The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

Creative Creative Works Super Bowl LVII

Emotive Disney anniversary ad beats M&M’s as ‘most effective’ Super Bowl spot

Author

By John Glenday, Reporter

February 13, 2023 | 6 min read

While the Kansas City Chiefs fought back to claim a 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, it was Disney that was the biggest winner off the playing field according to System1’s ad effectiveness measurement tool.

Disney

Only 1% of ads ever ever score 5 stars

System1 has refereed the top 10 gameday commercials, ranking the top-performing adverts on their brand-building potential.

The marketing platform assigned its star rating system to the most powerful commercial voices from the game, with one ad even crossing the high watermark of a coveted 5-star rating – something only 1% of ads ever manage.

Jon Evans, chief customer officer at System1, said: “This year saw a welcome jump in overall scores and a rich 5-Star ad from Disney. The big theme we saw was nostalgia, with homages to classic films and TV doing particularly well. Nostalgia can be great at boosting effectiveness, but it can lead to an over-reliance on celebrities and that’s what we’ve seen in a lot of ads this year. After all, celebrities are no replacement for great characters of your own.”

Drawing on overarching themes of film/TV homages, celebrity endorsement, co-branding, TikTok and meta advertising, here we share the top 10 performers and the lessons to be gleaned from their success...

1. Disney ‘Disney100 Special Look’ (5.3 stars)

Disney proved to be a Super Bowl showstopper with a nostalgia-laden anniversary spot that saw its cherished characters from throughout the years sweep aside today’s celebrities. Running the gamut from 1922’s Steamboat Willie to Avatar, the House of Mouse roared.

2. M&M’s ‘Back for Good’ (4.8 stars)

Falling just shy of five stars was M&M’s, which ditched its ‘spokescandies’ ahead of the Super Bowl only to reinstate the iconic candy ambassadors directly after the Big Game.

Suggested newsletters for you

Daily Briefing

Daily

Catch up on the most important stories of the day, curated by our editorial team.

Ads of the Week

Wednesday

See the best ads of the last week - all in one place.

The Drum Insider

Once a month

Learn how to pitch to our editors and get published on The Drum.

3. T-Mobile ‘New Year, New Neighbor’ (4.7 stars)

Also mining the evergreen nostalgia vein was T-Mobile, which curried favour with audiences by casting its eyes back to classic films and TV shows. Among the throwbacks was John Travolta reprising Summer Nights to sing the praises of the telecoms brand.

4. Amazon ‘Saving Sawyer’ (4.4 stars)

A lonely dog proved to be the unlikely star of Amazon Prime’s shopping pitch, tugging on the sentimentality of viewers by suggesting Sawyer’s family may send their misbehaving pet to the pound only for them to come up with a better plan, taking everyone on an emotional rollercoaster.

5. Jeep ‘Electric Boogie’ (4.3 stars)

Jeep unleashed its animalistic side with a menagerie of meerkats, bears and dolphins who boogie for the cameras to draw attention to a new generation of electric vehicles.

6. Michelob Ultra ‘Ultra Club/New Members Day’ (4.2 stars)

A star-studded lineup including Serena Williams and Emmy Award winner Brian Cox step back in time to the 1980s to revisit golf comedy Caddyshack for a heady mix of nostalgia and pop culture.

7. Paramount+ ‘Stallone Face’ (4.2 stars)

Right behind sits Paramount+, which like Disney mined its enviable back catalog to resurface action hero Sly, who climbs a mountain carved in his honor in a loose allusion to the ‘streaming wars’.

8. The Farmer’s Dog ‘Forever’ (4.2 stars)

Also on 4.2 stars is The Farmer’s Dog, which wins hearts and minds with a good-natured tale of preservative-free dog food.

9. Bud Light ‘Hold’ (4.1 stars)

Bud Light took a different tack for the well-worn beer category, ditching celebrity cameos in favor of a Tik-Tok-inspired ad featuring real-life couple Miles Teller and Keleigh Sperry.

10 Popcorners ‘Breaking Good’ (4.1 stars)

The snack brand draws inspiration from Breaking Bad’s Walter and Jesse, who are depicted hanging up their chemical suits to focus on baked snacks.

Creative Creative Works Super Bowl LVII

More from Creative

View all

Trending

Industry insights

View all
Add your own content +