Data: 39m US homes watch Super Bowl; Michelob best ad (2024)

System1, the creative effectiveness platform, surveyed more than 10,000 Americans on this year’s Super Bowl ads, and Michelob, Reese’s and Hellmann’s emerged as the public’s favourites.

System1’s Test Your Ad platform tests consumers’ emotional responses throughout an ad, assigning creative a score of 1.0 to 5.9 Stars based on long-term brand-building potential. Ads that make people feel intense, positive emotions like happiness and surprise score high on the scale. Usually only 1 per cent of ads secure a 5-Star score.

This year, the ads averaged 2.7-Stars. That’s a drop on 2023’s 2.9-Star average, though still above the 2.3-Star average for all US ads. No ads this year scored 5-Stars with the public.

The audience’s Top 3 took diverse approaches to creative effectiveness. The 2024 advertising MVP is football superstar Lionel Messi, whose beach football skills gave Michelob’s winning ad a summery vibe which resonated with the audience. Close behind in 2nd place was Reese’s slapstick ad, which showed you don’t have to use celebrities to make an impact. And in 3rd place, Hellmann’s Mayo Cat parodied instant stardom while making a serious point about food waste.

The highest-ranking debut advertiser was chocolate brand Lindt, whose chilled-out ad featured a Perry Como soundtrack and their familiar Master Chocolatier character. Pfizer also scored well for a debutant, scoring 3.8-Stars with a Queen-soundtracked ad celebrating 175 years of medical achievement.

As the ad prices continue to rise, more and more are relying on celebrities to make their investment pay off – often deploying multiple stars in the same ad. In total, 39 ads, or 56 per cent, leveraged celebrities, with an average score of 2.6-Stars.

Celebrities aren’t the only familiar faces. 13 ads, or 19 per cent, featured their recurring fluent devices, which are defined as brand-owned scenarios or characters, like the M&M’s Spokescandies or the E-Trade baby. Ads with a fluent device achieved an average of 3.1-Stars, higher than the overall average.

In a year where overall effectiveness dropped, the top 11 ads (the winning team on the field) show some key themes of the successful big game commercials.

• Tell stories. Strong narratives are a big effectiveness driver, and ads from Hellmann’s, the NFL and Budweiser used their time to tell funny, inspiring or dramatic tales.
• Keep it simple. Many ads tried to cram multiple mini-scenes and rapid edits into their 30 seconds of fame, but winning ads like Michelob, T-Mobile and Skechers focused on one idea executed brilliantly.
• Go for laughs. Humour continues to play a big role in the ads. Reese’s and Skechers brought slapstick energy to their ads, and Pfizer livened up an inspirational story with amusing visuals.
• Use celebrities well. Celebrities are everywhere on game night, but the best ads let their stars do things only they can, from Messi’s fantastic footwork for Michelob to Mr T acting like himself for Skechers.
• Leverage fluent devices. Familiarity breeds contentment for audiences who like seeing brand-owned characters they recognise. The Budweiser Clydesdales and M&M’s Spokescandies are big game regulars and once again placed their brands onto the winning team.

The top ads are ordered by Star Rating. Ads equal on Star Rating are ordered according to System1’s Spike Rating which predicts short-term sales impact.

1. Michelob ULTRA, Superior Beach– 4.8-Stars
2. Reese’s, Yes! – 4.7-Stars
3. Hellmann’s, Mayo Cat – 4.5-Stars
4. T-Mobile, That T-Mobile Home Internet Feeling – 4.5-Stars
5. Lindt, Life is a Ball – 4.4-Stars
6. NFL, Inspiring Young Athletes Everywhere – 4.3-Stars
7. Budweiser. Old School Delivery – 4.2-Stars
8. OREO, It All Starts with a Twist– 4.1-Stars
9. Skechers, Mr T in Skechers – 3.9-Stars
10. M&M’s, The M&M’S Almost Champions Ring of Comfort – 3.9-Stars
11. Pfizer, Here’s to Science – 3.8-Stars

“These ads are a huge investment for a brand, and if you get it right they’re well worth it. It’s no surprise brands are trying to fit as much into their airtime as possible with loads of celebrities and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scenes,” said Jon Evans, Chief Customer Officer, System1. “But these results show that the winning brands on game night take a more focused approach. They execute simple ideas brilliantly, tell great stories, use celebrities and brand assets wisely and never forget to entertain.”

Meanwhile, Samba TV reports that 39 million US households watched the 2024 Super Bowl, up 6 per cent from the 2023 Super Bowl and the highest Super Bowl viewership seen in the past six years; and 30.1 million US households watched the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show, up 5 per cent from the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Poppi was the most watched ad of the Super Bowl that aired nationally, reaching 29.1 million households, followed by the first Verizon ad and the Snapchat ad (both of which also reached about 29.1 million US households).

Ashwin Navin, CEO of Samba TV, commented: “There were several factors driving unprecedented buzz for the big game, from the record-breaking ad spend to the Taylor Swift effect. More than 39 million homes watched the Chiefs victory over Niners, surpassing last year’s viewership by nearly 6 per cent to be the highest viewership in years. Following Apple Music’s first successful halftime show last year, it found success with fans yet again with an impressive 30.1 million viewers, exceeding last year’s Rhianna-led show Overall, the halftime show drew in 5 per cent more viewers than last year.”

Categories: Advertising, Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Research

Tags: advertising, michelob, NFL, super bowl, system1