iSpot’s Ace Metrix Creative Assessment video ad testing has been gauging consumer response to Super Bowl ads* for 13 years and counting. With so many different goals in mind for brands, evaluating Super Bowl ad success cannot be limited to a single measure or ranking.
By applying natural language processing and machine learning techniques to tens of millions of voluntary viewer verbatim comments, iSpot’s Ace Metrix Creative Assessment measures the emotions sparked by every digital creative. This week, we venture into our Super Bowl emotional archives from 2018 onwards to uncover some rather bizarre Big Game ads, and why brands might choose this manner of standing out.
Some Big Game Ads Don’t Go For Popularity
Although most Super Bowl ad reporting focuses on broad audience appeal or likeability rankings among viewers, we’ve also seen game day ads that have puzzled viewers. Consider Mountain Dew’s (now classic) “PuppyMonkeyBaby” or Mint Mobile’s “Chunky Style Milk,” for example. The fact that these ads immediately pop into our minds explains why some brands choose to veer off the straight and narrow humorous or heartfelt paths.
Some brands aim to shock, surprise, or even disturb as a means of drawing attention and putting themselves at the center of the Super Bowl social media (and/or press) conversation, regardless of the risks.
Viewer perceptions of gameday ads that seemingly come out of Left Field*, are Irksome* or evoke an Eerie* sense have been on the decline since 2017, while 2022 saw a rise in the number of spots eliciting WTF*, Incredulous*, and Surreal* response.
Most of these emotional responses can be indicative of positive or negative viewer reactions, as one might be Incredulous that a brand took a certain risk, and others might wonder WTF they just watched but at the same time find it funny and memorable.
Weird Works in Mysterious Ways
The shock and awe approach is certainly high risk, as it can alienate viewers and create unintended blowback on social media (recall 84 Lumber’s “The Journey Begins” and World of Tanks’ “Real Awful Moms”). Sometimes, attempts to stand out go almost too far and waste limited funds if the brand is not even recalled. Perhaps it is no surprise then, that some of the least Likeable ads of the past five Super Bowls have a lot of bizarre in common.
With a Likeability Score of 419 (Likeability Scores for the past five Super Bowls have ranged from 236 to 798), Oatly’s singing CEO drew the ire of most 2021 viewers while tickling the funny bone of a few.
Word cloud reflecting viewer comments on “Milk Made for Humans”
Emotional response profile for “Milk Made for Humans”
Viewers expressed both annoyance and confusion in their comments on the ad.
“I’m still trying to figure out what they were even talking about. I have no clue what that whole commercial was about. Nothing made sense.” Female 36-49
“I thought the commercial was really dry and boring, I know it was supposed to be Innovative but it was honestly just really annoying to hear him singing” Male 21-35
“Another self indulgent entitled yuppy trying to convince me I need to drink something besides good old cow milk.” Male 36-49
Brand recognition for Oatly “Milk Made for Humans”
Although some viewers heard the ’no cows’ message, the brand did not come through, with only 48% recalling Oatly. Originally banned in Sweden (after being sued by the country’s dairy lobby), the spot went viral in the U.S. due to the Awful singing, which did lead to higher awareness and website visits.
Prepared for such a response, the brand capitalized on the annoyance of the ad by selling “I Totally Hated That Oatly Commercial” t-shirts on its website, but connecting your brand to negative feelings, even if for attention, can be a perilous practice.
With a score of 236, “QR Code” ranks as the least Likeable Big Game ad because it was boring to watch, with viewers Incredulous and irked that they were wasting their time watching a code bounce across the screen for a full minute. Sparking rare levels of Awful and WTF response as well, Coinbase really stepped out of the Super Bowl entertainment lane and indeed shocked viewers.
Word cloud reflecting viewer comments on “QR Code”
Emotional response profile for “QR Code”
Audience comments reveal just how far this creative landed from viewer expectations for ads in general, but they also reflect some of the intrigue.
“Is this a joke? I don’t even know what the commercial is for? I kind of wanted to scan it but then I was like nope, if they ain’t gonna tell me then I don’t wanna know.” Male 21-35
“It was stupid, dull and boring and made no sense whatsoever. It was probably one of the worst commercials I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” Male 50+
“What I really would like to know is what exactly this ad is for? It’s simply a QR code hopping around on the screen, very confusing to me.” Female 36-49
Few recalled the brand; however, the confounding ad did its job, as Coinbase saw its website crash during the game. 20 million people reportedly scanned the code in a single minute and chatter about the spot went on for weeks.
Perhaps more telling, other brands immediately began to copy the tactic on their social sites, and QR codes have since been popping up everywhere. Indeed, Super Bowl 2023 is lining up to perhaps be the QR Bowl, whether the codes are seen in Big Game ads, such as reported for Avocados from Mexico, or through social activations such as those already launched by Michelob Ultra and Instacart.
Brand recognition for Coinbase “QR Code”
Weirdly Effective
Landing inventive ways to break through is one of the Super Bowl’s main challenges for brands, but clearly it is hard to predict what consumer response will be. Some brands have proven to be successful with some shock and incredulity, but a balance must be achieved wherein the narrative clearly cements the brand and ends with positive perceptions.
In last year’s GM commercial, Dr. Evil is irked that his scheme for global domination (utilizing the Ultium EV) would actually provide environmentally friendly advantages. Austin Powers characters (played by Mike Myers, Seth Green, Mindy Sterling and Rob Lowe) were a major draw, rated the Single Best Thing about the spot by an impressive one in two viewers – nearly 2.5 times the rate of the Super Bowl five-year norm.
These Nostalgic characters delivered strong breakthroughs while the creative left viewers Incredulous at just how Funny and unexpected the ad was.
Emotional response profile for “EV-erybody In”
While the movie choice was met with some polarizing responses, the approach saw the Green (all-electric) message clearly delivered – a credit to the commitment of keeping the brand central to the off-the-wall narrative.
Word cloud reflecting viewer comments on “EV-erybody In”
“It caught and kept my attention. The writing was solid and entertaining. I loved the use of Dr. Evil and the other characters. It’s good to know GM is reducing their carbon footprint.” Female 36-49
“Love dr. Evil and the characters in the commercial. HATE THE FACT CARS AND TRUCKS ARE GOING ELECTRIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Male 36-49
“I thought the ad was hilarious and I love how they brought it together and show GM’s new electric vehicles” Female 21-35
Another brand with a decidedly Quirky image, Mountain Dew shocked viewers in 2020 by going to the dark side as Bryan Cranston stalked Tracee Ellis Ross straight out of The Shining. Although the characters and Surreal visuals were central to the plot, the product itself was also 36% more impressionable to viewers vs. the Super Bowl five-year norm, and 88% recalled the brand (unaided).
Brand recognition for Mountain Dew“Zero Sugar, As Good As the Original”
Mountain Dew grabbed Attention very effectively by delivering Irksome and Eerie scenes with a Funny/Quirky resolution that viewers were not expecting. Layer in the Nostalgia of a classic horror flick, and the disturbing approach paid off for many.
Emotional response profile for Zero Sugar, As Good As the Original
Viewer comments indicate both the unsettling nature of the creepy scenes and the positive effect of the storyline’s turn.
Word cloud reflecting viewer comments on “Zero Sugar, As Good As the Original”
“I think it was a job well done, as nobody would’ve seen that coming. It started off as a scary movie ad but then the story transpired into something else. Well done, and it’s funny also.” Female 21-35
“it was victimizing women but also it was boring but so stupid and creepy.” Female 16-20
“I did not like this ad. It made me feel scared and sick to my stomach. Why would they use a murder or kidnap scene to advertise a drink? It’s disgusting. As someone who has nightmares about this, it was not in good taste.” Female 21-35
“Already love Mountain Dew , Bryan Cranston is awesome and making the commercial a version of The Shining was not expected.” Male 36-49
During Super Bowl LVI, UberEats cleverly (and to many, grossly) delivered the message that the brand provides more than just “eats” by showing Jennifer Coolidge, Nicholas Braun, and Gwyneth Paltrow trying to eat inedible products.
The bizarre concept was reflected in a very high Change score, but the balance of the Irksome and Incredulous with humor delivered the key Information very effectively, and to much praise.
Emotional response profile for “Uber Don’t Eats”
83% recalled the brand, with most in the audience delighted by the Funny demonstration of Uber’s new service.
“Hilarious way of presenting that Uber eats delivers more items than just food.” Male 16-20
“I know they are trying to show that you can’t get more than just food from them but it was kind of gross.” Female 21-35
“The celebs I knew were fun, but making them eat crappy things was hilarious.” Male 21-35
“Gross eating candles and paper, but the message is clear that Uber Eats now delivers other things.” Female 36-49
The unconventional approaches seen here each took a risk at offending at least part of the audience, with some outcomes clear winners and others more debatable. The ability to achieve disruptive messaging while maintaining positive brand outcomes is not for the faint-hearted, but the quest for groundbreaking work will continue to haunt. In just days, we will bear witness to more weird and wonderful creative on another Super Bowl Sunday.
Want more Super Bowl insights ahead of the game? Visit our Super Bowl Ad Center for a deeper look at some of the best 2023 teasers and emerging pre-game trends as well as real-time updates and analytics on Game Day.
Footnotes:
Super Bowl ads are defined as airing whistle to whistle (in-game) in these statistics.
Note that some statistics range from 2014-2022, the point at which iSpot began reporting a more complex mix of performance metrics (such as emotional reactions).
Likeability Score – measures the extent to which viewers responded, “I like this ad.”
Attention Score – measures the extent to which viewers reported “It got my attention.”
Incredulous fires when something (or everything) about an ad leaves respondents in disbelief, such as the claims the ad makes. 89% of all ads show no Incredulous signal.
Eerie is evoked when an ad makes viewers uneasy or scared, often as the result of (really) weird or uncomfortable content. 83% of all ads show no Eerie signal.
Irksome is sparked when an ad agitates viewers, often through annoyance or by offending one’s morals/beliefs. 80% of all ads show no Irksome signal.
WTF fires when the message is confusing, or there’s no connection between the ad and the brand advertised. 87% of ads show no WTF signal.
Left Field signals when ad content, such as characters or visual scenes, is unusual. Or, the advertiser conveys product attributes or the message in an unconventional manner. 83% of ads show no left field signal.
Surreal is sparked by unusual visuals or characters that seem out-of-this-world. 88% of all ads show no Surreal signal.