Likeability. The concept is pretty straightforward, but what defines how Likeable an ad is? Might the notion change from year to year, as fortunes, politics, and social issues fluctuate? Can anyone agree, and if so, what drives that feeling of liking an ad? With the Super Bowl being the ad world’s biggest stage, mass appeal is the surest way to success. We thought we’d take a peek into the past and dive deep into the most Likeable Super Bowl ad from the last five years to prep you for this year’s viewing party.
Using survey-based Creative Assessment, we were able to identify which Super Bowl ad from the past five years scored highest on Likeability. As its name suggests, the score measures the extent to which survey respondents like an ad after watching it in its entirety. The following analysis uncovers the underlying (and sometimes subliminal) emotions that drive Likeability on gameday.
And the Top Super Bowl Ad Is…
The most Likeable Super Bowl ad of the past five years belongs to Doritos for their highly entertaining and pop-culture Cool creative that left viewers Loving It – the 2020 showdown at the “The Cool Ranch Ft. Lil Nas X & Sam Elliott.”
This :60 spot was Funny and Quirky, delivering not just run of the mill – or teenage boy – humor, but clear Ingenuity that made for instant Memorability. Below, a sample of survey respondent verbatim comments reflect the impact the clever humor had on viewers.
“I love this ad. They did a great job capturing the eyes of the young audience with the showing of Lil Nas X and his song “Old Town Road”. Whoever came up with the concept is brilliant and I’d want them on my team. Their showing of knowledge of pop culture is beautiful as well as the message of “so cool it will make you dance”
Male 16-20
“The idea of using a western theme for the Cool Ranch flavor, is genius, love it.”
Male 21-35
“I feel like Doritos always has the trendiest ads and this one was very enjoyable to watch. They obviously consider pop culture and their audience when creating ads”
Female 21-35
“I love the humor, it is so good I don’t even mind the one minute duration of the ad due to how appealing it is.”
Male 16-20
“It’s surprising. I didn’t expect that they would be dancing. I love the ad.”
Female 21-35
“It’s clever/funny. It surprises you throughout and keeps your attention.”
Male 21-35
Ace Emo Chart for “The Cool Ranch Ft. Lil Nas X & Sam Elliott
This chart depicts the emotional impact of “The Cool Ranch Ft. Lil Nas X & Sam Elliott”. Ace Emo refers to the 57 emotional metrics Creative Assessment measures for every breaking TV and video ad. Measurement is derived from survey respondent verbatim comments using Natural Language Processing and machine learning. Scores are relative to every other ad in the expansive database. The longer the bar in the chart above, the stronger the signal.
Beyond clever, “Cool Ranch” also layered in an Energetic Audio track with Arresting visuals in a Narrative that piqued Curiosity to spike engagement from literally the first few seconds.
Second-by-Second Trace* Chart for “The Cool Ranch” Featuring Lil Nas X & Sam Elliott
The chart above tracks second-by-second viewer resonance. The lines represent the average response across viewers in each respective age group. The gray area is a standard range of responses.
The following verbatim comments from Creative Assessment survey respondents reveal how the music, visuals and characters drove strong emotions and viewer resonance in the Second-by-Second Trace Chart.
“This ad is so fun! From the actors and the dancing to the music – it falls right in line with all Doritos ads. They always do a great job – they make you laugh. It’s something people will talk about”
Female 36-49
“This was the perfect example of the type of ad I want to see more of on television. It’s genuinely funny and unique and it got me to pay attention.”
Male 21-35
“I loved this ad! It has a catchy song that everyone loves and the dancing is awesome! This also caught the attention of my 5 year old son!!”
Female 21-35
“I think this ad was very entertaining and it makes me want to engage with the product more.”
Male 21-35
“I liked everything about the ad. It was very entertaining and made me want to eat Doritos of any flavor.”
Male 36-49
Firing on nineteen emotions with a single ad is a rare feat in advertising (in fact, the average Super Bowl ad from 2014-2021 evoked an average of eleven emotions, with 2021 ads showing less diversity in approach and firing just eight), so Doritos gave everyone something to like with this one. To wit, “Cool Ranch” outperformed the annual advertising norm by double and triple digits across audience segments.
Likeability for More Than Likeability’s Sake
While a myriad of objectives exist for Super Bowl advertisers – from awareness/name recognition to mission declarations to driving sales – the impact on the brand’s business can be just as powerful as the ad’s impact on our emotions.With celebrities that appealed to young and old and music that delivered the impressive breakthrough necessary for advertising’s biggest event of the year, viewers nonetheless recalled the Doritos brand because the flavor was an integral and clever part of the ‘showdown at the Cool Ranch’ storyline.
Single Best Thing shows which creative element viewers liked best. In this case, a majority (35%) chose the Characters as the Single Best Thing about “The Cool Ranch.” Brand Recognition measures the strength of a brand’s and/or product’s presence in the creative. Equals the percent of survey respondents that accurately identified a brand (unaided) after watching an ad.
Moreover, in a category that easily ties into game-watching rituals, “Cool Ranch” also won at driving intent – beyond category annual normative levels (by +11 points) to a full 67% of viewers.
Super Bowl Advertisers Favor the Funny Bone .. and the Heart
Since Ace Metrix Creative Assessment started measuring the emotional impact of Super Bowl ads (back in 2014), advertisers have consistently tried to make viewers laugh, but if not chuckle, then feel. You’ll note the laugh track peaked in 2020 following a year of gun violence and political upheaval, including the impeachment of President Trump and the burning of Notre Dame. The Boston Marathon bombing and pending verdicts in several controversial trials in 2013 left advertisers in the 2014 game leaning lighthearted as well.
And For Good Reason
Both laughter and touching emotions have consistently been linked to Super Bowl ad success, with the most Likeable creatives over the past five years delivering on one of them – note the success of 2020 big game advertisers.
Most Likeable Ads from Past 5 Super Bowls (2017 – 2021)
| Year | Brand | Title | Likeability Score | Top Emotions |
| SB20 | Doritos | The Cool Ranch Ft. Lil Nas X & Sam Elliott :60 | 798 | Love It, Funny, Arresting |
| SB18 | Toyota | Good Odds :60 | 795 | Inspiring, Heartfelt, Powerful |
| SB20 | Jeep | Groundhog Day :60 | 792 | Funny, Arresting, Nostalgic |
| SB19 | Microsoft | We All Win :60 | 789 | Inspiring, Powerful, Heartfelt |
| SB20 | WeatherTech | Lucky Dog :30 | 789 | Narrative, Corporate Responsibility, Heartfelt |
Whether brands in 2022 go for the funny or put a dagger through our hearts, we are willing to bet that the most talked about and most effective big game ads will be those that knock it out of the park on Likeability – and perhaps Curiosity, which is on the rise.
Kudos to Doritos for scoring big on every level with this ad, and make sure to join us to uncover how the halftime sponsor (Doritos is owned by parent PepsiCo) performs this year. Will the perennial favorite, Budweiser (running the top three most Likeable Super Bowl ads since 2010), make a triumphant return? Our Super Bowl LVI reporting and Ad Center will be ranking game-day performance on this critical measure of success. Sign up below for access to our Super Bowl VIP Ad Center starting February 1st.