These were the 15 best Super Bowl ads in 2024. Here's why, according to hard data from Ipsos.

For many of us, the commercials are the highlight of the Super Bowl: Brands bring their A game (and their A++ budgets). This year we saw an avalanche of celebrities, references to movies and shows, cross platform activations, industry inside jokes and some strong brand integration. Ipsos analyzed reaction using surveys, social listening and live communities – a combination of approaches that provides a more robust and nuanced picture of Super Bowl success.

Ipsos combined three different data sources to provide a fast, agile and accurate look at the holistic performance of Super Bowl commercials:

• Creative|Spark: Super Bowl ads were tested for robust evaluation for creative effectiveness. Sample: 150 general population respondents per ad. Creative|Spark fuels the creative process by helping advertisers and agencies quickly learn, evaluate and optimize creative to power brand growth. The average range for Creative & Equity Effect is between 70-130.
• Fast Facts: After the game, Ipsos surveyed 1,000 adults on its Ipsos.Digital platform. Fast Facts lets you create your survey questions and get fast answers from our quality sample. View results in an interactive dashboard, export charts in PowerPoint or tables in Excel.
• Ipsos Synthesio: The Ipsos Synthesio team used their AI-enabled consumer intelligence platform to track and analyze 2.2 million Super Bowl-related social mentions.

This combination of approaches provides a more robust and nuanced picture of Super Bowl success, leading us to our 15 awards for the top performing ads of Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.

Here are our awards for the top performers.

Happy CFO Award: Reese’s

Yes! Amid a flood of celebrity-led ads, Reese's unveils a new Big Cup variant with caramel, letting the product carry the weight. Without the high expense of a celebrity endorsement, the ad uses lighthearted humor to keep viewers engaged and shows high in-market potential for driving sales, indicated by a Creative Effect Index of 187, well above the norm of 70 to 130, and sure to please the CFO.

Ads that have a high Creative Effect Index deliver 44% greater sales lift vs. poor performers (as validated by Ipsos MMA). Learn more about Creative|Spark here.

TikToking for the Win Award: Dunkin’

Ben Affleck is back, and this time he has the band! With an over-the-top story and obnoxiously awesome branded sweat suits, viewers intuitively knew the ad was for Dunkin’. Plus, Matt Damon, Tom Brady and Jennifer Lopez helped to keep the audience entertained. The DunKings made sure to keep the beats popping over on TikTok by leaning into creative codes leveraging creators and behind-the-scenes clips. The ad registered an above-average 135 on our Social Power Index (above the norm of 85 to 115), which helps advertisers select the video ads with the most potential to get talked about online and drive earned media value.

Brand Purpose Award: Dove

Dove crafted an engaging spot promoting body positivity among girls, enabling them to persist in sports. Leveraging its authoritative stance as a pioneer in inspiring women, the ad's tone and message strongly resonated with viewers. With high brand impact potential, the ad ranked in the top 6% of Ipsos' global GEM® index, marking it as an exceptional piece of creative work.

Ads that deliver positive portrayal of women or girls are 24% more effective at driving business results. Read more here.

Made for the Super Bowl Award: CeraVe

Merging Michael Cera with extensive promotion across multiple channels, the CeraVe ad marked an engaging departure from conventional, often dull, skincare advertisements. The quirky narrative resonated strongly with viewers in the lead-up to the game with a twist in the TV spot, and netted an above-average 139 on the Social Power Index.

Best Brand Assets Award: Pringles

What if a celebrity turned into a brand logo character? That's the question Pringles asked in this year's Super Bowl. Chris Pratt grew a killer handlebar mustache, enabling him to become one with the mascot and keep Pringles front and center throughout the entire spot. This resulted in the highest brand linkage score of the Super Bowl ads tested this year. The ad scored 139 on Ipsos’ Brand Linkage measure, above the average of 85 to 115, and a performance that places it in the top 3% in our Ipsos database.

Ads using character brand assets are six times more likely to deliver high brand attention. Read more in “The Power of You.”

Best Use of Nostalgia Award: Volkswagen

Nostalgically revisiting the iconic VW Bug, the ad carved out a spot within popular culture and evoked strong emotional responses among viewers. This strategy differentiated the brand and will help to put VW into the consideration set for consumers; it scored an above-average 130 on our Brand Attention Index.

Using aspects of a brand’s history or heritage in ads boosts brand attention by 8%. Read the Ipsos and Effie report on nostalgia here.

Nailed the Brief Award: Microsoft

Customers often grapple with applying AI in their everyday lives. Microsoft's Copilot app aims to dismantle these barriers, as demonstrated by various use-case examples in the ad. Three in four people surveyed (70%) strongly agreed that the ad was informative, significantly above the norm. Coupled with a significant Social Power Index, the ad successfully differentiates the brand by effectively communicating something innovative and informative.

Early-stage research leads to 48% improvement in overall ad performance. Learn about our Creative Development solutions here.

Best Celebrity Sighting Award: e.l.f.

Are pricey beauty products worth the hype? Judge Judy puts them on trial, while Louis Litt of “Suits” argues the case. The verdict from the jury, including Meghan Trainor, favors e.l.f. With strong brand attention and potent message delivery, this e.l.f. ad is a great example of leveraging celebrity power to support the brand's message, and it earned a Brand Attention Index score of 145 (the norm is 85 to 115).

Streamer Wars Award: Pluto TV

Free TV? Indeed, Pluto TV’s “Couch Potato” ad piques viewer interest. Offering a broad spectrum of genres and popular titles at no cost, the ad conveys a unique, informative, and pertinent message in a very crowded category. Landing in the top 3% the Ipsos database for the Creative Effect Index, this ad possesses significant potential for user base expansion.

Learn how streaming services can thrive between the hits and make more effective entertainment creative.

Exclusively Inclusive Award: Google Pixel

Google's Pixel ad narrates a touching story. It enables a visually impaired man to capture significant life moments using the AI camera feature. The ad's positive portrayal of the protagonist captivated audiences, leading to an above-average Ipsos Diversity, Equality, Inclusion (DEI) Index of 147.

Best Product Demo Award: Kawasaki

Mullets, 'Merica, and the “business in front, party in the back” mantra; who said product ads need to be boring? Kawasaki demonstrated self-deprecating humor via audacious hairstyles and were rewarded by viewers. By conveying fresh information via an entertaining narrative, the ad's significant Social Power Index of 135 will have audiences discussing the Ridge long after the game's conclusion.

Best TikTok & Spot Combo Award: Mountain Dew

Mountain Dew’s Baja Blast gave fans of “Parks and Recreation” a reason to celebrate. Or more specifically have a blast. Its clever wordplay helped to put the brand at the center of the story, plus the inclusion of Aubrey Plaza and Nick Offerman had the audience cheering. Mountain Dew was a big winner by effectively using TikTok to leverage creative codes and activations, resulting in 190% increase in videos mentioning the brand over Super Bowl weekend, compared to the day before. Mentions of the brand were 64% positive, the highest positive brand mentions during the game.

Best Social Conversation Award: Verizon

Queen Bey is out of this world! Star power was undeniable this Super Bowl and an obvious tactic for brands to gain online conversations. Beyonce’s incorporation into this spot, especially with a new album teaser, connected with her large loyal fanbase and generated high online conversations, album speculation and engagement. 91% of posts about the ad name-dropped Beyonce, 32% mentioned her new music tease, and 64% used the Verizon brand name, according to data from Ipsos Synthesio.

Interested in AI-powered social conversations? Learn more about Synthesio’s offerings.

Tearjerker Award: Kia

Super Bowl ads don't necessarily require celebrities or excessive humor to be effective. Kia proves this by presenting viewers with a deeply touching narrative that places the brand at the heart of the story. Although the story might leave viewers reaching for the tissues, high brand linkage and an above-average Creative Effect Index of 132 are nothing to weep over for Kia.

Best Use of Song Award: Nerds

Click here to watch on YouTube

The brand revisited the classic “What a Feeling” song, re-enacting the iconic “Flashdance” scene to pique interest in Nerds' gummy cluster snack. The ad's distinctive and entertaining use of the song ensured the message resonated with viewers. A promising Creative Index Effect of 174 – the top 12% of the Ipsos database – suggests the brand will sustain this impact.