the performance of the ad with different gamer segments, contact us.
“Long Way” earned the highest Ace Score in the Telecom Services category, outperforming over 80 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 24.2%.
The ad successfully conveyed the launch of Verizon FiOS’ new Quantum TV product, with consumers awarding it a Change score 15% above the current 90-day category norm. Additionally, the ad incited a much higher-than-average Desire score, 20% above the 90-day norm. Many survey respondents chose to leave feedback on what they learned and loved about the ad. Six percent mentioned how “interesting” the ad was and another 6% discussed how the ad grabbed their “attention.”
The ad picked up above norm scores across all age and gender breaks. Males/36-49 (Ace Score 694) and Females/50+ (Ace Score 704) awarded the ad the highest scores.
“Summer Fun” earned the highest Ace Score in the Travel category, outperforming nearly 50 new Q2 ads and the 12-month category norm by 19%.
For our augmented sample (consumers who earn more than $75k/year), this ad performed exceptionally well, especially in terms of Attention and Desire, 15% and 22%, respectively, above the current 90-day norm for Hotels. Three hundred and six of the surveyed consumers felt compelled to leave optional feedback for Atlantis Resort. Analyzing those comments, the Emotional Sentiment score for the ad is an impressive 82 out of 100, 25% above Atlantis Resort’s brand average. It was the ad’s exciting visuals that incited 17% of consumers to mention how “fun” the resort looks and 11% to say they “want” to vacation there.
The ad picked up above norm scores across all age and gender breaks, except for Males/50+. Males/36-49 (Ace Score 736) and Females/21-35 (Ace Score 731) awarded the ad the highest scores.
