Hyundai Wins USA Today Ad Meter As Brands Play It Safe With Super Bowl 50 Commercials

The "main advertising formula for this year’s Super Bowl pretty much boiled down to three words: Make ‘em laugh," according to Chris Woodyard of USA TODAY. Hyundai, the winner of USA Today's Ad Meter, "certainly was no exception." The car brand "drove away with first-place honors" with its pregame spot that depicted a dad, played by comedian Kevin Hart, who "hands the keys of his new Hyundai Genesis to a young man who is taking his daughter on a date." The runner up was a "wacky Heinz ad that featured dachshunds that donned hot-dog bun outfits." The winning streak "ended for Anheuser-Busch InBev, a 14-time Ad Meter victor which won the last three years" (USA TODAY, 2/8). In DC, Butler & Judkis wrote there is no denying that the Hyundai ad featuring Hart "was a crowd-pleaser" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 2/7). USA Today's Charisse Jones said Hyundai's "First Date" ad was No. 1 on the Ad Meter because it was the "trifecta of a great Super Bowl commercial -- it was hilarious, it had one of the biggest entertainers of the moment" in Hart and "it’s kind of relatable." Jones: “People loved it across the board, all generations.” Jones said of the “Weiner Stampede” ad, "Heinz made a point of not using celebrities in their ad like a lot of the other advertisers because they wanted the hot dogs and the condiments to be the stars of the show, and it really paid off" ("CBS This Morning," 2/8).

TOP FIVE OF USA TODAY SUPER BOWL AD METER
RANK	COMPANY	SPOT
1	Hyundai	First Date
2	Heinz	Wiener Stampede
3	Doritos	Ultrasound
4	Doritos	Doritos Dogs
5	Hyundai	Ryanville

BOTTOM FIVE OF USA TODAY SUPER BOWL AD METER
RANK	COMPANY	SPOT
1	Valeant	Jublia
2	Valeant	Xifaxan
3	Persil ProClean	The Professional
4	OIC Is Different	Envy
5	Squarespace	Successes

MONKEY BUSINESS: AD AGE's Nat Ives noted Super Bowl viewers last year "were treated to a barrage of emotional, sometimes uplifting, sometimes maudlin commercials," but this year, the ads, led by Mtn Dew Kickstart's "PuppyMonkeyBaby," sent Super Bowl 50 "a different way." It was a "very productive return to the Super Bowl for Mtn Dew, absent for 16 years." Its spot was "weird in the best Super Bowl-ian way" (ADAGE.com, 2/7). In N.Y., Sydney Ember writes Mtn Dew Kickstart had the "most visually jarring commercial" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/8). In Chicago, Steve Johnson writes advertisers "played it cautious," and many ads were "too safe to be interesting." Some "risky bets on new characters," like those in spots for Mtn Dew Kickstart and Marmot, "left viewers feeling a little queasy" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/8).

LIGHTER APPROACH: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Suzanne Vranica writes under the header, "Super Bowl Ads Bring Lighter Tone." Bud Light, which "ran a funny election-themed ad" featuring Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen, "seems to have gotten its marketing mojo back." Getting Bud Light’s advertising "back on track is critical" for A-B, as Bud Light sales "have struggled for more than a year." Meanwhile, perennial fan-favorite Doritos "got viewers laughing" with its "Ultrasound" spot (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/8). NBC's Olivia Sterns said of the Doritos' spot, "There’s no star power, there’s no gimmick. It’s not clever or witty, it is just simply absurd and laughable” ("Today," NBC, 2/8). In DC, Bethonie Butler wrote the Bud Light ad was "pretty great," even if the caucus joke "is a pretty obvious one" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 2/7). REUTERS' Athavaley & Richwine noted advertisers "played it safe and light ... shunning previous years' attempts to be outrageous, emotional or thought-provoking" (REUTERS, 2/8). People magazine Exec Editor Kate Coyne said, "There were some real tragedy ones last year. At least you could laugh this year for most of them.” Comedian Steve Harvey said of his T-Mobile spot, "Whoever thought that this mishap with Miss Universe would turn into a Super Bowl commercial?” ABC's George Stephanopoulos said, "New definition of laughing all of the way to the bank" (“GMA,” ABC, 2/8).

PLAYING IT SAFE: The AP's Mae Anderson notes ads "ran the gamut this year from offbeat humor to heartfelt messages." Advertisers generally "played it safe with universally liked celebrities such as Anthony Hopkins (TurboTax) and Ryan Reynolds (Hyundai), cute animals and pro-America themes." Anderson: "Heartfelt messages were in abundance." Most ads "managed to avoid the somber tone struck last year, when an ad for Nationwide about preventable household accidents bummed out many in the audience." There were "a couple of misfires," as two pharmaceutical ads "highlighted unappealing digestive conditions" (AP, 2/8). NBC Sports Ventures Senior VP Rob Simmelkjaer said, "Marketers over the years have gotten a little shy about Super Bowl creative. It used to be so much pressure to just kill it and when you didn’t it was tough, you’d be defensive, so a lot of marketers have gotten a little more conservative and tried not to put so much at stake just during the Super Bowl" (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 2/8). The N.Y. TIMES' Ember writes advertisers "dusted off their well-worn playbooks for Super Bowl 50, deploying a combination of humor, celebrities and plenty of animals." Former Droga5 Vice Chair Andrew Essex said, "Same old, same old. Celebrity, silly and deadly serious seems to be the new formula.” Ember writes it "seemed at times during this year’s game as if there were enough animals to fill a small zoo" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/8).

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING? VARIETY's Brian Steinberg wrote Madison Avenue "brought a knife to a gun fight" last night, loading Super Bowl 50 with ads "for the splintered crowds of the Internet and social media rather than being tailored for TV’s biggest annual event." What was in "short supply during the evening were commercials that viewers once expected from the Super Bowl: cinematic bits of video that make even the beer-drinkers in the back of the room stop and pay attention, and then deliver a convincing message about why the people watching ought to go out and spend on the product being advertised" (VARIETY.com, 2/7). ESPN.com's Darren Rovell wrote with a game that "turned out to be something of a snoozer," the commercials "didn't do their part to save the day." Most of the spots "failed to generate much buzz" (ESPN.com, 2/7). AD AGE's E.J. Schultz wrote the tone of Coca-Cola's 60-second ad using Marvel superheroes was a "departure from the more serious ads that Coke ran in the previous two Super Bowls." This year's "more whimsical approach fits the strategy pushed" by Coca-Cola Global CMO Marcos de Quinto (ADAGE.com, 2/7). ROLLING STONE's Rob Ledonne wrote it was a "pretty staid night for Super Bowl commercials" (ROLLINGSTONE.com, 2/8). In L.A., Mary McNamara notes in response to #OscarsSoWhite, several of this year's ads "were praised for their diversity" (L.A. TIMES, 2/8).