Reese’s frenetic but fun “Yes” campaign took second place in Kantar’s Super Bowl LVIII league table, with an impact score of 86 and an enjoyment rating of 76, its brand equity rating was 73.
Squarespace’s “Hello Down There” completed the top three, with Toyota and Doritos’ efforts taking the respective fifth and sixth slots.
3. Michelob Ultra and Lionel Messi struck a note with fans
System1’s star rating formula predicts long-term brand growth based on an ad’s creative quality, measuring peoples’ emotional responses to each ad.
Michelob Ultra’s ninth consecutive Super Bowl appearance, “Superior Beach,” which featured soccer legend Lionel Messi, actor Jason Sudeikis and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino enjoying a day at the beach, took top marks from viewers.
The ad received a whopping 4.8 stars when it came to audience reactions.
In Kantar’s rankings, the spot placed at number 10. Here, it placed high for enjoyment with a score of 82. However, in terms of its ability to grow brand equity, Kantar’s predictive tech ranked it at the lower end of the scale with a tally of just 30.
Back to System1’s ratings, Reese’s took second place once more with 4.7 stars, while Hellmann’s battle against food waste fronted by Kate McKinnon, Mayo Cat and Pete Davidson clocked in at number three with 4.5 stars.
Those aren’t bad scores at all considering this year’s cohort of Super Bowl sports averaged 2.7 stars; a drop on 2023’s 2.9-star average. No ads this year scored 5 stars with the public.
4. Kantar and System1’s data shows there’s no one blueprint for effectiveness
Even in a low-scoring year, System1’s top three ads took very diverse approaches to creative effectiveness.
MVP Michelob’s easy, summery vibe resonated with audiences, while Reese’s riotous slapstick ad, showed you don’t have to use celebrities to make an impact. Elsewhere Hellmann’s “Mayo Cat” parodied instant stardom while making a serious point about food waste.
As the price of media slots continues to rise, more advertisers rely on stars to make their investment work harder, often deploying multiple in the same ad. But celebrities aren’t an instant ticket to effectiveness.
