Budweiser ‘Puppy Love’ meets 'Snapple Says’: 2014 Beverage Brand Advertisers of the Year
Advert testing firm ACE Metrix claims its ‘Brand of the Year’ status is coveted among advertisers because it is not based on any single opinion or board of creative ambassadors, and is representative of a vast number of consumer responses to every new video advert that debuted during 2014.
To qualify for ACE Metrix Brand of the Year, a brand must have released five or more unique pieces of creative content during the 2014 calendar year.
ACE Metrix gathered 3.5m+ responses from approximately 700,000 consumers to 7,000+ new adverts in 2014, with each advert scored by a panel of 500+ consumers, demographically balanced to the US census for age, gender and income.
The firm’s ‘Ace Score’ is a holistic measure of an ad’s creative impact and includes data on attributes such as persuasion, likeability, information, attention, change, relevance, desire and watchability.
First place in the Beverage sector went to Snapple, with an ‘average ace score’ of 608 ‘powered by’ ‘desire’ followed by a Budweiser campaign on 577 characterised by ‘attention and likeability’ and Bud Light Lime-A-Rita on 557 – powered by ‘information and change’.
Snapple stole the Non-Alcoholic Beverage laurels from PepsiCo brand Tropicana, with its score of 608 6% higher than the category norm; the brand aired five unique slots in 2014, each of which lasted 15 seconds and scored highly for its ‘desire’ credentials.
You can watch the most successful Snapple advert above, a production that led to the following comment from a woman aged 36-49 living in the Western USA, canvassed by ACE Metrix...
“Modern ad! Liked all the fruit and how things twisted and turned as the music played. Simple yet effective ad. Made me want to drink a Snapple, Made me also wonder where the Snapple lady is!”
Budweiser stole Alcoholic Beverage top spot from Samuel Adams Boston Lager with its score of 577, 13% higher than the category norm – due to emotionally resonant spots featuring dogs and the brand’s iconic Clydesdale horses, troops returning home and friends reuniting.
The brand’s highest-scoring ad was ‘Puppy Love’, aired during the Super Bowl on February 2. This 60-second spot scored 681 in its own right, and drew comments along the lines of this one – from a man aged 50+ from Northeast USA.
“I don’t drink but I love this ad...My wife and I are animal lovers and when a company like Budweiser produces such wonderful pieces of art like these ads they should get the credit that’s due to them.”
Anheuser-Busch sister brand Bud Light Lime-A-Rita took the Brand of the Year 2014 title in the Spirits, Malt Beverages and Wine category from Bacardi, which won in 2013.
The brand’s ace score of 557 was 13% higher than the category norm and ACE Metrix said its effectiveness was powered – 15-second slot ‘Party On’ was its highest scoring ad of 2014, with a score of 591, 20% higher than the category norm.
One 50+ female from the South responded to the ad – informing viewers of new Rita flavors Mang-O-Rita and Raz-ber-Rita – thus: “It’s very appealing. Taking Budweiser into a new direction with their brand and product. The ad stood out because of the place where it was taking place.”
