The Philadelphia Eagles weren’t the only ones that had a great Super Bowl.
USA Today’s 37th annual Ad Meter ranked the best commercials from the big game, in which the Eagles thumped the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22.
“USA Today created Ad Meter in 1989 to gauge consumers’ opinions about television’s most expensive commercials, and the results have become the industry-leading tool used to measure public opinion surrounding Super Bowl ads,” the outlet says.
The spots are rated by regular viewers on a scale of 1 to 5, without a panel of judges or experts weighing in. An average rating is determined by dividing the score by the number of people who voted. Everyone who contributes must give a rating for all commercials, which the Ad Meter doesn't divide into specific categories. All national commercials airing between kickoff and the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter are eligible.
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Considering a 30-second spot went for about $8 million, per USA Today, having an ad that scored with viewers was definitely important. Ralphie Aversa, who hosts and produces USA Today’s “Entertain This!,” says this year’s commercials were solid.
“I thought it was a great batch. Celebrities and great stories really ruled the night, but not in the most conventional of ways,” he said on TODAY on Feb. 10.
What was the top-rated commercial in USA Today’s Ad Meter?
Budweiser’s “First Delivery” took the crown. In the ad, a Clydesdale foal is told he is “still too little” to help make a delivery of kegs on a wagon from a brewery. The young horse proves them wrong, though, when he springs to action after one keg falls, prompting a solo delivery. The ad then shows a man in a bar starting a joke with "a horse walks into a bar," and the foal does exactly that, as he catches up with the guy who delivered the beer.
Aversa called Budweiser “the undisputed king of USA Today’s Ad Meter,” noting it’s the company ninth time topping the list.
The second place ad was “The Little Farmer” from Lay’s, which featured a determined and dedicated girl who tills the soil to grow a potato.
Taika Waititi, who directed the Oscar-winning film “Jojo Rabbit,” helmed this spot that Aversa called “a heartfelt story” that was based on real Wisconsin family of farmers.
“You can pull at the heartstrings a little bit and it will resonate with America,” Aversa said.
Third place went to Michelob Ultra’s “The Ultra Hustle,” which starred Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara as they dominate athletes, like NFL legend Randy Moss, Olympic track and field gold medalist Ryan Crouser and WNBA champion Sabrina Ionescu in pickleball to win some Michelob Ultra.
“It’s hilarious,” Aversa said.
“Everything just worked really well,” he added.
What commercials did the TODAY team like best?
Savannah Guthrie named “A Century of Cravings” by Uber Eats as her top choice. In the star-laden ad that features Sean Evans, Martha Stewart, Charli XCX and Greta Gerwig, Matthew McConaughey is determined to prove football is “a conspiracy to make us hungry.”
“It was really just a star-studded cast,” Aversa said about the commercial which capped off Uber Eats’ campaign all season about how football was created to get people to eat.
Craig singled out the “What is Greatness” ad by He Gets Us, which is the campaign from the Christian nonprofit Come Near. The commercial features images of people doing good deeds and helping others, set to Johnny Cash covering Depeche Mode’s song “Personal Jesus,” prompting Aversa to point out it was even more effective because there was no voiceover.
“They didn’t beat you over the head with it,” Craig said. “I thought it was really well done.”
Carson Daly chose “Kiss from a Lime” by Mountain Dew, which, like the Lay’s “Little Farmer” commercial, was directed by Waititi. This one features pop star Seal as an actual seal, while he sings altered lyrics to his hit “Kiss from a Rose” to be all about the drink.
“It just took everybody’s attention away,” Carson said, while noting the people at the Super Bowl party he attended had the strongest reaction to this commercial.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
