The Saints weren’t the only winners in this year’s Super Bowl XLIV. Even with celebrities like Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, John Travolta, and an additional 74,000 in the stadium, the real audience seemed to be the record-breaking 153.4 million viewers.
Every year, the commercials are always strongly anticipated. As marketers, we too at Direct Partners excitedly await the Super Bowl commercials. Not only do we have our own opinions, but we have some questions too. How do the most liked ads compare with the most viewed ads? How do those compare with the most recalled ads? And how do they compare with our personal favorites?
The following graph shows Nielsen’s top 10 ranked commercials in the following categories: most recalled, most viewed, and best liked.
Direct Partners asked employees, “What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial this year?”
Tiffany Corallo, Account Supervisor: “E-Trade’s Girlfriend… milka whaaa?”
Ryan Hartigan, Associate Project Manager: “Definitely Betty White getting tackled for Snickers. So good. ”
Terry Lee, Email Marketing Manager: “Bud Light’s T-Pain commercial and Doritos’ House Rules.”
Baron Toler, Information Architect: “Taco Bell’s It Rocks. And my vote for most brand damaging, nightmare-scary goes to Vizio’s Forge.”
Why?
Jenny Campbell, Associate Creative Director: “Google’s Parisian Love was the best commercial by far. Just goes to show that a good story is much more important than cheesy special effects. Simple and sweet.”
Jason Monma, Senior Web Developer: “Google’s Parisian Love. It’s just plain effective. The story they tell is simple, understandable and effective at creating an emotionally intriguing narrative in a short time span. The music is very well done and effective at eliciting sentimentality. It’s extremely cost effective since all the visuals are a computer screen. They effectively highlight the products Google offers while staying within the context of the story. So, the commercial blends story, music and product showcase to create a simple, uncluttered and just plain effective commercial.”
Floyd Coleman, Director, Database Marketing: “I have to go counter on this one. The continued themes of put upon men, men in underwear and slapstick humor made me think more about the brand that wasn’t shown, Pepsi. Even without a broadcast advertisement, Pepsi took its existing awareness and undertook a digital strategy that is in the sweet spot of its target audience, Millenials & Gen Y. They selectively placed banner ads on Super Bowl ad sites to draw visitors who will learn more about the Refresh Project. Now let’s see if this does better than AMEX’s ‘Members Project.’ I’ve noticed more awareness of Pepsi not advertising than Coke’s commercials.”
Nancy Cymerman, Senior Copywriter: “Google’s Parisian Love. The ad was brilliant. It was as low budget as you can get, thoroughly and clearly displayed the virtues and uses of the product, but was at the same time conceptual, warm and relatable. You kept watching to see what was going to happen. The best by far this year.”
Munir Haddad, SVP, Strategy & Planning: “Pepsi, for taking their money out of the Super Bowl and putting it into www.refresheverything.com with the express purpose of doing good throughout the world. Paying off a corporate shift that takes on turning Pepsi Co. into a ‘conscious business.’ My second favorite, and an ad that actually ran, was Audi Green Car. Timely, funny, and tied into the product’s promise of a car that’s safer for the environment.”
Uwe Hook, SVP, Media: “Letterman/Leno/Oprah. However, Super Bowl ads shouldn’t be the end of a journey; they should be the beginning of an experience. Spending millions of dollars on an ad just to end with a logo or corporate URL is a waste of money. Instead, brands need to extend the life of the campaign by either pushing to a digital experience or a social platform.”
After reading through our employees’ top picks, it’s clear there is an overwhelming favorite: Google’s Parisian Love. Should we be worried that our favorite isn’t a contender in any of Nielsen’s three top-ten ratings lists? Nah, we’re happy that our company chose Google’s first sign of TV/brand advertising as their top choice. We’d expect nothing less from the innovative minds of Direct Partners.
Print, subscribe to, PDF, email or share this article:
Top 10 Super Bowl players
The Saints weren’t the only winners in this year’s Super Bowl XLIV. Even with celebrities like Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, John Travolta, and an additional 74,000 in the stadium, the real audience seemed to be the record-breaking 153.4 million viewers.
Every year, the commercials are always strongly anticipated. As marketers, we too at Direct Partners excitedly await the Super Bowl commercials. Not only do we have our own opinions, but we have some questions too. How do the most liked ads compare with the most viewed ads? How do those compare with the most recalled ads? And how do they compare with our personal favorites?
The following graph shows Nielsen’s top 10 ranked commercials in the following categories: most recalled, most viewed, and best liked.
Direct Partners asked employees, “What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial this year?”
Tiffany Corallo, Account Supervisor: “E-Trade’s Girlfriend… milka whaaa?”
Ryan Hartigan, Associate Project Manager: “Definitely Betty White getting tackled for Snickers. So good. ”
Terry Lee, Email Marketing Manager: “Bud Light’s T-Pain commercial and Doritos’ House Rules.”
Baron Toler, Information Architect: “Taco Bell’s It Rocks. And my vote for most brand damaging, nightmare-scary goes to Vizio’s Forge.”
Why?
Jenny Campbell, Associate Creative Director: “Google’s Parisian Love was the best commercial by far. Just goes to show that a good story is much more important than cheesy special effects. Simple and sweet.”
Jason Monma, Senior Web Developer: “Google’s Parisian Love. It’s just plain effective. The story they tell is simple, understandable and effective at creating an emotionally intriguing narrative in a short time span. The music is very well done and effective at eliciting sentimentality. It’s extremely cost effective since all the visuals are a computer screen. They effectively highlight the products Google offers while staying within the context of the story. So, the commercial blends story, music and product showcase to create a simple, uncluttered and just plain effective commercial.”
Floyd Coleman, Director, Database Marketing: “I have to go counter on this one. The continued themes of put upon men, men in underwear and slapstick humor made me think more about the brand that wasn’t shown, Pepsi. Even without a broadcast advertisement, Pepsi took its existing awareness and undertook a digital strategy that is in the sweet spot of its target audience, Millenials & Gen Y. They selectively placed banner ads on Super Bowl ad sites to draw visitors who will learn more about the Refresh Project. Now let’s see if this does better than AMEX’s ‘Members Project.’ I’ve noticed more awareness of Pepsi not advertising than Coke’s commercials.”
Nancy Cymerman, Senior Copywriter: “Google’s Parisian Love. The ad was brilliant. It was as low budget as you can get, thoroughly and clearly displayed the virtues and uses of the product, but was at the same time conceptual, warm and relatable. You kept watching to see what was going to happen. The best by far this year.”
Munir Haddad, SVP, Strategy & Planning: “Pepsi, for taking their money out of the Super Bowl and putting it into www.refresheverything.com with the express purpose of doing good throughout the world. Paying off a corporate shift that takes on turning Pepsi Co. into a ‘conscious business.’ My second favorite, and an ad that actually ran, was Audi Green Car. Timely, funny, and tied into the product’s promise of a car that’s safer for the environment.”
Uwe Hook, SVP, Media: “Letterman/Leno/Oprah. However, Super Bowl ads shouldn’t be the end of a journey; they should be the beginning of an experience. Spending millions of dollars on an ad just to end with a logo or corporate URL is a waste of money. Instead, brands need to extend the life of the campaign by either pushing to a digital experience or a social platform.”
After reading through our employees’ top picks, it’s clear there is an overwhelming favorite: Google’s Parisian Love. Should we be worried that our favorite isn’t a contender in any of Nielsen’s three top-ten ratings lists? Nah, we’re happy that our company chose Google’s first sign of TV/brand advertising as their top choice. We’d expect nothing less from the innovative minds of Direct Partners.