Every football player wants that Super Bowl champion ring. And every advertiser wants that top ranking for best Super Bowl ad. Each year, commercials play a bigger and bigger role in Super Bowl viewing and this year was no different. We know the Pittsburg Steelers got the championship rings, so who won best commercial?
It depends who you ask. Different studies and surveys rank very different commercials number one. USA Today’s 21st annual Super Bowl Ad Meter test gave the nod to Doritos for an ad where a guy shatters a vending machine with a crystal ball after predicting free Doritos for his office.
But that ad ranked 34 out of 91 advertainment commercials in a study conducted by HCD Research using its Media Curves Web site. Media Curves instead ranked the Budweiser Horse Circus ad number one. In that ad, an iconic Budweiser Clydesdale rescues his love from the circus. USA Today put Budweiser second.
While the ad story lines are quite different – one relies on humor the other on emotions – the biggest difference in the ads is behind the scenes. The Doritos ad was made by two unemployed brothers from Indiana who created the ad for Frito-Lay’s online contest for amateurs. The Budweiser ad was made by their ad agency like most commercials.
So who really won? I’m voting Doritos for its humor. But don’t take my word for it – check out the videos below to decide for yourself.