Early Release Super Bowl Ads Win with Audiences: Who are the Leaders?
With the Super Bowl just days away and new ads dropping seemingly every hour, there’s a lot of excitement building for advertising’s biggest night. As we do every year, System1 is testing every Super Bowl ad to see whether this year can beat last year and the overall effectiveness metrics for the average U.S. ad.
Lay’s, the NFL, Budweiser, Doritos and Reese’s are at the top thanks to inspiring narratives, beloved recurring distinctive assets and humor. Read on to learn more about the early release leaders.
The Ad Effectiveness Stats
Our Test Your Ad platform tests consumers’ emotional responses throughout an ad, assigning creative a score of 1.0 to 5.9 Stars based on long-term brand-building potential. Ads that make people feel intense, positive emotions like happiness and surprise score high on the scale. Usually only 1% of ads secure a 5-Star score.
Thus far, the early-release ads average 3.7-Stars. In 2024, Super Bowl ads averaged 2.7-Stars, above the 2.3-Star average for all US ads but still predicting ‘modest’ brand-building potential. Since 2020, only six of the Big Game ads have hit the 5-Star level – this year’s work from Lay’s and the NFL, Disney in 2023, Huggies in 2021, and Doritos and Jeep in 2020.
The majority of Super Bowl ads rely on celebrities to entertain. Of the top 10 early leaders, just four ads leverage celebrity spokespersons: the NFL features its athletes alongside children it supports through youth organizations, while Häagen-Dazs, Hellmann’s and Michelob cast Hollywood stars to elicit nostalgia and laughs.
Scoring Points with Audiences
The top ads are ordered by Star Rating. Ads equal on Star Rating are ordered according to System1’s Spike Rating which predicts short-term sales impact.
- Lay’s (Highdive), Little Farmer – 5.9-Stars
- NFL (72andSunny), Somebody | It Takes All of Us – 5.6-Stars
- Häagen-Dazs (nice&frank), Not So Fast, Not So Furious – 4.7-Stars
- Budweiser (FCB New York), First Delivery – 4.5-Stars
- Doritos (Dylan Bradshaw), Abduction – 4.4-Stars
- Reese’s (Erich & Kallman), Don’t Eat Lava – 4.1-Stars
- Booking.com (Zulu Alpha Kilo), Get Your Stay Ridiculously Right – 4.1-Stars
- Hellmann’s (VML), When Sally Met Hellmann’s – 4.1-Stars
- Instacart (TBWA\Chiat\Day), We’re Here – 4.1-Stars
- Michelob ULTRA (Wieden+Kennedy), The ULTRA Hustle – 4-Stars
The Playbook for Brand-building Success
This year’s standouts follow these winning strategies:
- Storytelling – Lay’s showcases a heartwarming narrative of a young girl planting and growing her own potatoes. The story has a clear beginning, middle and end, with a touch of tension and a happy resolution. Meanwhile, the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” contest winner tells a short tale about an alien invasion.
- Distinctive assets– Brand assets help viewers quickly identify who an ad is for, helping to maximize a multi-million-dollar investment. Some brands use fluent devices (recurring characters and scenarios), like the Budweiser Clydesdales in their 47th Super Bowl appearance, while Reese’s leverages its distinctive, orange-toned background.
- Humor – Reese’s once again leans into slapstick humor, Booking.com features the Muppets to showcase its services and Michelob ULTRA puts Catherine O’Hara and Willem Defoe in a fierce pickleball battle with a few other stars.
- Cultural references– Hellmann’s gives a playful nod to a famous When Harry Met Sally scene, Instacart references past Super Bowl spots and Häagen-Dazs recreates Fast & Furious with a cool twist.
Get the Winning Insights
System1’s comprehensive Super Bowl report, “How to Win the Super Bowl,” is an exploration of the most entertaining Big Game ads and why they work. Whether you’re a first-time advertiser or a seasoned veteran, our insights based on 6 years of Super Bowl advertising, can help you win over consumers’ hearts.